President Trump signed an executive order on June 26 directing federal agencies to promote regenerative farming practices and strengthen the resilience of American agriculture, with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins present for the Oval Office signing.
What the Order Does
The order, titled “Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience,” marks one of the more direct federal commitments to regenerative farming principles since the Trump administration began pushing the approach as part of its broader MAHA agenda. HHS and USDA announced the action jointly late Thursday, the same evening Trump hosted a dinner for farmers at the White House.
Four working regenerative farmers joined Kennedy and Rollins in the Oval Office as Trump signed the order, a symbolic gesture underscoring the administration’s intent to center producers in the policy conversation.
Agency Actions Accompanying the Order
USDA released its final Regenerative Feedstock Rule alongside the executive order, aimed at creating clearer standards for how regenerative practices factor into federal programs. The department also published an updated Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator, a tool designed to help producers measure and document practices such as cover cropping, nutrient management, no-till, and reduced-tillage farming.
HHS released a companion issue brief examining the connection between regenerative agriculture, food systems, and population health outcomes. The document reflects Kennedy’s long-stated view that the quality and production methods behind America’s food supply are directly tied to chronic disease rates.
Kennedy framed the announcement in terms consistent with the MAHA movement’s core argument: “Making America Healthy Again begins with understanding that health starts long before someone enters a doctor’s office.”
Rollins described the new USDA rule as a shift in authority away from federal administrators and toward individual producers. “Today’s USDA’s Regenerative Feedstock Rule put farmers, not Washington bureaucrats, in the driver’s seat,” she said.
Biofuels and the 45Z Tax Credit
Industry groups representing biofuel producers welcomed the package of announcements, particularly the updated carbon intensity calculator. The tool is relevant to producers seeking to qualify under the 45Z biofuel tax credit, which ties credit eligibility to the carbon intensity of feedstock production. By giving farmers a cleaner way to document regenerative practices, the updated calculator could help more agricultural operations demonstrate lower carbon intensity scores and access that credit.
What Comes Next
The executive order directs federal agencies to align relevant programs and research priorities with regenerative agriculture principles, though implementation timelines and specific funding commitments were not detailed in Thursday’s announcement. The Regenerative Feedstock Rule, now finalized, will move into the implementation phase at USDA. The carbon intensity calculator is available to producers immediately.
Idaho Implications
For Idaho’s agricultural community — one of the most diverse in the West, spanning row crops, cattle, dairy, potatoes, and dry beans — the executive order and accompanying USDA tools could open new avenues for participation in federal programs and biofuel markets. Practices already common on many Idaho operations, including cover cropping and reduced tillage, are among those the calculator is built to document and credit.
The HHS issue brief’s framing of soil health as a public health issue also aligns with the MAHA agenda’s argument that food quality begins at the farm level — a message Kennedy has carried since before he joined the administration. Idaho farmers who have followed that argument will find the administration’s direction consistent with what movement leaders have been signaling for the past year.
The administration has not announced specific grant programs or state-level partnerships tied to the order, but USDA’s existing conservation programs — including those administered through Idaho’s state offices — are expected to become vehicles for promoting regenerative practices as agency guidance is updated.
Category: Agriculture & Land