The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (often referred to as the 2008 Farm Bill) directed USDA to facilitate the participation of American farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners in environmental markets.
Since 2008, USDA established the Office of Environmental Markets, supported market development across the country through development of tools and analysis of market barriers. The office of Environmental Markets also works closely with other USDA agencies such as The Natural Resources Conservation Service and Economic Research Service on market-related activities.