Conservation Clips is a weekly collection of articles distributed by NACD that provides our members and partners with the latest news in what’s driving conservation. These articles are not indicative of NACD policy and are the opinions of their authors, unless otherwise noted. If you have a relevant submission or need assistance accessing articles, please contact the NACD Communications Team.
USDA: USDA Launches Great American Cotton Plan to Revitalize the Cotton Farm Economy
05/28/2026
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today announced the Great American Cotton Plan, a comprehensive USDA initiative to strengthen the cotton farm economy, restore domestic textile manufacturing, expand cotton trade opportunities, and increase demand for products made with American-grown cotton.
Morning Ag Clips: What Are the Latest Trends in Conservation?
05/29/2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will be reaching out to farmers, ranchers, and agricultural landowners starting in June to gather in-depth information about their conservation practices – essential information to inform U.S. agricultural policies and programs. This is part of the Conservation Effects Assessment Project survey, in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
USDA: USDA Unveils New Framework for Migratory Big Game Conservation
06/02/2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today unveiled a new framework for migratory big game conservation, bringing together federal, state and Tribal partners across 17 states to address threats to big game like elk, pronghorn and mule deer. The Migratory Big Game: A Framework for Conservation Action is the most unified, landscape-scale approach undertaken by the USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to support big game conservation while putting farmers and ranchers first by keeping working lands working.
Ag Web: USDA Rule Makes it Easier for Farmers to Get Payments
By Haley Bickelhaupt
06/03/2026
USDA has finalized new payment-limit rules that will give many farm operations organized as LLCs, S corporations and other pass-through entities a clearer path to receiving farm program payments. The final rule went into effect June 2 and will begin with the 2026 crop year. Under the new guidance, each equal owner who is actively engaged in farming may qualify for a separate payment limit, rather than the entity being treated as a single recipient.
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North Dakota Monitor: Popular North Dakota conservation program could attract federal funding
By Ceilidh Kern | Mapleton, ND | Northern Plains Region
05/28/2026
Roach is one of 150 farmers who put a combined 10,000 acres of their land into the Governor’s Legacy Soil Health and Habitat Program, which pays landowners to grow perennial grasses on their less productive farmland, creating habitat for wildlife.
Farm Progress: From rock picker to regenerative pioneer: Jim Harbach’s 50-year journey
By Chris Torres | Loganton, PA | Northeast Region
05/29/2026
More than 50 years later, he’s more than made his mark at Schrack Farms in Loganton, Pa., helping turn it into a model of circular, regenerative farming. Now, he’s guiding the next generation to many more years of success. While Harbach has taken a step back, he still involves himself with the farm’s day-to-day operations and continues being a leader in his local conservation district, and his county and state farm bureau.
DRG News: Piedmont area farmers partner with NRCS to advance regenerative agriculture in South Dakota
By Jeff Cowen | Piedmont, SD | Northern Plains Region
05/30/2026
Riley and Jimmie Kammerer, producers based in Piedmont, South Dakota, are advancing regenerative agriculture practices through participation in the Regenerative Pilot Program under the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Guided by producer objectives and strategic conservation planning, NRCS assists farmers and ranchers in implementing comprehensive, whole-farm solutions to address resource challenges.
Great Lakes Now: This northern Michigan program hopes to cultivate the next generation of farmers
Michigan | North Central Region
05/30/2026
The farm training program — a project of the Grand Traverse Conservation District — has fewer economic pressures than running a farm business, Greenberg said. The fruits and vegetables that students grow will go to locals who have already committed to buying the season’s produce, and leftovers will go to food rescue operations. Unlike a traditional business, the goal isn’t to make a profit.
Brownfield Ag: Illinois conservation districts wrestling with stagnant, inadequate funding
By Jared White | Illinois | North Central Region
06/03/2026
The executive director of the Association of Illinois Soil and Water Conservation Districts says the state’s new budget is disappointing. “Unfortunately, we were held level for the third year in a row at $4.5 million for operations funds.” Eliot Clay says the funding level is $4 million less than what local districts received three years ago.
Point Reyes Light: TNC partners with RCD
By Sophia Grace Carter | California | Pacific Region
06/03/2026
The Nature Conservancy will draw on the local expertise of the Marin Resource Conservation District as it begins stewarding nearly 17,000 acres of former ranchland at the Point Reyes National Seashore. A cooperative agreement that runs through 2030 establishes a framework for the conservation behemoth and the special district to collaborate on targeted grazing, invasive plant removal, habitat restoration, and research and monitoring across land vacated this year by dairying and ranching families.
Texas Tribune: First U.S. screwworm case confirmed in South Texas
By Berenice Garcia and Ayden Runnels | McAllen, TX | South Central Region
06/03/2026
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday confirmed the country’s first case of New World screwworm — the parasitic fly poised to harm the state’s $15 billion cattle industry — in South Texas. The USDA tested a sample from La Pryor in Zavala County at the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, lowa, confirming the infestation, Secretary Brooke Rollins said during a press conference about the case.