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The Small Farm Conservation Act creates a new dedicated program within the Department of Agriculture's Environmental Quality Incentives Program specifically designed to help small-scale farmers with conservation efforts. The legislation requires that at least 30 percent of EQIP funding for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 be directed to this small farm subprogram, with 35 percent of those funds used for technical assistance and 65 percent for direct payments to farmers. Eligible participants include small farmers, beginning farmers, socially disadvantaged farmers, limited-resource farmers, veterans, and those in high-poverty areas, with eligibility determined on a state-by-state basis using metrics like farm size relative to state medians and gross cash income. The bill establishes minimum payments of $2,500 per producer and provides a 50 percent bonus for farms of 50 acres or less that adopt soil health management systems, while also requiring streamlined application processes and hiring additional USDA staff to support small farmer participation. The Secretary of Agriculture must submit a report to Congress by May 1, 2030, detailing the program's results and how it has reduced administrative barriers for participating farmers.

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