Protecting and improving water quality has been a pressing issue for livestock and poultry producers for a number of years, and recently air quality has become important as well.

Many owners and operators of animal operations manage grazing lands or cropland in addition to managing the barnyard and feedlot areas where the animals live. Managing manure and litter to protect water quality, reduce air emissions, and control odors are often the most pressing environmental challenges for livestock and poultry producers.

USDA programs offer a range of cost share and incentives to livestock and poultry operations to manage manure and litter properly and ensure their entire operations – including cropland, pastures, and habitat areas – realize conservation goals.

While livestock and poultry operations can leverage a wide range of conservation programs depending on their goals (ranging from farmland protection to wildlife habitat improvement), the programs used most frequently by these producers as they work to address water and air quality challenges include the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, Agricultural Management Assistance Program, Conservation Security Program, and Technical Service Provider Program.

Once climate change related programs are more widely available, livestock and poultry producers will become significant players in these programs as well.

• Candidate Conservation Agreements With Assurances
• Carbon Sequestration
• Conservation Banking
• Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
• Conservation Reserve Program
• Conservation Stewardship Program
• Environmental Quality Incentives Program
• Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program
• Grassland Reserve Program
• Landowner Incentive Program
• Private Stewardship Grants Program
• Safe Harbor Agreements
• Technical Service Providers
• Wetlands Reserve Program