Less Fertilizer, Better Outcomes: USDA Conservation Programs Benefit Both Farmers and the Planet

The report finds that US farmers apply 3.5 to 5.8 million metric tons of nitrogen fertilizer in excess of what crops can absorb, contributing to significant greenhouse gas emissions and water pollution. It highlights that nitrogen fertilizer use in 2023 was responsible for approximately 120 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions. The authors argue that voluntary USDA programs like EQIP and CSP are underfunded and that the next Farm Bill should prioritize soil health and agroecology to reduce chemical dependency and climate risks.

• US farmers apply significantly more synthetic nitrogen fertilizer than crops can absorb, with estimates suggesting that 30 to 50 percent of applied nitrogen is excess.
• In 2023, nitrogen fertilizer use in the United States was responsible for emitting approximately 120 million metric tons (MMT) of heat-trapping gas in CO2 equivalent (CO2e), which is roughly 20 percent of total agriculture sector emissions.
• Excess nitrogen fertilizer application in the US is estimated to be responsible for emitting between 36 and 60 MMT of CO2e, equivalent to the emissions of about 13 million gasoline cars driven for a year.
• Nitrogen runoff from Midwestern farms contributes to a 'dead zone' in the Gulf of Mexico, which measured 4,402 square miles in 2025; agricultural nitrogen losses cause up to $2.4 billion in annual damage to fisheries and marine habitats in that region.
• The report identifies a 'fertilizer treadmill' where soil degradation forces producers to apply increasing amounts of fertilizer to maintain yields, while the costs of environmental and public health impacts are borne by producers, communities, and taxpayers rather than agribusiness corporations.
• USDA conservation programs, specifically the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), are chronically underfunded; in 2021, only 31 percent of EQIP applicants secured funding.
• A scenario analysis of NRCS Practice 590 (Nutrient Management) in Minnesota showed that a 2023 investment of $3.07 million generated $8.57 million in labor income and added $11.42 million to the state's GDP.
• The Union of Concerned Scientists recommends that the next Food and Farm Bill provide at least $4 billion per year for CSP and $2 billion per year for EQIP, including a 100 percent cost share for qualified producers.
• The report argues for a transition from the '4R' nutrient stewardship approach, which focuses on optimizing chemical inputs, toward agroecology, which integrates biodiversity and soil health to reduce synthetic input reliance.

APA

Goswami, O., & Tshabalala, P. (2026). Less Fertilizer, Better Outcomes: USDA Conservation Programs Benefit Both Farmers and the Planet. Union of Concerned Scientists. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Less-Fertilizer-Better-Outcomes-report.pdf

Chicago

Goswami, Omanjana, and Precious Tshabalala. Less Fertilizer, Better Outcomes: USDA Conservation Programs Benefit Both Farmers and the Planet. Union of Concerned Scientists, 2026. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Less-Fertilizer-Better-Outcomes-report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Goswami |first1=Omanjana |last2=Tshabalala |first2=Precious |title=Less Fertilizer, Better Outcomes: USDA Conservation Programs Benefit Both Farmers and the Planet |publisher=Union of Concerned Scientists |date=February 2026 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Less-Fertilizer-Better-Outcomes-report.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{goswami2026less, author = {Goswami, Omanjana and Tshabalala, Precious}, title = {{Less Fertilizer, Better Outcomes: USDA Conservation Programs Benefit Both Farmers and the Planet}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2026}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/2026-02/Less-Fertilizer-Better-Outcomes-report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }