New SOIL Act Offers Farmers 90% Cost Coverage for Dual Soil Health and Wildlife Conservation Projects

The “Saving Our Interconnected Lives Act,” or SOIL Act, is a targeted piece of legislation that updates two major federal farm conservation programs, essentially putting a big financial incentive behind farming practices that deliver double benefits. If you’re a producer, this bill is saying, “Do good for the soil and the wildlife, and we’ll cover almost all the cost.”

This bill focuses on the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which are the government’s main tools for getting farmers to adopt environmentally friendly practices. It’s not a complete overhaul, but it’s a serious adjustment designed to push conservation efforts toward projects that tackle multiple environmental problems at once.

The 90% Incentive: Getting Paid to Go Dual-Purpose

The biggest change is in the EQIP program. Currently, farmers get paid varying rates for conservation work. Under the SOIL Act (SEC. 2), if a farmer implements a practice that the Secretary identifies as helping both soil health and wildlife habitat—think planting cover crops that also create bug habitat, or establishing windbreaks that double as bird corridors—the payment rate jumps dramatically to 90 percent of the total cost. This covers everything: planning, design, installation, and maintenance. For a farmer looking at a costly transition to no-till farming or setting up a complex alley cropping system, getting 90 cents back on every dollar spent is a massive financial de-risking.

This new rule also changes the way applications are prioritized. The bill mandates that any application developed to address both a soil resource concern and a wildlife habitat resource concern must receive top consideration during the review process. This means producers focusing on these dual benefits get a clear advantage when competing for limited program dollars.

Expanding the Definition of ‘Stewardship’

Section 3 addresses the CSP, which rewards farmers for maintaining and improving existing conservation efforts. Here, the focus shifts to incorporating climate benefits. The bill adds a new category called “co-benefit activities for soil and wildlife” to the list of things eligible for supplemental payments—which are extra funds on top of the standard payment.

To qualify for this new supplemental payment, the activity must meet three criteria: it must address soil health and wildlife habitat concerns; it must improve wildlife habitat; and crucially, it must increase the amount of carbon stored in the soil and help lower greenhouse gas emissions (SEC. 3). This explicitly links conservation dollars to climate-smart agriculture. For a producer already doing things like advanced grazing management, this means they could potentially tap into new funding streams if they can show their practices are also locking carbon into the ground.

The Fine Print: Who Benefits and Who Might Get Left Behind

Overall, this bill is a huge win for producers willing to take on comprehensive conservation projects. The higher payments and prioritization mean the government is strongly signaling where it wants its conservation money to go: projects that deliver the most environmental bang for the buck, hitting targets for soil, water, habitat, and carbon all at once.

However, there’s a flip side to this prioritization. While the bill doesn't cut funding for single-focus projects, it does create a scoring system that favors dual-benefit applications. This means a farmer who only applies for a practice aimed solely at improving soil health, or solely at creating wildlife habitat, might find their application ranks lower than before, making it harder to secure funding. The Secretary also has a fair amount of discretion in identifying exactly which practices qualify for that lucrative 90% cost-share, which could lead to some regional differences in how the program is rolled out.