USDA RELEASES SOME MONEY

2/24/25

The USDA will release some of the conservation money for farmers that was paused during the review of funding in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

In alignment with White House directives, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said she will honor contracts that were already made directly to farmers.

Specifically, USDA is releasing approximately $20 million in contracts for the Environmental Quality Incentive Program, the Conservation Stewardship Program and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.

The IRA included about $19.5 billion for farm programs over 10 years.

The administration initially said last month that contracts with farmers would not be affected by the funding freeze.

This is the first tranche of released funding, and additional announcements are forthcoming as USDA continues to review IRA funding to ensure that programs are focused on supporting farmers and ranchers.