We deliver conservation solutions so agricultural producers can protect natural resources and feed a growing world.
The Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) aims to support agricultural producers in managing financial risk through diversification, marketing, or natural resource conservation practices. The program is administered by the NRCS, focusing on the conservation aspects, while the Agricultural Marketing Service and Risk Management Agency oversee production diversification and marketing provisions. AMA provides financial aid to cover up to 75 percent of the cost of implementing conservation practices. These practices may include water management improvements, irrigation structures, planting trees for windbreaks or water quality, and soil erosion control, among others. It also encompasses integrated pest management and transitioning to organic farming to mitigate risks through production diversification or resource conservation. A notable aspect of the AMA is that it offers a higher cost-share rate for historically underserved producers, with a cap of $50,000 per participant per fiscal year, excluding them from Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation provisions, though they are subject to Adjusted Gross Income provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985.