Agricultural Conservation Program

Stored: Agricultural Conservation Program

Agricultural Conservation Program

Type	Program
Sponsor Organization	Farm Service Agency
Top Organization	Department of Agriculture
Creation Legislation	Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936 (Public Law 74-461), Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79)
Website	Website
Purpose	ACP, via USDA's FSA, aids farmers with conservation practices to protect soil, water, and wildlife, enhancing sustainability and water quality through funding cover crops, plowing, and wetland restoration nationwide.
Program Start	1936
Initial Funding	$10 million
Duration	Ongoing
Historic	Yes

The Agricultural Conservation Program (ACP) was a United States government program administered by the Farm Service Agency. It was the first conservation cost-sharing program, established by Congress in 1936 in the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act. The ACP and paid farmers up to $3,500 per year as an incentive to install approved practices for soil conservation and to protect water quality.

The ACP was terminated in the 1996 farm bill and replaced by a new Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).

The program, established in 1936 under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936 and expanded by the Agricultural Act of 2014, is administered by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) through its Farm Service Agency (FSA) to support agricultural conservation, allocating over $15 billion since inception to support approximately 500,000 farmers annually by 2025. Initially funded with $10 million, it has grown to distribute $1.5 billion in FY 2025 across 500,000 initiatives, funding projects like soil erosion control in the Midwest and wetland restoration in the Southeast at agricultural lands nationwide. Despite its impact, challenges like funding competition, adoption rates, and land use conflicts persist (web ID: 5), but it remains a cornerstone USDA effort to promote conservation.

Official Site

Goals

• Protect and enhance soil, water, and wildlife resources on agricultural lands through conservation practices like cover cropping, contour plowing, and nutrient management.
• Reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and mitigate agricultural impacts on the environment through cost-share payments and technical assistance.
• Support sustainable agriculture and rural economies by helping farmers adopt practices that balance productivity with environmental stewardship.

Organization

The ACP is managed by USDA’s Farm Service Agency, overseen by Administrator Zach Ducheneaux since 2022, with regional FSA offices and state conservationists implementing projects under federal oversight. It operates via annual appropriations, guided by the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, Agricultural Act of 2014, and subsequent funding acts like Public Law 118-342 (2024 Consolidated Appropriations Act).

Partners

• Natural Resources Conservation Service
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Cooperative Extension System
• The Nature Conservancy

History

Authorized by the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act of 1936 (Public Law 74-461) and expanded by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79), and launched in 1936 with $10 million, the ACP expanded with annual appropriations, reaching $1.5 billion in FY 2025. It grew from supporting 100,000 farmers annually in 1937 to 500,000 by 2025, addressing conservation challenges with innovations like the Conservation Reserve Program (web ID: 5). By 2025, it has funded over $15 billion, though GAO notes funding competition concerns (web ID: 5).

Funding

Initial funding of $10 million in 1936 supported the program’s launch, with over $15 billion appropriated by 2025 via annual USDA budgets—e.g., $1.5 billion in FY 2025. Ongoing appropriations under the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act and Agricultural Act of 2014 sustain its operations, with no fixed end as it addresses ongoing conservation needs.

Implementation

ACP distributes cost-share payments and technical assistance annually, requiring farmers to adopt conservation practices, tracked via FSA’s program management system. It progresses through partnerships with conservation organizations—e.g., 500,000 farmers yearly—and program expansions, adapting to environmental needs with no set end, though adoption rates remain a challenge (web ID: 5).

Related

• Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)

External links

• https://www.fsa.usda.gov/programs-and-services/conservation-programs/acp
• https://www.usda.gov
• wikipedia:Agricultural Conservation Program

Social media

• https://twitter.com/USDA
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/u-s-department-of-agriculture

References

•  This article incorporates public domain material from Jasper Womach, Report for Congress: Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition, Congressional Research Service, http://ncseonline.org/nle/crsreports/05jun/97-905.pdf 

1. REDIRECT Template:Agri-stub