Farms Under Threat is American Farmland Trust’s 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.

We examined state programs that encourage on-farm conservation, focusing on programs that expand the implementation of practices that improve soil health to ensure available agricultural land remains productive and resilient in the face of a changing climate. The results of this research are published in the State Conservation Program Dashboard (the “dashboard”), below. A summary of findings is available in the [White Paper]. The dashboard is an interactive database meant to help raise awareness about effective approaches, inform state and federal policy action, and spur more agricultural land conservation. This resource is intended to provide a point-in-time snapshot to inform policy discussions.

About 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. 

• 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 service providers (TSPs) 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. 

How to Use the Dashboard

Each table 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 downloadable Index below. 

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.  

The information in the dashboard can also be downloaded in an Excel spreadsheet format using these links: 

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