The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is releasing the first tranche of funding that was paused due to the review of funding in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).

USDA will honor contracts that were already signed with farmers, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said.

The agency will be releasing about $20 million in contracts for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) and the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program.

“Unfortunately, the Biden administration rushed out hundreds of millions of dollars of IRA funding that was supposed to be distributed over eight years. After careful review, it is clear that some of this funding went to programs that had nothing to do with agriculture—that is why we are still reviewing—whereas other funding was directed to farmers and ranchers who have since made investments in these programs,” Rollins said. “We will honor our commitments to American farmers and ranchers, and we will ensure they have the support they need to be the most competitive in the world.”

This marks the initial phase of released funding, with additional announcements to come as the agency continues to review IRA funding to ensure the programs are focused on supporting farmers and ranchers.

“American farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our nation. They feed, fuel and clothe our nation and millions of people around the world,” Rollins said, citing regulatory burdens, environmental policies and inflation as major challenges.

Agricultural groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Texas Farm Bureau, said this is a welcome step in ensuring USDA honors its commitments to farmers and rural communities.

“Farm Bureau appreciates the decision by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to release funds for conservation program contracts that USDA entered into with farmers and ranchers. The freezing of funds created uncertainty for farm families who had already invested in improvements to their land after receiving a financial commitment from the federal government,” Duvall said. “I met with Secretary Rollins yesterday and conveyed concerns over this issue and others, along with priorities on the minds of rural Americans. I was glad to hear this news as well as her strong commitment to continue to champion the issues of America’s farmers and ranchers. We’re thankful the administration recognized the importance of making good on the first tranche of agreements. We look forward to future announcements about fulfilling previously signed contracts. We stand ready to work with her to address the growing list of challenges facing agriculture.”