Farm Bill Primer: Conservation Title
The conservation title of a farm bill generally contains reauthorizations, amendments, and new programs that encourage farmers and ranchers to voluntarily implement resource-conserving practices on private land. Starting in 1985, farm bills broadened the conservation agenda to include addressing multiple natural resource concerns. Although the number of conservation programs has increased and techniques to address resource problems continue to emerge, the basic approach has remained unchanged: provide financial and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to implement conservation systems supported by education and research programs.
As Congress considers authorizing the next farm bill, areas of possible interest in the conservation title may include funding, status of program authorization, and policy changes for conservation programs.
Conservation Program Portfolio
Farm bill-authorized conservation programs are administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and can be grouped into the following categories: working lands programs, land retirement programs, easement programs, partnership and grant programs, and conservation compliance (see the text box below and CRS Report R47478, Agricultural Conservation and the Next Farm Bill).
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Selected Farm Bill Conservation Programs Working lands programs allow private land to remain in production while agriculture producers implement various conservation practices to address natural resource concerns specific to the area.
Land retirement programs provide payments to private agricultural landowners for temporary changes in land use and management to achieve environmental benefits.
Easement programs voluntarily impose a permanent or long-term restriction on land use in exchange for a payment.
Partnership and grant programs use partnership agreements and grants to leverage program funding with nonfederal funding.
Conservation compliance prohibits or limits a producer from receiving selected federal farm program benefits (including crop insurance premium subsidies) when conservation program requirements for highly erodible lands, wetlands, and production on native sod are not met.
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Other types of agricultural conservation programs—such as watershed programs, emergency land rehabilitation programs, and technical assistance—have been authorized outside the farm bill. Most of these programs have permanent authorities and receive appropriations annually through the discretionary appropriations process. These programs generally are not addressed in farm bill legislation unless amendments to the program are proposed.
Title II (Conservation) of the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 (2018 farm bill; P.L. 115-334) reauthorized and amended portions of most farm bill-authorized conservation programs, although there was a focus on the large-cost programs, namely the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Most farm bill conservation programs are authorized to receive mandatory funding (i.e., do not require an appropriation).
Status and Recent Changes
In August 2022, Congress passed a budget reconciliation law (P.L. 117-169, 2022 law). As part of this 2022 law, Congress provided additional funding to EQIP, CSP, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), and the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) and extended the authority for those programs through FY2031. Conservation programs not included in the 2022 law had authorities that expired with other farm bill programs at the end of FY2023. Congress enacted three one-year extensions through FY2026 and crop year 2026 (P.L. 118-22, Division B, §102; P.L. 118-158, Division D, §4101; and P.L. 119-37, Division E, §5002). In July 2025, Congress passed another budget reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21, 2025 law), which repealed unobligated funds from the 2022 law for EQIP, CSP, ACEP, and RCPP and redistributed the funds provided to the four programs. The 2025 law gave a greater percentage to EQIP, CSP, and ACEP and a lower percentage to RCPP than those provided under the 2022 law. P.L. 119-21 also repurposed some of the rescinded conservation funding to other conservation programs that did not receive funding in the 2022 law, such as the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Operations program. For additional information, see CRS In Focus IF13114, Agricultural Conservation After Enactment of the FY2025 Budget Reconciliation Law (P.L. 119-21).
In the 119th Congress, the House Committee on Agriculture ordered reported a farm bill—the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 (H.R. 7567). The bill would reauthorize many of the expiring conservation programs, authorize new programs and initiatives, and alter funding for some programs, namely EQIP.
Funding for Conservation
The conservation title is one of the larger non-nutrition titles of the farm bill, accounting for over $73.0 billion in projected 11-year mandatory funding (FY2026-FY2036), according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Spending for agricultural conservation programs generally has increased from $2.3 billion in FY2002 ($3.9 billion when adjusted for inflation) to an estimated $5.2 billion in total outlays in FY2025 (Figure 1).
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Figure 1. Farm Bill Conservation Program Actual and Projected Mandatory Spending, FY2002-FY2036 Outlays in billions of dollars (actuals adjusted for inflation) |
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Sources: CRS, using Congressional Budget Office (CBO) baseline data, FY2003-FY2026, and Office of Management and Budget, Table 10.1: "Gross Domestic Product [GDP] and Deflators Used in the Historical Tables: 1940-2031," April 2026. Notes: FY2002-FY2023 are actual spending levels; FY2024 and FY2025 are estimates. FY2002-FY2024 are adjusted for inflation to 2025 dollars using the GDP price deflator. FY2026-FY2036 are projected spending levels in current-year dollars. Figure does not include sequestration or supplemental funding. |
The majority of the funding increase has occurred in the working lands programs, specifically EQIP and CSP. Changes made to these programs in P.L. 119-21 result in a projected increase over the next 11 years (through FY2036). Funding for land retirement programs, namely CRP, has remained relatively constant over time when adjusted for inflation and is projected to continue at similar levels. Funding for easement programs and partnership and grant programs has historically fluctuated; however, P.L. 119-21 provided additional and increasing funding authority for both program types through FY2036. As Congress considers the next farm bill, there could be continued discussion around how conservation funding is allocated between different program types.
Expiring Programs and Provisions
Authorities for conservation programs not included in the 2022 or 2025 reconciliation laws expired with other farm bill programs at the end of FY2023 and subsequently were extended through FY2026. The largest conservation program set to expire at the end of FY2026 is the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). CRP provides financial compensation for landowners to voluntarily remove land from agricultural production for multiple years, for the benefit of soil and water quality and wildlife habitats. CRP enrolls land based on a total, nationwide acreage cap (27 million acres in FY2026, as extended). CRP outlays are approximately $2.0 billion annually, according to CBO. If authority expires, CRP cannot enroll new acres or reenroll expiring acres.
Other provisions contained within the conservation title of the 2018 farm bill have expired or will expire in FY2026, which could affect the function of agricultural conservation programs, regardless of their funding. For example, the 2018 farm bill limited the total amount of funding a producer may receive under both EQIP and CSP for the duration of the farm bill authorization (FY2019-FY2023). When the 2018 farm bill first expired and was extended through FY2024, the extension applied to the payment limits for both programs. This created a longer window of time that total payments would be calculated, thus possibly excluding producers at or near the limit. With each subsequent farm bill extension, the EQIP and CSP payment limit has been excluded, resulting in both programs having no payment limit for FY2025 and FY2026. Some advocacy groups have expressed concern that without payment limits, EQIP and CSP contracts may shift toward larger farming operations. Others counter that all farms, regardless of size, should be allowed access to conservation programs.
Policy Changes for Conservation
While P.L. 119-21 amended many conservation programs authorized to receive mandatory spending, the reconciliation process was limited to changes to mandatory spending that resulted in a budgetary effect and excluded policy changes to discretionary spending programs. As such, Congress may consider a number of policy amendments for conservation programs that previously could not be addressed as part of reconciliation. These could include issues related to eligibility requirements for programs, payment levels received by participants, and program limitations. Additional prioritization could be placed on specific resource concerns (e.g., greenhouse gas emission, wildlife habitat, water availability), practices (e.g., precision technology, organic certification), or applicants (e.g., beginning or limited-resource farmers or ranchers). As all conservation programs are funding- or enrollment-limited, any change in prioritization, eligibility, or payment level can effectively shift who may or may not receive a contract, easement, or grant under these programs.