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On June 25, 2026, the Trump Administration formally identified regenerative agriculture, farm resilience, and food security as priorities for federal policy and action. Executive Order 14414, “Advancing Regenerative Agriculture and Strengthening American Farm Resilience,” ties the country’s food security and long-term farm productivity to regenerative practices, precision farming, agricultural research, and modernized farm systems, and directs agencies like the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to act on those priorities. In plain terms, the government has said the United States needs more investment, innovation, research, and technological advancement in these areas.

For scientists, engineers, and researchers advancing this work, the Executive Order provides significant new federal policy support for the importance of their work. This includes agricultural engineers, agronomists, soil scientists, food-safety and toxicology researchers, environmental scientists, and agricultural technologists working in areas such as precision agriculture, soil health, farm modernization, chemical-exposure research, and new agricultural technologies. For professionals pursuing the EB-2 National Interest Waiver (NIW), these federal priorities may provide particularly strong evidence that a proposed endeavor addresses issues of national importance to the United States.

What Executive Order 14414 Does

Executive Order 14414 sets three main goals: expanding the use of precision agriculture practices and technologies, increasing federal investment in regenerative agriculture research and education, and spurring private-sector innovation in farm modernization. The stated policy objective is a healthy, abundant, and affordable food supply, along with stronger rural economies.

The order directs several agencies to act in several areas:

• Crop protection review. It directs the EPA to prioritize the review and registration of innovative crop-protection products, including products that may reduce reliance on conventional chemical tools, and evaluate certain existing pesticide uses under applicable law.
• Chemical exposure tracking. It directs the USDA, HHS, and EPA to develop methods for measuring and evaluating cumulative chemical exposure and associated human-health and environmental risks.
• Research into chemical alternatives. Through HHS, it directs the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to support research into new technologies and methodologies for evaluating chemical exposure and reducing reliance on conventional agricultural chemicals.
• Expanded pilot programs. It also tells the USDA to expand its existing Regenerative Pilot Program, which is run through current conservation programs.

What the Executive Order Means for Your EB-2 NIW Case

If you work in agricultural engineering, agronomy, food safety, or related research, this order gives you a significant federal policy source that may support the national importance of your proposed endeavor.

EB-2 NIW petitions involving agricultural work are evaluated the same way as any other EB-2 NIW petition: first you must meet the EB-2 classification requirements, then explain how your proposed endeavor satisfies the National Interest Waiver standard under the three-prong test from Matter of Dhanasar. The executive order can provide valuable support for the first prong, which requires showing that the proposed endeavor has substantial merit and national importance. If your proposed endeavor connects to regenerative agriculture, precision farming, food security, agricultural research, farm modernization, or farmer prosperity, you can cite the order as federal policy evidence supporting the broader importance of the work you propose to undertake.

The strongest petitions pair that policy backing with specific, individual evidence: your research, your results, your track record. Our in-depth look at the first prong of Dhanasar breaks down how that analysis works.

Connecting Agricultural Work to Federal Priorities

The order’s priorities touch a wide range of professionals: agricultural engineers and agronomists working on regenerative practices and precision farming; soil scientists and environmental scientists studying soil health, farm resilience, and sustainable production; food-safety and toxicology researchers examining chemical exposure and human-health risks associated with the food supply; and agricultural technologists and entrepreneurs developing technologies, tools, and systems that advance farm modernization and agricultural productivity.

Conclusion

Executive Order 14414 is a current, citable federal policy signal for professionals advancing regenerative agriculture, precision farming, food security, environmental health, farm modernization, or agricultural productivity and rural economies.

For agriculture professionals considering an EB-2 NIW, the order can provide meaningful policy support when their proposed endeavor connects to the priorities it identifies. The approved cases described above show how agriculture-related endeavors supported by documented outcomes, specialized expertise, and a clearly defined problem of national significance can form the basis of a successful NIW petition. If you are considering an EB-2 NIW and want to understand how your own work may fit within these requirements, fill out our questionnaire to see where you stand.

If you're waiting on an EB-1A or EB-2 NIW petition, the Visa Bulletin is the one document you check every month. The question is whether you're reading all of it correctly. 

Most applicants look at the cutoff dates. Fewer know that the bulletin alone doesn't tell you which dates apply to their I-485 filing that month.  

Here's how the whole thing works. 

What is the Visa Bulletin? 

The U.S. Department of State publishes the Visa Bulletin every month. It sets the cutoff dates that determine which employment-based green card applicants can move forward in the immigration process for that month. 

Federal law caps employment-based green cards at 140,000 per year. No single country can receive more than seven percent of that total. When demand exceeds supply, a queue forms. The bulletin manages that queue. 

Your eligibility comes down to one comparison: your priority date against the cutoff for your category and country of birth. If your date falls before the cutoff, you may be able to act. If it doesn't, you wait. 

Your priority date 

Your priority date is your place in line. It's the date USCIS received your immigrant petition. 

Where to find it depends on how you filed: 

• EB-1A and EB-2 NIW self-petitioners: it's the "Received Date" on your Form I-797 receipt notice or I-140 approval notice 
• PERM-based EB-2 applicants: it's the date the Department of Labor accepted your labor certification, not the date your I-140 was filed

 

Write it down. You'll use it every month.  

Two charts, and why both matter 

This is where a lot of applicants miss something important. 

The bulletin publishes two separate charts each month. They answer different questions. 

Chart A — Final Action Dates: This is the threshold for green card approval. Your priority date must clear this before USCIS can approve your permanent residence. 

Chart B — Dates for Filing: This is the threshold for submitting your I-485, even before your case is ready for final approval. Filing under Chart B gets you access to an Employment Authorization Document and Advance Parole while you wait. 

Here's the part that catches people off guard: USCIS decides each month which chart governs I-485 filings, and that decision isn't published inside the Visa Bulletin itself. USCIS posts it separately on their Adjustment of Status Filing Charts page at uscis.gov. 

If you're only reading the bulletin and not checking that page, you may be looking at the wrong cutoff date. 

Country of birth, not citizenship 

The bulletin is divided by country of birth. Not citizenship. Not where you currently live. 

Most countries show "C" for Current, meaning no backlog and no wait. A smaller number of countries carry specific cutoff dates because demand from those countries exceeds the per-country cap year after year. 

Always use the column that matches your country of birth. If your country isn't listed separately, use "All Other Countries." 

Cross-chargeability if you're married 

If your spouse was born in a country with a shorter backlog or no backlog at all, you may be able to use their country of birth instead of your own. This is called cross-chargeability. 

It can move your timeline forward by years in some cases. 

The rule applies when both spouses file together on the same petition. If your spouse was born in a country with a more favorable cutoff date, it's worth talking to an immigration attorney before assuming you have to wait under your own country's timeline. 

Retrogression 

Retrogression happens when a cutoff date moves backward from one month to the next. This usually occurs when demand spikes and visa numbers run out faster than projected. 

What it means for you depends on where you are in the process: 

If you already filed your I-485, your application stays valid. USCIS keeps processing it. 

If you haven't filed yet, you lose the window. You wait for dates to advance again before you can submit. 

A window that's open this month may not be open next month. If you're unsure whether your priority date is current, which chart USCIS is using, or whether your case is ready to file, talk to an immigration attorney before the next bulletin drops. One conversation can save you from missing a window that may not reopen for months. 

The State Department sometimes includes a warning inside the bulletin that retrogression may be necessary later in the fiscal year if demand keeps increasing. When you see that language, treat it as a reason to act sooner rather than later. 

A simple monthly check 

When a new bulletin comes out, usually in the third week of the preceding month, run through this process: 

• Go to travel.state.gov and open the latest bulletin 
• Find your preference category in the employment-based section 
• Go to your country of birth column 
• Check uscis.gov to confirm which chart USCIS is using that month 
• Compare your priority date to the cutoff on the active chart 
• If your date is current or the column shows "C," contact your attorney right away

 

That's it. Five minutes, once a month, will keep you up-to-date on Visa Bulletin movement and visa availability. 

When your date becomes current 

Filing the moment your date becomes current is one of the most consequential decisions in the green card process. Retrogression can pull dates back without warning. The applicants who protect themselves are the ones who file promptly, not the ones who wait to see if the window holds. 

If you're not sure whether you're ready to file, that's exactly the kind of question an immigration attorney can answer quickly. 

This constitutes general information only and is not legal advice.