EQIP’s top five funded conservation practices

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) is a voluntary program administered by USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). It provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and forest landowners to help them implement conservation practices that address natural resource concerns, such as soil erosion, water quality, and wildlife habitat. Cover cropping was the top-funded practice from fiscal years 2014 to 2025 in terms of total dollars obligated and was also the top-funded practice in most individual years during the period. Fences—to keep livestock out of waterways and facilitate other conservation activities—and brush management were both close behind. Sprinkler systems and roofs and covers for waste management and other hazardous material containment facilities were also in the top five funded practices. NRCS targets EQIP funds to producers and landowners to meet a balance of Federal, State, and local priorities. Funding for the program was approximately $1.6 billion in 2025 (excluding Inflation Reduction Act funding). This chart updates information found in the USDA, Economic Research Service report Status and Trends of USDA Conservation Programs, 2002–2025, published in March 2026, in which EQIP funding is one of five conservation trends analyzed.