Trump signs EO advancing regenerative ag, USDA announces final regenerative-feedstock rule

USDA announced June 25 that on the heels of President Donald Trump signing an executive order advancing regenerative agriculture, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins simultaneously announced a final regenerative-feedstock rule, a landmark action that will help farmers voluntarily capture new value from regenerative-agricultural practices through biofuel markets.

The announcement builds upon the Trump administration establishing the highest renewable volume obligations (RVOs) under the Renewable Fuel Standard in American history and Congress’ extension of the 45Z clean fuel production credit.

The June 25 executive order and USDA’s regenerative-feedstock rule provide the next critical step by ensuring producers have a practical pathway to benefit from those expanding markets.

The regenerative-feedstock rule establishes a framework to connect regenerative-agriculture practices to new markets within the biofuel supply chain for corn, soybeans, sorghum and spring canola.

These standards include:

• Covered biofuel-feedstock crops and participating entities throughout the supply chain.

• Field-level quantification of crop-specific carbon intensity.

• Mass-balance chain-of-custody standards, including traceability and recordkeeping.

• Auditing and verification requirements.

• Regenerative-agriculture practice standards for covered feedstock crops.

USDA is also releasing an updated USDA feedstock carbon-intensity calculator (USDA FD-CIC) to help producers quantify regenerative practices such as cover crops, improved nutrient management and conservation tillage—including no-till and reduced tillage.

Producers can use the resulting reports when marketing eligible feedstocks to participating biofuel producers.

The new framework creates significant opportunities for America’s leading biofuel-feedstock producers, USDA stated.

American farmers currently produce approximately 6 billion bushels of corn used annually for ethanol production, with 68 percent of corn farmers already implementing at least one regenerative practice.

Likewise, producers grow approximately 1.8 billion bushels of soybeans for biofuel production, while 70 percent of soybean farmers already utilize at least one regenerative practice.

As participation grows, USDA expects the rule to expand premium market opportunities for producers across the country.

These actions build on USDA’s regenerative pilot program that provided $700 million to help American farmers adopt practices that improve soil health, enhance water quality and boost long-term productivity, all while strengthening America’s food and fiber supply.

Under this pilot, USDA has already completed over 67,000 whole farm conservation plans, covering more than 49 million acres and over 1,500 conservation contracts worth more than $200 million.

“Today’s USDA’s regenerative-feedstock rule put farmers, not Washington bureaucrats, in the driver’s seat,” Rollins said. “Instead of mandates, we’re creating market opportunities. Farmers who choose to implement regenerative practices will have new opportunities to earn premium prices, lower their input costs, improve soil health and strengthen the long-term profitability of their operations.”

USDA stated that, together, President Trump’s executive order and USDA’s regenerative-feedstock rule represent the most significant market-driven effort ever undertaken to reward America’s farmers for voluntarily implementing regenerative practices while producing the crops that fuel America’s growing bioeconomy.

Additional information about the regenerative-feedstock rule and the USDA FD-CIC will be available at USDA.gov once posted to the Federal Register.