Federal Programs
Every Major Program, Plain English
Each guide covers who qualifies, what it’s worth, and exactly how to apply.
OBBB: What Changed
Policy Update$65.6 billion in new ag spending. Cheaper crop insurance, faster disaster payments, bigger ARC/PLC, and the estate tax sunset is gone. Here’s what it means for your operation.
Not sure where to start? Pick your situation →
Conservation
Improve your land, share the cost
NRCS can cost-share infrastructure and practice changes. Competitive — not every application gets funded.
EQIP
NRCSCost-share for fencing, water development, grazing improvements, brush management, and conservation infrastructure. The biggest conservation program.
Guide + payment estimator + 4 practice deep dives
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Annual payments for qualifying conservation work you’re already doing: rotational grazing, maintained buffers, soil health practices. Most producers who qualify have never applied.
Full guide + 4 practice areas
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Practice areas
Regenerative Pilot (FY2026)
NRCSNew for FY2026: bundles EQIP and CSP into a single whole-farm application with $700M set aside nationally. 25% of each state’s EQIP and CSP financial assistance flows through this pool.
Full guide
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Working Lands for Wildlife
NRCSTargets EQIP, CSP, and ACEP dollars into priority landscapes: sagebrush country, Great Plains grasslands, bobwhite range, longleaf pine. Dedicated ranking pools and ESA regulatory predictability up to 30 years.
Full guide
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Annual rental payments for retiring environmentally sensitive or marginal land from production. 10–15 year contracts.
Full guide + comparison tools
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Quick links
ACEP Conservation Easements
NRCSSell the development rights on your land while you keep ranching. NRCS can fund up to 50% of the easement value. A powerful tool for succession planning.
Full guide
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Risk management
The safety net programs
Federal programs that pay when prices drop, rain doesn’t come, or disaster hits.
Federal Crop Insurance
RMARevenue Protection, Yield Protection, coverage levels, unit structure, SCO, ECO. The decisions that matter most for row crop operations.
Guide + 3 interactive calculators
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Whole-Farm Revenue Protection
RMAOne policy covering your entire operation’s revenue. Designed for diversified farms, specialty crops, and direct-market operations.
Full guide
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NAP Coverage
FSANoninsured Crop Disaster Assistance for crops without federal crop insurance: honey, specialty crops, aquaculture. Most specialty producers don’t know this exists.
Full guide
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Disaster Assistance
FSALIP for livestock deaths, ELAP for increased costs, LFP for drought, ECP for infrastructure repair. Most producers only know about one of these. there are at least six.
Guide + 6 programs explained
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SDRP (2023–2024 Crop Losses)
FSAOne-time federal program paying for crop, tree, bush, vine, and hay/forage losses from disasters in 2023 and 2024. Stage 1 is pre-filled from crop insurance records. Stage 2 covers shallow, uninsured, and quality losses. Deadline April 30, 2026.
Full guide + deadline
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FBA (Farmer Bridge Assistance)
FSAOne-time $11B bridge payment on 2025 planted acres for 20 row-crop commodities (corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, sorghum, rice, peanuts, and 13 others). Per-acre rates published. $155K cap. Deadline April 17, 2026.
Full guide + deadline
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ASCF (Specialty Crop Assistance)
FSAOne-time $1B bridge payment for specialty crops, sugar, and other commodities not covered by FBA. Covers fruit, vegetables, tree nuts, herbs, nursery, floriculture. Acreage reporting by April 24, 2026.
Full guide + deadline
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Livestock Insurance (LRP & PRF)
RMALRP can put a price floor under your cattle. PRF can pay when rainfall drops on grazing land. Both are federally subsidized and sold through crop insurance agents.
Guide + LRP calculator + PRF tool
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Predator Loss Compensation
FSALost livestock to wolves, bears, or mountain lions? LIP may now cover 100% of market value under OBBB. How to document, file, and access state compensation programs.
Full guide
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Getting started
Capital, strategy, and first steps
For new producers, operations that need capital, or anyone stacking multiple programs.
Beginning Farmer Advantages
NRCS + FSAEnhanced cost-share, advance payments, loan priority, and dedicated funding pools. If you’ve been farming less than 10 years, these apply to everything else on this page.
Full guide
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FSA Farm Loans
FSANeed capital but the bank said no? FSA offers operating, ownership, and microloans, often at better terms, especially for beginning producers.
Full guide
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Program Stacking
StrategyHow to combine EQIP, CSP, state programs, and FSA loans on the same operation. Most producers qualify for more than one.
Strategy guide
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Ranch Succession Planning
StrategyHow to use conservation easements, entity structures, and USDA programs to keep your ranch intact across generations. Estate tax changes under OBBB explained.
Strategy guide
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Cattle & ranch operations
Guides for livestock producers
Management practices and permits specific to cattle and ranch operations.
Preconditioning Programs
StrategyPreconditioned calves can bring $8–15/cwt more at sale. How preconditioning programs work, what they require, and how to capture the premium.
Full guide
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Public Lands Grazing
NRCSHow federal grazing permits work on BLM and Forest Service land. AUM fees, permit renewal, NEPA, and how EQIP and CSP apply to public land allotments.
Full guide
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