Executive Order Advances Regenerative Agriculture
Rollins announces USDA rule to unlock funds for American farmers.
July 9, 2026
by USDA
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, intended to help farmers voluntarily capture new value from regenerative agricultural practices through biofuel markets.
The announcement builds upon the president’s record of support for American agriculture and domestic biofuels. From delivering nationwide year-round E15, establishing the highest renewable volume obligations in American history, and extending the 45Z Clean Fuel Production Credit through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, the Trump administration has consistently expanded markets for America’s farmers while strengthening U.S. energy independence.
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.
“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,” said Rollins. “This is exactly what President Trump’s America First agenda looks like: empowering farmers and ranchers, supporting rural communities, driving lower input costs, improving farmer profitability, advancing regenerative agriculture, and helping Make America Healthy Again.”
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; and
- 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 biofuel feedstock producers. American farmers currently produce approximately 6 billion bushels of corn used annually for ethanol production, with 68% 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% 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 more than 67,000 whole-farm conservation plans, covering more than 49 million acres and more than 1,500 conservation contracts worth greater than $200 million.
Additional information about the Regenerative Feedstock Rule and the USDA Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator will be available at USDA.gov once posted to the Federal Register.
Editor’s note: This article was adapted from a news release by USDA. [Lead photo by hauged from Getty Images.]
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 18, No. 7-A
Topics: Feedstuffs , Management , Industry News , News , Policy
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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