FARM PRODUCTION

AND CONSERVATION (FPAC)

AT A GLANCE

United States

Department of

Agriculture

FARM PRODUCTION AND CONSERVATION 

FARM SERVICE AGENCY | NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE | RISK MANAGEMENT AGENCY USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

United States

Department of

Agriculture

More Information

For more information about USDA programs and services, visit farmers.gov or contact your local USDA Service Center. 

To find your local USDA Service Center, visit farmers.gov/service-locator. 

To locate an approved insurance provider, visit the Agent Locator on rma.usda.gov.

Working with Us

USDA has Service Centers serving every county in the country. Service Centers are offices where you can typically meet face-toface with USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) team members to discuss your 

vision, goals, and ways USDA can help. In most places, FSA, NRCS as well as other USDA agencies are co-located in the same 

Service Center. Depending on your needs, you will likely work with both the FSA county offices and NRCS field offices. In total, 

USDA employs FSA and NRCS staff members in 2,300 offices nationwide.

Private crop insurance agents sell and service federal crop insurance policies. To find an agent near you, search the list of crop 

insurance agents online using the Risk Management Agency's Agent Locator. If a producer has difficulty finding a crop insurance 

agent, they can contact their RMA Regional Office. 

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About FPAC

USDA created the Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC) 

mission area in 2017, bringing together agencies that support 

and deliver a wide variety of programs and services to America’s 

farmers and ranchers. By coming together as one mission area, 

the agencies have strengthened coordination and collaboration, 

enabling them to better serve agricultural producers.

FPAC consists of four agencies—Farm Service Agency (FSA), 

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), Risk 

Management Agency (RMA), and the FPAC Business Center, 

which supports operational and business functions.

FSA helps America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners 

invest in, improve and expand their agricultural operations. FSA 

programs also assist producers in recovering from the impacts 

of natural disasters and market fluctuations. NRCS provides 

America’s farmers and ranchers with financial and technical 

assistance to voluntarily put conservation on the ground, not 

only helping the environment, but also agricultural operations.

RMA serves America’s agricultural producers through effective, 

market-based risk management tools to strengthen their 

economic stability. The FPAC Business Center provides 

operational assistance and helps FSA, NRCS, and RMA 

accomplish their missions of supporting agricultural producers 

and rural communities.

Together, these agencies administer a wide variety of farm 

loan, disaster assistance, safety net, risk management, and 

conservation programs, helping producers weather economic 

ups and downs as well as grow and improve their operations. 

FPAC’s partnership with America’s producers plays a pivotal 

role in addressing the challenges of climate change, inequity, 

and the pandemic.

Loans

USDA is here to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners 

get the loan support they need to be successful. Whether 

a producer is just getting started or a seasoned veteran in 

business for decades, FSA has loan options to help them meet 

their goals.

Loans offered through USDA include the:

• Farm Ownership Loans, Microloans, and Farm Operating 

Loans help farmers and ranchers get the financing they need 

to start, expand, or maintain a family farm.

• Youth Loans are for young people between 10 and 20 years old 

who need assistance with an educational agricultural project.

• Farm Storage Facility Loans help producers build or 

upgrade facilities to store commodities, acquire storage 

and handling trucks and/or related handling equipment.

Producers can find the right loan for their operation with the 

Farm Loan Discovery Tool on farmers.gov.

Disaster Assistance

Agriculture is a risky business. USDA is here to help producers 

prepare for and recover from the impacts of natural disasters 

and market volatility.

USDA Disaster Assistance Programs include the:

• Tree Assistance Program (TAP), Emergency Assistance 

for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-raised Fish Program 

(ELAP), Livestock Forage Disaster Program (LFP), and 

Livestock Indemnity Program (LIP) help compensate 

producers for losses caused by natural disasters. 

• Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Emergency 

Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) help producers with 

restoring fences, damaged farmland, or forests.

• Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program 

provides assistance to communities to address watershed 

impairments or hazards.

Producers can find the right disaster assistance for their 

operation with the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool on 

farmers.gov.

Risk Management

USDA provides crop insurance for producers through the 

Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. The federal crop insurance 

program is designed to provide a robust and reliable farm safety 

net, regardless of the size and scope of natural disasters.

USDA’s Risk Management Agency works closely with Approved 

Insurance Providers, who sell and service the policies that 

producers purchase, to ensure efficient loss adjustment and 

prompt claims payments, even in times of major disasters.

For crops not covered by federal crop insurance, FSA offers the 

Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), which 

provides coverage for both crop losses and crop planting that 

was prevented due to natural disasters.

Safety Net Programs

USDA offers a number of programs that provide coverage for 

agricultural producers to help them manage risk and to protect 

their operations from the impact of natural disasters and drops 

in prices or revenues.

USDA Safety Net Programs include the:

• Agriculture Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage 

(PLC) programs provide income support to farmers to 

mitigate the effects of substantial drops in crop prices or 

revenues and are vital economic safety net programs for 

most American farms.

• Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program offers protection 

to dairy producers for the difference between milk and 

feed prices. Also, the Supplemental Dairy Margin Coverage 

(SDMC) provides additional payments to small and midsized dairy operations that have increased production over 

the years.

• Marketing Assistance Loans and Loan Deficiency Payments 

help producers meet cash flow needs during harvest time.

Conservation

Natural resources conservation in agriculture is vital to 

maintaining the productivity and sustainability of America’s 

working lands, forests, and wetlands. USDA wants to help 

farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners improve the natural 

resources on their lands, which can positively impact the 

profitability of their operations while conserving and protecting 

these critical resources for the future.

USDA Conservation Programs include the:

• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), 

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and Agricultural 

Management Assistance Program (AMA) provide advice and 

funding to implement practices on agricultural working lands. 

• Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) helps 

producers protect wetlands, grasslands, and farmlands with 

long-term easements. 

• Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP), 

Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG), and Conservation 

Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) rally partner 

organizations to help expand the reach of conservation and 

develop new approaches. 

• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) provides a payment 

to producers who manage conservation covers on the land. 

In addition to its general and continuous signups, CRP also 

offers a special signup for grasslands

Learn more on the Conservation Concerns Tool on farmers.gov.

Advancing Equity

USDA is committed to equity in delivering programs and 

services to farmers and ranchers, including historically 

underserved producers who have faced barriers to access and 

discrimination when applying to participate in USDA programs.

USDA provides incentives and additional support—such as 

increased financial assistance for conservation practices, 

dedicated conservation funding and loan allocations, and 

access to advance payments for conservation practice 

implementation—to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners 

that fit into one of the four historically underserved groups.

This also includes USDA’s efforts to support urban agriculture 

through grants, cooperative agreements, county committees 

focused on urban agriculture, a new Secretary’s advisory 

committee, and available programs for urban farmers.

Addressing Climate Change

Climate change is happening, and America's agricultural and 

rural communities are on the frontlines. Now is the time for 

agriculture, forestry, and rural communities to act. 

FPAC programs support climate-smart agriculture, helping 

farmers, ranchers, forest landowners and partners to leverage 

our resources to increase climate resilience, sequester carbon, 

enhance agricultural productivity, and maintain critical 

environmental benefits through voluntary conservation efforts.