The Farm Bill is a bipartisan package of legislation with an enormous impact on American agriculture, natural resources and rural communities. The Farm Bill helps ensure that farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers can supply abundant, affordable food for all Americans. Its programs range from crop insurance and agricultural research to nutrition assistance and conservation.
Each year, the Farm Bill provides roughly $6 billion for conservation work. This makes the Farm Bill the federal government’s largest investment in the conservation, restoration and management of private working lands. These lands include farms, ranches and forests, and cover over half the total land area in the United States.
Farm Bill conservation programs are voluntary and incentive based. They benefit agricultural operations of every type and size, from ranchers and farmers managing thousands of acres down to local community gardens. These programs help to restore soil health, clean up waterways, protect wildlife habitat and more. They can help farmers save and earn money—for example, by using less fertilizer or by diversifying the crops they grow—and can also help them recover after disasters such as floods and drought.
These programs remain one of our country’s most important and successful conservation efforts. Their future, however, is at stake.
Right now, Congress is revising how it spends the federal budget through a process known as budget reconciliation. The reconciliation bill could make deep cuts to agricultural funding—including conservation programs in the Farm Bill.
Congressional agriculture committees need all available agriculture funding to reach a bipartisan Farm Bill agreement. Without these funds, the Farm Bill might not get passed this year.
TNC urges Congress to defend all Farm Bill conservation funding. The reconciliation process should not stand in the way of a successful Farm Bill that protects rural communities, working lands and nature.
Urge Congress to pass a Farm Bill that supports conservation and communities.
Add your nameThe Farm Bill is one of our biggest opportunities to make meaningful, substantial gains for nature. Its conservation programs are extremely popular with farmers, ranchers and other agricultural producers. Applications to these programs already far exceed available funds. Yet the future of these vital programs—and the Farm Bill at large—is in jeopardy.
Congress typically renews the Farm Bill every five years. The current Farm Bill expired in October 2023. Congress has since passed two one-year extensions. If Congress does not act, the Farm Bill will again expire in October 2025—continuing a cycle of uncertainty that makes it harder for producers to maintain their livelihoods and care for their land.
As lawmakers debate these vital measures, TNC urges them to invest in a Farm Bill that supports healthy food and soils, clean water, strong communities and a robust economy.
Through the Farm Bill, farmers and ranchers have voluntarily enrolled 140 million acres in conservation programs
The agriculture industry supports millions of jobs in the U.S.
In the lower 48 states, 70% of land is privately owned and eligible for Farm Bill programs
There are more than 2 million farms covering 475 million acres of land in the U.S.
The health of a farm, ranch or forest depends on the health of its soil. Practices such as rotational grazing, cover crops and no-till farming help to make soil more fertile, better able to absorb and store water, and less prone to erosion. The next Farm Bill should continue to fund efforts such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, which provides financial assistance to agricultural producers who implement soil-friendly practices.
Farms, ranches and forests can provide essential habitat for wildlife. The Farm Bill helps wildlife in a variety of ways. Agricultural easement programs, for example, support farmers, ranchers and forest landowners who choose to permanently protect their working and natural lands from commercial development. Other Farm Bill initiatives, such as the Conservation Reserve Program, provide financial and expert assistance for landowners interested in restoring wildlife habitat.
Agriculture is a key driver of water use in the U.S. Farm Bill programs help clean up waterways, protect wetlands and other habitats, and reduce the risk of flood and drought. The next Farm Bill should address these risks by creating new floodplain easement options, modernizing the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program, and increasing technical assistance through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, which helps producers adopt water conservation practices.
Privately owned forests face a slew of threats, from development pressure to droughts, pests and wildfire. A robust Farm Bill could restore degraded forests and keep existing forests healthy. TNC advocates for the Source Water Protection Program, Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program and other Farm Bill initiatives that support healthy watersheds, wildfire resilience and the reforestation of private lands.
Clean energy, such as wind and solar, benefits farmers and other agricultural producers by allowing them to produce affordable, on-farm electricity. The next Farm Bill should maintain robust funding for Energy Title programs that support renewable energy investments in rural America—most importantly, the Rural Energy for America Program. REAP helps agricultural producers and rural businesses finance clean energy installations and implement energy efficiency measures.
Military veterans, socially disadvantaged producers, and farmers and ranchers who are new to agriculture have historically accessed Farm Bill programs at lower rates than other groups. The next Farm Bill should increase funding, credit availability and program accessibility for historically underserved producers, while also facilitating their access to markets.
Increasing the restoration and sustainable use of soil, water and other natural resources on a scale large enough to make a significant impact is daunting at times—but it’s important work that benefits us all. The best approach is often working with partners in strategic areas to address the most critical conservation needs with as many hands as possible.
The Regional Conservation Partnership Program, introduced in the 2014 Farm Bill, makes this approach possible. Starting with federal resources, RCPP brings new partners and new funding to the conservation table, maximizing the impact.
RCPP empowers communities and drives public-private partnerships to find local, innovative solutions to complex natural resource challenges for watersheds and landscapes. To date, RCPP has mobilized more than 2,000 conservation partners who have invested about $1.4 billion, doubling the amount of federal funding for these projects.
Conservation easements are one of the most potent and practical tools available for the permanent conservation of private lands in the United States. They are voluntary, legally binding agreements that limit certain types of uses or prevent development from taking place on a piece of property now and in the future, protecting the property’s ecological and open space values.
For more than 40 years, easements have protected wildlife habitat and open space from development, kept land in private hands and generated significant benefits for the public.
The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program in the Farm Bill includes two vital components: Agricultural Land Easements and Wetlands Reserve Easements. Agricultural Land Easements protect the long-term viability of the nation’s food supply by preventing the conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses, while Wetlands Reserve Easements improve water quality and supply, provide habitat for fish and wildlife and support outdoor recreation.
Healthy soil is the cornerstone of life on Earth. It facilitates ecosystem diversity, amplifies food production, allows for effective water filtration and storage and captures soil carbon, which helps reduce the impacts of increasingly variable weather patterns.
The Farm Bill helps improve soil health by increasing the number of acres managed with soil health and nutrient stewardship practices through programs like the Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
Suppose farmers can manage nutrients more efficiently to reduce runoff and restore wetlands to capture nutrients escaping their fields. In that case, it will lead to cleaner waterways and drinking water. And, since excessive nutrient runoff from farms and other sources contributes to algal blooms, it would slow the growth of dead zones that contaminate drinking water and suffocate aquatic life.
Urge Congress to fully fund Farm Bill conservation programs in 2025. We need a Farm Bill that supports healthy food and soils, clean water, strong communities and a robust economy.
The Farm Bill supports America's farmers, ranchers and forest stewards through a variety of programs that promote conservation practices, provide loans and grants, facilitate training and education, and protect landowners from disasters. At a time when many farmers and ranchers are failing to make a livable profit, the Farm Bill provides a critical safety net for landowners and can play a significant role in combatting climate change. Other provisions authorized by the Farm Bill include support for food assistance programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides funds so low-income families can purchase groceries.
The Farm Bill is typically renewed every five years. Congress has enacted 18 Farm Bills since the original bill was passed in the 1930s. The most recent bill expired on September 30, 2023. A continuing resolution was passed in November 2023 to extend current Farm Bill programs, including those that support conservation, until September 2024. A second resolution extended the Farm Bill by another year, to September 2025.
The Farm Bill titles can change with each new bill, but the 2018 Farm Bill had 12 titles. TNC’s policy priorities and work are focused on several key titles, including conservation, forestry and energy.
The Farm Bill is the biggest investment the federal government makes in private lands conservation. The reauthorization of its programs is a top priority for both the agricultural and conservation communities. The reality is that passing Farm Bills is becoming more difficult. Several recent Farm Bills have been reauthorized months, even years, later than they were supposed to be passed. The 2018 Farm Bill has received two one-year extensions. It will again expire in September 2025.
This leaves Farm Bill conservation programs at risk. It’s critical that Congress crafts a new bill that builds on the remarkable progress of its predecessor and that will help forge a sustainable, productive future for our lands and way of life.
The IRA authorized these programs through 2031, so this is not an impact of farm bill expiration.
Thousands of people benefit from the Farm Bill each year. See some of their stories below.
Check out our latest thinking and real-world solutions to some of the most complex challenges facing people and the planet today.
