NRCS and Why Your Farm Data Matters | AgEmerge Podcast 181 with Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt
Unlock the future of farming with insights from one of America's leading agriculture champions. Aubrey Bettencourt, Chief of the NRCS, and Host Monte Bottens, talk through how innovative programs, voluntary practices, and market-driven solutions are transforming the ways farmers conserve resources, improve soil health, and remain resilient.
Hear how the new, USDA outcomes-based regen pilot program is set to redefine the way we address resource concerns—making conservation efforts more practical, impactful, and sticky for farmers from coast to coast.
Chief Bettencourt reveals the bold strategy behind the NRCS's reinvigorated mission: keeping farmers on the land and demonstrating that soil health and water management are not just buzzwords but vital pathways to economic and environmental security. We break down how existing programs like EQIP and CSP are being harnessed in innovative ways to accelerate regenerative practices without adding burdens—ensuring voluntary, flexible, and locally driven adoption.
Aubrey shares her vision for a future where farmers are empowered, markets are aligned, and soil health becomes a shared goal—ultimately transforming agriculture into a resilient, sustainable engine for generations to come.
Click to learn more about NRCS and the Regen Pilot Program: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhuHrYrPXfM
About NRCS: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
Timestamps:
(0:00:00) - Welcome and introduction to Aubrey Bettencourt’s journey
(0:05:17) - Recommitment of NRCS to its foundational mission amid farmland loss
(0:08:45) - Adoption of innovative practices like drip tape irrigation
(0:15:00) - The region pilot program: voluntary, outcomes-based, scalable
(0:21:10) - Using outcomes reports to measure soil health and water improvements
(0:28:17) - Connecting market incentives with regenerative practices
(0:36:00) - The importance of federal agency alignment for water management
(0:42:54) - The role of consumer choice in driving sustainable agriculture
(0:47:46) - Farmers’ resilience and the faith guiding rural communities
***About Our Guest:
Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt serves as Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the primary private lands conservation agency at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). NRCS helps producers, soil and water conservation districts, and other partners protect and conserve natural resources on private working lands while supporting American agricultural productivity throughout the United States. NRCS employees in the field work side-by-side with producers in every State and territory.
Aubrey is a prominent leader in agriculture, water, and sustainability, most recently serving as the Global Director of Government Relations and External Affairs for Netafim, an Orbia Company. Prior to serving at Netafim, Aubrey was the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Almond Alliance, the national trade association advocating for American almond growers and processors.
Prior to joining the Alliance, Aubrey served as the Sustainability Director for Western United Dairies, specifically leading initiatives in groundwater management. During the first Trump Administration, Aubrey worked with both the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) and USDA. As a Deputy Assistant Secretary with the DOI, she oversaw water and science policy.
Prior to serving at DOI, Aubrey was the State Executive Director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in California where she directed the administration of farm commodity programs providing support, security, and emergency relief for producers throughout the state.
Her work reflects her personal commitment to keep farmers farming through sound water policy, agricultural support, technology, and sustainable practices. This is supported by her family’s farming roots in California’s great Central Valley.
Aubrey is a third-generation farmer at Bettencourt Farms in Kings County, California, alongside her father, mother, husband, daughter, and loyal farm dogs. Aubrey is an Eisenhower Agricultural Fellow and holds a degree in History from Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California.
