How to Use the Dashboard

The dashboard includes information about three state approaches – On-Farm Conservation, Technical Assistance Capacity, and Research and Demonstration – that can be accessed using the color-coded buttons. 

Each section highlights program mechanics and activities, enabling comparison across states. Individual programs are shown in rows. The tabs along the top of each table describe program features, such as administration, eligibility, inclusion and access, financial assistance, outcomes, and more. Columns within each tab highlight additional program information that can be filtered and sorted. For descriptions of each column heading, refer to the State Conservation Program Dashboard Index.

Finally, clicking on a row in the table generates a secondary table at the bottom of the dashboard that displays more customized details related to that program.  

Click here to open the dashboard in a new tab for easier viewing. 

Definitions

• On-Farm Conservation programs help farmers and landowners implement land management practices by providing direct technical assistance, financial assistance (like cost-share), or a combination of both.
• Technical Assistance Capacity programs expand the network of technical assistance providers that support farmers and landowners implementing on-farm conservation practices by providing grant funding for operations and administration. 
• Research and Demonstration programs fund on-farm investigations and peer-to-peer learning opportunities about conservation practices with the aim of expanding their adoption.
• For more information about the terms used to categorize program features, refer to the State Conservation Program Dashboard Index. 

Findings

Download A Review of State Agricultural Conservation Programs, a summary of findings related to the dashboard data.

Downloadable Data

The dashboard data can be downloaded in Excel spreadsheet format using these links: 

• On-Farm Conservation
• Technical Assistance Capacity 
• Research and Demonstration 

Project Background

The State Conservation Programs Dashboard was built as part of American Farmland Trust’s Farms Under Threat initiative. Farms Under Threat is a multi-year initiative to document the status of and threats to U.S. farmland and ranchland while identifying policy solutions that ensure the protection and conservation of America’s diverse agricultural landscape.