In the News
‘Like a ghost town’: Employee exodus hammers farm conservation agency
A federal agency that provides critical land management assistance to American farmers has quietly gone dark in swaths of rural America. Agriculture Department offices for the government’s Natural Resources Conservation Service are operating with skeleton crews across the country — or no staff at all, in some cases — at a time when farmers want
Read More ‘Like a ghost town’: Employee exodus hammers farm conservation agency
Regenerative Ag and MAHA Now Linked | By Chris Clayton, DTN Ag Policy Editor
USDA will spend up to $700 million to help more farmers use regenerative agricultural practices as part of the Trump administration's "Make America Healthy Again" agenda. The pilot program will use $400 million from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and $300 million from the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and will also leverage private funding to promote conservation practices such as cover crops while helping farmers reduce the use of chemicals such as pesticides. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins announced the pilot program on Wednesday with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Read More Regenerative Ag and MAHA Now Linked | By Chris Clayton, DTN Ag Policy Editor
Under Trump, the Department of Agriculture Has Ditched Conservation and Climate Efforts
The NRCS staff “work in extremely close partnership with farmers on a day-to-day basis,” said Rebecca Bartels, executive director of Invest in Our Land, a newly formed group focused on protecting conservation dollars for farmers. “We see a lot of concerns, both on the delivery of the programs and also for farmers’ ability to navigate
Read More Under Trump, the Department of Agriculture Has Ditched Conservation and Climate Efforts
White House Budget Slashes Conservation Tech Support
Although the USDA has trumpeted efforts to get more agency funding to the farmers that needed it, the budget proposal shows conservation technical assistance would be from $850 million in 2026 to $111.4 million in 2027, and there would be widespread staff reduction at NRCS state offices as well. The NRCS has already lost more than 2,300
Read More White House Budget Slashes Conservation Tech Support
Invest in Our Land says proposed budget reduction for NRCS would result in the loss of 61 jobs in South Dakota
Invest in Our Land (IIOL) issued the following information Saturday (April 4, 2026) in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency that delivers federal conservation programs to America’s farmers and ranchers.
Read More Invest in Our Land says proposed budget reduction for NRCS would result in the loss of 61 jobs in South Dakota
Invest in Our Land Statement on the Trump Administration’s FY2027 Budget Proposal for the Natural Resources Conservation Service
Washington, DC – Over the weekend, Invest in Our Land (IIOL) issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency that delivers federal conservation programs to America’s farmers and ranchers.
Read More Invest in Our Land Statement on the Trump Administration’s FY2027 Budget Proposal for the Natural Resources Conservation ServiceNEWS RELEASE: Invest in Our Land Statement on the Trump Administration’s FY2027 Budget Proposal for the Natural Resources Conservation Service
Washington, DC, Saturday, April 4, 2026 – Today, Invest in Our Land (IIOL) issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget for the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) agency that delivers federal conservation programs to America’s farmers and ranchers. The proposed budget
Read More NEWS RELEASE: Invest in Our Land Statement on the Trump Administration’s FY2027 Budget Proposal for the Natural Resources Conservation Service
Extreme weather and other issues threaten Sioux Falls chefs and farmers
The James Beard Foundation and Invest In Our Land led a roundtable today to discuss solutions to extreme weather and sourcing costs when it comes to getting food from the farm to the table.
Read More Extreme weather and other issues threaten Sioux Falls chefs and farmers
Invest in Our Land in Action
Invest In Our Land is committed to bringing farmers and policymakers together to protect the future of American agriculture.
