This bill makes changes to several USDA conservation programs to support soil health and related practices. It updates program definitions to include "resource concerns" (soil, water, air, plants, animals, energy). It adds greenhouse gas emissions reduction planning and on-farm nutrient recycling to program options. The bill explicitly includes perennial production systems and agroforestry (for example, alley cropping and silvopasture) in conservation trials and payment programs. It revises the Conservation Stewardship Program to emphasize maintaining and actively managing conservation activities, allows contract renewals that require continued improvement, and adds criteria that consider soil health, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas reductions. Payment rules are updated to cover income forgone, increased economic risk, and revenue losses from production changes or transitions (including to organic or perennial systems). The bill requires outreach and offers payments for soil testing. It expands eligible applicants to include individuals and Tribal entities and adds support for organic and perennial agriculture. It also creates a National Agroforestry Research, Development, and Demonstration Center in Lincoln, Nebraska, and at least three regional agroforestry centers, directed by appointed leaders, and authorizes regional grants, technical assistance, research, and outreach for agroforestry and perennial systems.
No publicly available information on total cost estimates or specific appropriations in the bill text. The bill would involve expenditures for: conservation payments to producers (including supplemental payments and income-forgone calculations), payments for soil testing, grants for regional agroforestry centers, and funding to establish and run a national agroforestry center and regional centers.
The bill aims to improve soil health, increase carbon sequestration in soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support resilient farming systems. Proponents would note it expands conservation practices to include agroforestry and perennial systems, strengthens contract requirements to ensure active management and continued improvement, broadens who can participate, and invests in research, outreach, and technical assistance through new centers and grants.
No publicly available information.