The US Department of Agriculture will put more than $325 million into 42 conservation projects under its Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), Fertilizer Daily reported. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the awards in Iowa on 26 October 2026. USDA said 75% of this year’s programme funding would either reach farmers directly or pay for the implementation of conservation practices.
Nutrient management is among the priorities covered by the awards, alongside grazing infrastructure, forest protection and watershed restoration. RCPP brings federal money together with private-sector and local partnerships to tackle natural resource challenges on working agricultural land. The projects are intended to support soil health, water quality and wildlife habitat while sustaining agricultural and forestland productivity.
A project developed with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will operate across western and central Iowa, combining cover crops, forage and biomass plantings with livestock watering systems and other measures. According to the report, it targets more than 300,000 acres of cover crops and reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus losses of approximately 3.3 million pounds and 336,000 pounds respectively. USDA estimates that the work will also prevent 1 million tons of soil loss.
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig said the award would expand the state’s Cattle and Conservation Working Lands Program, which started with a Taylor County pilot in 2016. The partnership will fund infrastructure improvements and bring livestock producers in further counties into the programme. USDA also expects the Iowa project to strengthen grazing systems and farm profitability.
Other awards cover projects in Georgia, Texas and Washington. Tall Timbers Research will lead an initiative to protect at least 6,000 acres of working forest across 16 southwest Georgia counties, backed by more than $10 million in matching contributions. The Texas Agricultural Land Trust will lead coastal tallgrass prairie conservation, while the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe will oversee further Nooksack Watershed restoration, including riparian tree planting across 256 acres.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service, which administers RCPP, assessed proposals against conservation benefits and the long-term viability of working lands. Priorities included limiting soil disturbance, maintaining soil cover and living roots, and using precision agriculture to target measures to field conditions. The funding opportunity reserved $30 million for projects led by Indian Tribes. Fertilizer Daily also reported that the Working Families Tax Cuts Act funds NRCS conservation programmes, including RCPP, through fiscal 2031.