President Donald Trump’s executive order directs federal agencies to expand regenerative agriculture efforts, study cumulative chemical exposure in the food supply and help farmers access new market opportunities.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

President Donald Trump signed an executive order June 25 directing federal agencies to advance regenerative agriculture, strengthen farm resilience and support the security of the nation’s food supply.

The order calls for a federal effort to promote farming practices intended to restore degraded soils, improve farm profitability and expand opportunities for producers. Regenerative agriculture is described as a holistic approach focused on soil health and long-term agricultural sustainability.

Trump said regenerative practices can “strengthen soil health, lower input costs, improve chemical efficiency to reduce overall use, improve farm profitability, maintain yields, increase market value, expand access to new markets, and strengthen rural economies.”

The order directs the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Environmental Protection Agency to study the effects of cumulative chemical exposure in the nation’s food supply.

It also instructs USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins to broaden the reach of the Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program, share the program’s results with stakeholders and develop public-private partnerships to help farmers adopt regenerative practices.

A White House fact sheet said Trump also directed EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin to prioritize the registration of alternative crop protection tools. The order further calls for a review of data involving pre-harvest desiccation uses to ensure they comply with safety and labeling standards.

The announcement came the same day Trump hosted farmers for a dinner in the White House Rose Garden. During the event, the president said he had asked Congress to approve a supplemental funding bill that would provide $11 billion in relief payments for farmers.

“It was my honor to sign an executive order directing federal agencies to accelerate agricultural innovations that give farmers and ranchers the necessary resources to ensure American crops are the healthiest, and the most abundant, and the most affordable,” Trump said at the dinner. “And we’re always working for the farmer. We want to make it better and easier for you.”

Shortly after the executive order was issued, the USDA announced its final Regenerative Feedstock Rule, which is intended to help farmers create new value from regenerative agriculture through biofuel markets.

Rollins said the rule establishes a framework connecting regenerative practices with new opportunities in the biofuel supply chain for corn, soybeans, sorghum and spring canola.

“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,” Rollins said in a USDA statement.

The Regenerative Agriculture Pilot Program was launched by the USDA last year with $700 million in funding. According to the department, the initiative has completed more than 67,000 whole-farm conservation plans covering more than 49 million acres. It has also completed more than 1,500 conservation contracts valued at more than $200 million.

The administration framed the order as part of a broader effort to give farmers more tools to reduce costs, maintain yields and reach new markets while addressing soil health and chemical use. The USDA’s rulemaking and the executive order place regenerative agriculture at the center of that strategy, with federal agencies directed to coordinate research, outreach and market development for producers choosing to adopt the practices.

Original article