United States

Department of

Agriculture

SUPPORTING AMERICA’S 

WORKING LANDS

NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE

“We didn’t inherit this land. We 

borrowed it from our children. It’s about 

the future and not about the past.”

Joseph McKinney, Alabama producer

Supporting America’s Working Lands

At the Natural Resources Conservation Service, we have a proud history of 

supporting America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners. For more than 

80 years, we have helped people make investments in their operations and local 

communities to keep working lands working, boost rural economies, increase 

the competitiveness of American agriculture, and improve the quality of our air, 

water, soil, and habitat. 

As the USDA’s primary private lands conservation agency, we generate, manage, 

and share the data, technology, and standards that enable partners and 

policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable science. 

And through one-on-one, personalized advice, we work voluntarily with producers 

and communities to find the best solutions to meet their unique conservation and 

business goals. By doing so, we help ensure the health of our natural resources 

and the long-term sustainability of American agriculture.
On average, NRCS invests upwards 

of $9 million every day of the year 

into conservation systems that help 

producers stay profitable 

and productive.
“We are a business and have to be 

profitable, so the programs that we 

utilize with NRCS help us incorporate 

conservation practices. It’s important 

to us because we love this land and 

want to leave it to our children better 

than we found it.” 

Alan Herbert, Louisiana producer

America’s Working Lands Support 

Rural Economies

Farmers, ranchers, and foresters are the backbone of America. Shouldering the 

tremendous responsibility of feeding a rapidly growing Nation, their critical 

work also provides economic stability across the country side — supporting rural 

economies and creating jobs in local communities. 

Rural America depends on productive working lands to fund local labor. Local 

jobs include not just agronomists and foresters, but also land improvement 

contractors, seed suppliers, irrigation specialists, and others. Their stewardship 

and careful management of these vital landscapes builds resilient local economies 

with profitable farms and ranches, clean air and water, healthy food, and 

abundant wildlife. 
Organic is the fastest growing segment 

of the U.S. food industry, with demand 

currently outpacing supply. Urban farms, 

rapidly increasing in number, provide 

an entryway for new farmers and build 

appreciation for farming among all 

citizens.
 “We got assistance from the NRCS 

to put in the high tunnel, and it’s 

completely changed the way we farm 

tomatoes... It’s doubled production 

for us. We’re also able to grow things 

during the winter.” 

Stacey Givens, Oregon producer

America’s Working Lands Support 

Consumer Demand

America’s producers are responding to today’s increasing consumer demand 

for organic products and fresh, local food. While rising to meet this new 

challenge, organic and urban farmers are conserving natural resources, 

diversifying the farming sector, and bringing new and non-traditional farmers 

into agricultural production.

Organic agriculture and NRCS’ goals are well aligned. Many USDA Organic 

requirements — such as soil health and biodiversity — can be addressed using 

NRCS conservation systems, which reflect these shared goals. Though often 

small, urban farms can make big impacts, beautifying neighborhoods and 

strengthening local communities while growing healthy food. Farmers throughout 

the country are now using high tunnels to meet the demand for fresh, local 

produce beyond the typical growing season.
The healthiest soils are those with 

a diversity and abundance of life. 

Farmers with the healthiest soils 

nurture that life by creating a diversity 

of plant life above the soil surface, with 

year-round ground cover, no tillage, 

and judicious or no pesticide use.
“I can’t even imagine being 

a conventional farmer and looking to 

the future. I feel like those of us 

that have made the conversion 

have a future.”

Douglas Poole, Washington producer

America’s Working Lands 

Support Healthy Soil

America’s vitality is rooted in the soil. Today, private landowners across the 

country are partnering with NRCS to put soil health practices to work — growing 

profitable farms, vibrant rural economies, and healthy food and fiber to fuel our 

Nation today and into the future. 

As world population and food production demands rise, keeping our soil 

healthy and productive is of paramount importance. By farming using soil health 

principles and systems that include no-till, cover cropping, and diverse rotations, 

more and more producers are increasing their soil’s organic matter, reducing the 

need for expensive inputs, and improving microbial activity — all while harvesting 

better profits and often better yields.
Out West, ranchers have restored more 

than 5 million acres of the sagebrush 

ecosystem, helping the greater sagegrouse rebound while providing topnotch grazing lands for livestock. 
“Sustainable forestry practices 

recommended by NRCS are 

benefiting our personal lives 

as well as wildlife.”

Natalie Love, Pennsylvania producer

America’s Working Lands 

Support Healthy Ecosystems

Agriculture and wildlife both thrive together through landscape-scale 

conservation. Two-thirds of the land in the lower 48 States is privately owned, and 

these productive working farms, ranches, and forests provide critical ecosystems 

for wildlife as well as the food and fiber that sustains us all. 

From the Louisiana black bear to the Oregon chub, and from the sage grouse to 

the New England cottontail, many species have rebounded and recovered largely 

because of the conservation work by producers on private lands. NRCS uses a 

science-based, targeted approach to guide producers on how to best manage 

ecosystems to maximize beneficial outcomes, both for wildlife and agricultural 

operations.
Agriculture is a major user of ground 

and surface water in the United States. 

By implementing efficient irrigation 

systems and other water management 

practices, producers increase the 

supply of both food and water. 
“I’ve always been conservation 

minded, so I’m working on using 

waterways and contour strips on 

the farm to combat erosion and fix 

some of the conservation issues.” 

Tim Servais, Wisconsin producer

America’s Working Lands 

Support Clean Water

Farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners recognize water as our Nation’s most 

precious resource. Every day, new producers are stepping up to work hand-inhand with NRCS to implement systems that conserve water and keep valuable 

nutrients on the field and out of local waterways. 

Many producers have joined their friends and neighbors in landscape-scale 

efforts to minimize agricultural impacts and improve water quality throughout 

watersheds. By improving soil health and adopting a systems approach to 

conservation across the landscape, these targeted efforts have resulted in an ever 

growing list of streams restored in working agricultural land.
Across the country, producers are using 

soil health principles to sequester more 

carbon, increase water infiltration, 

and improve wildlife and pollinator 

habitat — all while harvesting better 

profits and often better crop yields.
“If we take care of 

the land, it will take 

care of us.”

Hugh Hammond Bennett, Father of Soil Conservation

America’s Working Lands 

Support Clean Air

Thanks to the success of voluntary conservation and air quality assessment 

tools, many producers are discovering that the techniques that increase soil and 

crop resiliency are the same techniques that reduce carbon and nitrous oxide 

emissions — creating a win-win for private landowners and their communities.

Many of these conservation-minded producers who are located in strong rural 

and urban land interfaces are also working with NRCS to implement moisturemanagement techniques and windbreaks that help minimize or diffuse dust and 

odors associated with livestock production.
Get Started With NRCS

Do you farm or ranch and want to 

make improvements to the land that 

you own or lease?
NRCS Offices Across the Country

NRCS was born out of troubled times — the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. Dust storms 

ravaged the Nation’s farmland, stripping away millions of tons of topsoil and carrying it all 

the way to the Atlantic Ocean. What originally began as the USDA Soil Conservation Service 

in 1935 is now known as the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, a name change 

that highlights our broader mission of natural resource conservation. 

Today, through voluntary conservation programs, NRCS helps producers, soil and water 

conservation districts, and other partners protect and conserve natural resources on private 

lands throughout the United States. 

With approximately 2,500 offices in communities nationwide, NRCS employees continue 

to provide the information, tools, and delivery systems necessary for producers — in every 

State and territory — to conserve, maintain, and improve their natural resources. This locally 

led, science-based approach offers producers voluntary conservation solutions that enhance 

their environment and commercial viability. 

Find your local service center:

www.nrcs.usda.gov
Helping People Help the Land

Each day, our 9,000 plus NRCS employees help people help the land by:

• Adhering to sound science principles;

• Using proven technical tools for on-the-ground application;

• Providing personalized advice and financial assistance to landowners and producers;

• Developing locally led conservation solutions with partners;

• Supporting innovation in agriculture, conservation, and economic markets; and

• Investing in people — including beginning, underserved, and veteran farmers.

USDA IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER, EMPLOYER, AND LENDER.
United States

Department of

Agriculture

NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE

GIVING ADVICE AND SOLUTIONS

We provide one-on-one, personalized advice on the best solutions to meet 

the unique conservation and business goals of those who produce our 

nation’s food and fiber.

HELPING PEOPLE HELP 

THE LAND

CTA

Simply put—NRCS helps American farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners voluntarily implement conservation that 

works for them. The majority of practices occur on working lands – productive agricultural lands and operations. The system 

of practices we promote helps U.S. agricultural producers improve production, reduce input costs, protect natural resources, 

reduce greenhouse gas emissions, sequester atmospheric carbon in perennial biomass and soils, build healthier soils, and adapt 

to the impacts of climate change to build agricultural operations that are productive, profitable, and resilient now and into the 

future. We also provide financial resources to help with the cost of getting working lands conservation on the ground.

Our Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) program enables every acre of conservation applied through every program 

NRCS administers. It is the foundation of our financial and technical assistance delivery system. Specifically, the program funds 

conservation planning and provides producers with the decision support and proven technology needed to achieve the benefits 

of a healthy and productive landscape.

$1.36 BILLION

WAS INVESTED IN THE PLANNING

AND IMPLEMENTATION OF

CONSERVATION PRACTICES,

FROM 2017-2020

$495 MILLION

IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, 

GENERATING AN AVERAGE OF

6,300 JOBS

SUPPORTING

PROVIDING SUPPORT BACKED BY RESEARCH AND ON-SITE EXPERIENCE

We generate, manage, and share the data, research findings and standards that enable 

partners and policymakers to make decisions informed by objective, reliable research.

We believe farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners are the best stewards of our private lands, 

and that they want to voluntarily reduce the impacts of climate change on their businesses and way of life. 

Agricultural producers require the resources and the technical know-how to implement soil conservation, 

greenhouse gas reductions, carbon sequestration, pasture or rangeland management plans, and waste 

management programs. That’s where we serve as a partner on using the best science, conservation tools, 

and targeted financial assistance to reduce the impacts of climate change and ensure USDA is doing its part 

to support clean air, clean water, and healthy rural communities. The conservation practices we promote are 

backed by science and proven to work. We use the latest research and technology to demonstrate the value 

of conservation and identify places that can most benefit from our programs. We provide the information 

producers, partners, and policymakers use to make informed decisions. 

Our COMET tools demonstrate USDA’s leadership in developing quantification tools that support climate 

smart agricultural practices. The COMET-Farm tool allows farmers, ranchers, and private forest landowners 

to estimate carbon footprints for cropland, pasture, range, orchards/vineyards, livestock, agroforestry, 

and forestry operations. The COMET-Planner tool helps conservation planners and agricultural producers 

evaluate the benefits of implementing NRCS conservation practices. The COMET tools are free and publicly 

available.

Through our Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) we examine how voluntary conservation 

impacts working lands. We look at the effects of conservation practices and how additional treatment could 

benefit that land and that producer. Findings from these studies provide a credible way for us to measure 

conservation outcomes and inform the scientific base we use to establish best practices for managing the 

land.

Through the Conservation Innovation Grants program we’re funding cutting-edge ideas and projects, leveraging 

markets and finding new ways to measure the impact of conservation. We’re supporting the development of 

conservation finance opportunities that offer producers new ways to benefit from the conservation practices they 

implement on their lands. Since 2014, NRCS has invested approximately $25.5 million into 39 conservation finance 

projects – and our partners match these public dollars at least one-to-one. 

Our Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) data collection network collects snowpack and related climatic data needed 

to forecast water supplies for America’s farmers. And through Soil Survey, we detail the make-up of soils 

across the country so farmers, ranchers and others can make choices for their land based on the make-up of 

the soil. NRCS has soil maps and data available online for more than 95 percent of the nation’s counties.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is an agency within the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). We have approximately 2,500 local offices across all 

50 states, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Basin. 

To find out how we can help you or for more information visit www.nrcs.usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. EACH YEAR.
NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE HELPING PEOPLE HELP THE LAND

$4.5 BILLION

WAS INVESTED IN NEW & EXISTING

CONSERVATION PRACTICES,

FROM 2017-2020

$1.5 BILLION

IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, 

GENERATING AN AVERAGE OF

20,600 JOBS

SUPPORTING

$5.3 BILLION

WAS INVESTED IN NEW

CONSERVATION PRACTICES,

FROM 2017-2020

$1.9 BILLION

IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, 

GENERATING AN AVERAGE OF

26,000 JOBS

SUPPORTING

$1.1 BILLION

WAS INVESTED IN EASEMENTS,

FROM 2017-2020

$240 MILLION

IN ANNUAL ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, 

GENERATING AN AVERAGE OF

2,800 JOBS

SUPPORTING

CSP EQIP

ACEP

RURAL AMERICA

INVESTING IN

EACH YEAR. EACH YEAR. EACH YEAR.

Our Environmental Quality Incentives 

Program (EQIP) is NRCS’ flagship 

financial assistance program for 

working lands, helping producers make 

improvements to benefit agriculture 

and conservation. 

Our Agricultural Conservation 

Easement Program (ACEP) helps protect 

the long-term viability of the nation’s 

food supply by preventing conversion 

of productive working lands to nonagricultural uses. The program also helps 

farmers protect and restore wetlands 

through wetland easements – improving 

water quality, reducing flooding, and 

providing habitat for wildlife. 

These programs are helping producers 

prepare their operations for the 

challenges ahead – from an increasing 

global population to extreme weather 

events like severe droughts and flooding. 

Investing in Underserved 

Farmers

Over $330 million was provided to

Socially Disadvantaged farmers or 

ranchers through EQIP and CSP from 

2017-2020; nearly $83 million a year. 

NRCS defines Socially Disadvantaged 

Farmers or Ranchers as those who 

have been subjected to racial or ethnic 

prejudice, including American Indians 

or Alaskan Natives, Asians, Blacks or 

African Americans, Native Hawaiian or 

other Pacific Islanders, and Hispanics. We 

are committed to ensuring equity in our 

program delivery, removing barriers to 

access, and building a workforce more 

representative of America. 

NRCS set up a team to focus on how 

to increase service and outreach to 

Historically Underserved Farmers 

and Ranchers, which includes Socially 

Disadvantaged, resulting in a guidebook 

that explains some of the opportunities 

unique to these groups. 

Additionally, the 2018 Farm Bill established 

a cross agency Urban Agriculture and 

Innovative Production office, of which 

NRCS is the lead agency. Beyond this, 

many NRCS state offices have established 

new positions – Urban Conservationists – to 

focus exclusively on assisting urban farms.

Heirs’ Property can also be a challenge 

for many Socially Disadvantaged farmers. 

The term refers to land that is passed 

down to heirs, often many in number, 

without a clear title of ownership. The 2018 

Farm Bill expanded acceptance of certain 

documentation for heirs’ property operators 

so they can establish a farm number and be 

eligible for USDA programs.

Investing in People

We help people make 

investments in their operations 

and local communities to keep 

working lands working, boost 

rural economies, increase the 

competitiveness of American 

agriculture, and improve the 

health of our air, water and soil. 

Farmers and ranchers are the 

backbone of America. By supporting 

their operations and helping them 

make improvements on their lands, 

we’re helping to provide economic 

stability in rural America. We’re 

supporting rural economies and 

creating jobs in local communities. 

Our work is keeping working lands 

in production. 

Our Conservation Stewardship 

Program (CSP) is the largest 

conservation program in the United 

States with more than 43 million 

acres of productive agricultural and 

forest land enrolled. CSP offers 

financial incentives for producers 

to not only maintain the existing 

level of conservation on the land, 

but incorporate new or advanced 

conservation activities to take their 

stewardship to the next level.