Ask a rancher who has waved a hunter through a gate. Or ask a rice farmer who has watched ducks settle onto a flooded field after harvest. You will hear the same thing. Farmers and ranchers want to share what is on their land. They just need it to make financial sense too.

That is the idea behind the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) newest round of funding. USDA is investing $52 million in 19 projects. The money pays landowners to open private land for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation. It also funds real improvements to wildlife habitat.

What Is VPA-HIP?

The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program, or VPA-HIP, is a USDA grant program. It is run by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). NRCS gives money to state and tribal governments. Those governments use it to pay private landowners for two things: letting the public onto their land for wildlife-dependent recreation, and improving wildlife habitat while they do it.

"As the Chief of NRCS, one of my top priorities is to expand wildlife conservation and outdoor access. The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program is a key part of our strategy to execute that priority," said NRCS Chief Colton L. Buckley. "This program, made possible by the Working Families Tax Cuts Act, prioritizes farmers and ranchers while strengthening rural economies through support of wildlife conservation and outdoor recreation."

The Working Families Tax Cuts Act restored funding for VPA-HIP after a funding gap, which is why this 2026 round matters so much to the states and tribal governments that rely on it.

Where the $52 Million Is Going

Nineteen projects across the country will share the funding. Individual awards range from $1.5 million to $3 million. Projects run up to three years. Up to 25 percent of each award can go toward paying landowners to improve wildlife habitat on the land they open to the public.

A few examples show how differently states are putting the money to work:

• Arkansas is continuing its Waterfowl Rice Incentive Conservation Enhancement Program, which pays rice farmers near wildlife management areas and national wildlife refuges to open flooded rice fields and wetland reserve easements to waterfowl hunters, while also improving habitat on 15,000 acres.
• Montana is expanding Open Fields for Game Bird Hunters, which pays landowners enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) and other high-quality habitat to allow walk-in game bird hunting on at least 28,600 acres.
• North Dakota is growing its long-running Private Lands Open to Sportsmen (PLOTS) program, aiming to enroll 15,000 to 20,000 more acres of CRP, Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP), and Wetland Reserve Easement land, pushing total enrollment above one million acres.

Other states are using their awards the same way. California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Wisconsin all plan to expand walk-in access programs, restore wetlands, and improve grasslands. Some are rebuilding programs that lost funding in past years. Oregon's Open Fields program, for example, had lost roughly 280,000 acres of public access when its funding lapsed.

What This Means for Farmers and Ranchers

If you farm or ranch on land with good habitat, VPA-HIP does not ask you to give up control of your property. It pays you for a voluntary agreement, usually for a set number of years. In exchange, you allow specific public access, like walk-in hunting or fishing.

The incentive payments matter, but so does the habitat work. Up to 25 percent of each award goes toward improving wildlife habitat. That means many landowners are getting help restoring wetlands, planting native grasslands, or managing cover crops. This work also supports soil health and water quality on their working lands. That is a rare case where a conservation program and a farm's day-to-day operation genuinely pull in the same direction.

How VPA-HIP Fits with Other USDA Conservation Programs

VPA-HIP is only one tool in a much larger USDA toolbox. Farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners who want to conserve natural resources have several options. If you already work with NRCS, some of these will sound familiar.

The Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) is run by Farm Service Agency (FSA). It pays producers to take sensitive acres out of production and establish grasslands or wetlands that support wildlife habitat. Several VPA-HIP projects, including Montana's and North Dakota's, layer public access incentives directly on top of CRP acres.

Beyond CRP, NRCS offers several more ways to address natural resource concerns on private land. The Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) combines USDA funding with partner dollars. Together they conserve natural resources across whole watersheds or regions. The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) protects wetlands and working lands permanently through easements. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides technical and financial assistance to producers. It helps them improve soil health, water quality, or wildlife habitat on their own operation. Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) fund new approaches to natural resource conservation, the kind other programs are not yet set up to support. Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) targets voluntary conservation for specific species and ecosystems, from sage grouse habitat in the West to grassland birds in the Great Plains.

Producers who want to focus on a species like sage grouse have another option. So do producers focused on broader natural resource concerns tied to grazing and cropland ecosystems. Either way, it is worth asking NRCS whether a Working Lands for Wildlife project is active in their area. Like VPA-HIP, WLFW relies on voluntary conservation agreements rather than mandates. Both programs draw their authority from the same farm bill that funds much of NRCS's work.

Together, these programs give farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners more than one path forward. All are authorized under the farm bill. All help conserve natural resources while keeping land productive.

Who Can Apply

Only state and tribal governments can apply for VPA-HIP grants. Private landowners cannot apply directly. But they can take part by enrolling their land in a state-run program, like Iowa's Habitat and Access Program or Wisconsin's public access initiative.

One eligibility detail is worth knowing. A state's grant amount is reduced by 25 percent if its migratory bird hunting season opens on different dates for residents and non-residents. That rule does not apply to tribal governments.

The application period for 2026 VPA-HIP funding is now closed. Are you a farmer, rancher, or forestland owner interested in participating? The best next step is to contact your state fish and wildlife agency or your local NRCS office. Ask whether a VPA-HIP-funded program is active in your area.

It is also worth asking your local NRCS office or Farm Service Agency (FSA) office about other options. Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) fund new approaches to natural resource conservation. The Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP) offers a more permanent path for landowners. It protects wetlands or working lands for good, rather than through a multi-year agreement like VPA-HIP.

The Bottom Line

For more than 90 years, NRCS has provided technical and financial assistance to farmers, ranchers, and forestland owners. That help supports investment in their land and their communities. Along the way, it improves soil health, water quality, and wildlife habitat. This $52 million round of VPA-HIP funding is a reminder. Conservation and outdoor recreation do not have to compete with a working farm or ranch. Done right, they can pay for themselves, and then some.

If your state or tribal government is exploring conservation programs like these, FarmRaise can help you track deadlines, paperwork, and funding opportunities across the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), NRCS, and FSA, so applying for the next round is one less thing on your plate.