H.R. 3077 — Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025

This section establishes national goals for the agricultural sector to achieve at least a 50% reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by December 31, 2030, and net zero emissions by December 31, 2040 (from 2010 levels) to limit climate change to 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above preindustrial levels. To achieve these goals, the section sets subgoals for (1) tripling total federal investment in public food and agriculture research and extension by December 31, 2030, and quadrupling it by December 31, 2040 (from FY2023 levels), with a strong focus on climate adaptation and mitigation, soil health, carbon sequestration, nutrient and manure management, agroforestry, advanced grazing and crop-livestock integration, perennial systems, on-farm energy efficiency and renewables, farmland preservation, and food waste reduction; (2) reducing nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils by 25% by December 31, 2030, and 75% by December 31, 2040 (from 2023 levels), increasing soil carbon stocks by 0.4% annually on at least 50% of agricultural land by December 31, 2030 and all agricultural land by December 31, 2040, achieving cover crops or continual living cover on at least 50% of cropland acres by December 31, 2030 and 75% by December 31, 2040 with 75% average annual coverage by December 31, 2030 and 85% by December 31, 2040, and converting at least 15% of annual grain crop acres to agroforestry, perennial grazing, perennial grains, or other perennials by December 31, 2030 and 30% by December 31, 2040 (from enactment levels); (3) reducing rates of agricultural land conversion to development and grassland conversion to cropping by at least 80% by December 31, 2030 (from 2023 levels) and to zero by December 31, 2040; and (4) implementing advanced grazing management on at least 50% of grazing land by December 31, 2030 and 100% by December 31, 2040, reducing ruminant feeding-related emissions by at least one-third by December 31, 2030 and one-half by December 31, 2040 through reduced nongrazing feeding, low-emission feed production, and methane-mitigating supplements, and doubling crop-livestock integrated acreage by December 31, 2030 and tripling it by December 31, 2040 (from 2017 levels) to improve manure management and reduce related emissions.

This section directs the Secretary to develop an action plan, which may involve other federal agencies, to achieve the national goals described in section 101 and make the draft plan available for at least 90 days of public comment. The plan must include regulations, incentives, research and development programs, and other actions to fully implement this Act and its amendments; provide benefits to farmers, ranchers, rural communities, small businesses, and consumers; improve public health, resilience, and environmental outcomes (especially for rural and low-income households, communities of color, Tribal and Indigenous communities, and others vulnerable to climate change, pollution, and resource degradation); and prioritize greenhouse gas emissions reductions, carbon sequestration, and related agroenvironmental, economic, and resilience benefits. Not later than 18 months after enactment, the Secretary must finalize the plan (considering public comments), submit it to Congress, and begin implementation; biennially review and revise it beginning two years after initial submission (ensuring progress toward national goals) and submit revisions to Congress; and submit annual reports to Congress (and make them public) on actions taken, their effects, plan review conclusions, and any revisions.

This section revises the purposes of federally supported agricultural research, extension, and education under the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 by (1) inserting as new paragraph (8) a purpose to accelerate the ability of U.S. agriculture and the food system to first achieve net-zero carbon emissions and then become carbon negative by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; (2) redesignating the existing paragraph (8)—to maintain an adequate, nutritious, and safe food supply—without its ending "and" as new paragraph (9), and redesignating existing paragraph (9)—to support international collaboration on food and agricultural interests—as new paragraph (11); (3) inserting as new paragraph (10) a purpose to develop food systems that are healthful, sustainable, equitable, and resilient to extreme weather, other climate change impacts, and other global or national disruptions; and (4) in new paragraph (11)(B), inserting "and delivering to agricultural producers" after "improving" with respect to crop varieties and animal breeds.

This section establishes a national network of regional hubs for risk mitigation and adaptation to climate change, to be administered jointly by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Forest Service in partnership with other USDA agencies (e.g., Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency), additional federal departments and agencies (e.g., Department of the Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), and nonfederal stakeholders (e.g., land-grant universities, cooperative extension services, Indian Tribes). Eligible hubs are offices of ARS, Forest Service, or other appropriate USDA agencies. Each hub must (1) offer tools, management options, and technical support to farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and natural resource managers; (2) direct them to federal program assistance; (3) assess climate and weather projection impacts on agriculture and forestry; (4) provide periodic regional risk and vulnerability assessments to aid understanding of climate impacts and to inform the United States Global Change Research Program (15 U.S.C. 2933); (5) deliver outreach, education, and extension services via partnerships; (6) assist in developing climate-risk-informed business and conservation plans; and (7) partner on applied on-farm climate research. Hubs must prioritize synthesis and dissemination of research on soil organic carbon sequestration and net greenhouse gas impacts; lifecycle analyses of alternative agricultural, livestock, agroforestry, and forestry systems; and education on soil health, nutrient management, soil biota synergies, soil-plant-animal-human health linkages, stakeholder adaptation needs, and new climate-resilient crops.

This section revises the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (SARE, 7 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.), which supports competitive grants for research, education, and extension projects to promote sustainable agriculture practices that enhance profitability, reduce environmental impacts, and improve quality of life for farmers and ranchers. Specifically, it (1) adds resilience to changing climate and shocks as a program purpose; (2) defines "resilience" for agricultural systems as the ability to absorb and recover from climate and other disturbances without severe impact, revises the definition of "integrated crop and livestock management system or practice" to explicitly include resilience, and reorganizes definitions; (3) expands eligibility for research and extension project agreements to include 1994 Institutions (i.e., Tribal colleges), in addition to Federal, State, or Tribal entities; (4) replaces the existing section on agricultural bioenergy feedstock and hemp research with an "Agricultural and food system resilience initiative" that, in coordination with SARE projects, provides grants and interdisciplinary efforts to promote resilient farming systems, year-round living cover (e.g., cover crops and perennials), soil health, reduced emissions, and policy recommendations, funded by $50 million annually from the Commodity Credit Corporation beginning in FY2026 and $20 million in discretionary funding authorized annually through FY2030 via the National Institute of Food and Agriculture; and (5) updates the technical guides and books program to include outreach resources, eliminates prior two-year enactment deadlines to make activities ongoing, and reorganizes provisions.

This section establishes the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network, to be operated by the Agricultural Research Service, consisting of research sites for long-term (minimum 30 years) study of agricultural sustainability at field, regional, and national scales across cropland, rangeland, and pastureland. The Network's goals include enhancing agricultural sustainability; integrating projects with standardized measurements; and developing farming systems, practices, and technologies to address challenges such as climate change. Activities encompass establishing and maintaining diverse research sites as a coordinated network; and managing large-scale data collection, analysis, and dissemination with supporting infrastructure. The section further directs the Secretary of Agriculture to coordinate Network research by (1) designating representative sites for major agricultural regions; (2) standardizing experiments to increase productivity and profitability, enhance resilience and climate adaptation, boost ecosystem services, and improve rural opportunities; (3) making data openly available and integrating it across sites and partners (e.g., National Ecological Observatory Network and Long-Term Ecological Research Network); and (4) collaborating with USDA Climate Hubs to share findings and develop outreach, educational, and technical assistance materials for producers. This section authorizes $50 million annually for Network activities in each of FY2026 through FY2030.

This section amends the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157)—which authorizes the Department of Agriculture to award competitive grants for agricultural research, extension, and education activities—by (1) adding definitions for "conventional breeding," "cultivar," "public animal breed," "public cultivar," and related terms (generally, commercially available end products of publicly funded breeding programs with improved characteristics, protected only by plant patents or plant variety protection rather than utility patents); (2) making technical and conforming changes, such as reorganizing subsection (a), striking "hereby" and certain definitional phrases, and replacing "Secretary of Agriculture" with "Secretary" throughout; and (3) adding a new subsection (l) requiring at least $75 million annually from grants under the Act and specified programs—including sections 1672B(e), 1619-1624, and 406 and 412 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 and the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998—for competitive research grants supporting development of public cultivars and animal breeds. Subsection (l) further directs the Secretary to prioritize projects addressing climate adaptation and mitigation (e.g., resilient cultivars and breeds, those enhancing nutrition for Native populations, endangered indigenous varieties); issue long-term grants of at least five years with Tribal consultation to protect culturally sensitive breeds and cultivars; require domestic production for any plant-patented or plant variety-protected public cultivars or animal breeds; and submit annual reports to Congress on funded research, releases, gaps, and commercialization.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture, in accordance with existing student internship authorities (7 U.S.C. 2279c), to carry out an internship program within the Agricultural Research Service for graduate students pursuing a degree in, or conducting research relating to, climate change and agriculture. The section authorizes the Secretary to use up to $10 million annually from Commodity Credit Corporation funds for the program in each of FY2026 through FY2030.

This section adds agricultural climate adaptation and mitigation as a new priority area (G) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), a USDA competitive grants program for fundamental and applied research, extension, and education in food and agricultural sciences. The new priority area covers (1) strategies for agricultural adaptation to climate change and drought, including for small- and medium-sized farms and ranches; (2) on-farm mitigation strategies and solutions, including infrastructure, equipment, and ecosystem-based strategies; (3) economic and social costs and benefits of adopting conservation practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change; (4) ecosystem services co-benefits of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change; (5) new technologies, methods, and models to measure and predict greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon sequestration; and (6) the intersection of agricultural production, soil health, climate change, and human health.

This section revises the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI)—which provides competitive grants within USDA to develop science-based tools for the specialty crop sector (i.e., fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery crops, floriculture, and horticulture crops)—as follows: (1) expands the initiative's scope to explicitly include diverse multicrop production systems; (2) adds ecologically based pest management to research priorities on pesticide application systems and certified drift-reduction technologies; (3) adds a new priority for efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, including on-farm mitigation strategies, soil health and carbon sequestration practices, and breeding for climate adaptation; and (4) reduces the required non-federal matching funds for grants to 25% of grant funds (from 100%).

This section revises the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program (7 U.S.C. 7626)—which awards competitive grants to colleges and universities, 1994 Institutions (i.e., tribal colleges), and Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities for integrated research, education, and extension projects addressing national agriculture priorities—by (1) requiring the Secretary of Agriculture to ensure that grants emphasize climate resilience where appropriate and prioritize ecologically based pest management approaches that are effective, affordable, environmentally sound, maintain agricultural productivity and healthy communities, and improve climate resilience; and (2) reauthorizing appropriations through FY2030 (from FY2023).

This section revises the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas Program (ATTRA), which provides grants to a national nonprofit organization to deliver technical assistance on sustainable agriculture practices (e.g., crop rotation, integrated pest management) to farmers and ranchers. Specifically, it (1) expands program eligibility to explicitly include beginning farmers or ranchers, veteran farmers or ranchers, and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers seeking such assistance; (2) adds two new assistance purposes—increasing on-farm resilience to extreme weather through soil health and conservation practices, and improving farm viability while strengthening local, regional, and national supply chains; (3) clarifies that ATTRA grant recipients remain eligible for other federal grants and may leverage additional public and private funds to expand program resources and outreach; and (4) authorizes $5 million for FY2025 and $8.5 million annually for FY2026 through FY2030.

This section amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to (1) expand the definition of good farming practices—failure to follow which results in exclusion from coverage—to include conservation practices and enhancements approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service or an agricultural expert (as determined by the Secretary), in addition to scientifically sound sustainable and organic farming practices; (2) authorize the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, effective with the 2026 reinsurance year, to provide premium discounts to producers using risk-reduction farming practices (e.g., cover crops, resource-conserving crop rotations, management-intensive rotational grazing, compost or biochar applications, agroforestry or other perennial production systems, or other practices as determined by the Corporation); and (3) eliminate the geographic limitation on crop insurance restrictions for production on native sod (i.e., provisions that increase premiums and reduce subsidies for four years when native sod is converted to insured cropland), effective the first day of the first reinsurance year beginning one year after enactment.

This section revises the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)—which provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers for conservation practices that address natural resource concerns (i.e., soil, water, air, plants, animals, energy)—to emphasize climate change adaptation and mitigation, including greenhouse gas emissions reductions and carbon sequestration, as follows: (1) revises program purposes to include promoting "environmental quality, and climate change adaptation and mitigation"; adds greenhouse gas emissions reduction and carbon sequestration to regulatory compliance assistance under para. (1); inserts "sequestering carbon, increasing drought resilience, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and" before "conserving energy" in para. (3)(C); and inserts "climate change and" before "increasing weather volatility" in para. (4); (2) adds "greenhouse gas emissions reduction planning" to eligible conservation practice standards; replaces "natural resource concern or problem" with "resource concern" and defines the latter as "a natural resource condition of the soil, water, air, plant, animal, or energy resource base that impairs the sustainability or an intended use of the resource"; (3) adds payments for practices that "increase[] carbon sequestration or reduce[] greenhouse gas emissions"; extends funding allocation requirements through 2033 (from 2023) with not less than 2/3 targeted at grazing management practices; strikes the separate payment provision for organic production practices; and revises conservation incentive contracts to (A) include climate change adaptation and mitigation in priority resource concerns, (B) authorize funding for regional incentive practices enhancing soil health, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas reductions, (C) set contract terms of 5-10 years (with a reduced term option upon entering a conservation stewardship contract), and (D) prioritize applications eligible for subsequent conservation stewardship contracts; (4) requires a "greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan," as applicable, in environmental quality incentives plans; and (5) sets a new aggregate payment limit of $450,000 over any 5-fiscal-year period for all EQIP contracts (replacing prior limits that excluded certain payments through 2023). This section also revises conservation innovation grants to support practices addressing air quality concerns from agricultural operations and Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements or goals for greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

This section revises the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)—which provides payments to producers for maintaining and enhancing conservation activities on agricultural and forest lands—by (1) extending program authorization through 2033 (from 2031); (2) adding definitions for "resource concern" (i.e., a natural resource condition impairing sustainability or intended use) and "perennial production system" (i.e., agroforestry practices such as alley cropping and silvopasture); (3) emphasizing active management, climate change adaptation and mitigation, soil health, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reductions, and organic production in program purposes, contract evaluations, duties, and payments; (4) guaranteeing producers an opportunity for contract renewal; (5) establishing a minimum annual payment of $4,000; and (6) requiring payments for conservation activities related to organic production and transitions, including tailored activities and bundles thereof. (Thus, payments now explicitly account for income forgone due to production changes, yield reductions, organic or perennial transitions, or conservation uses.)

This section establishes a grant program administered by USDA to provide funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation to state departments of agriculture or Tribal governments for FY2026 through 2030—and $100 million annually thereafter—to develop or implement state or Tribal soil health plans that promote adoption of regionally appropriate soil health practices (i.e., those consistent with Natural Resources Conservation Service principles) on private agricultural land. Grants may fund technical assistance, financial assistance, on-farm research and demonstration, education and outreach, monitoring and evaluation, or related activities, with maximum amounts of $1 million per state or Tribal government for plan development or modification and $5 million for implementation; federal cost shares are up to 75% for state plan development and 50% for state implementation (100% for Tribes), supplemented by nonfederal funds, and grants are for one-year terms renewable at USDA discretion. (1) USDA must prioritize applicants with climate action plans addressing soil health; (2) applicants must include performance measures, submit periodic progress reviews and annual audits, and face potential disqualification for noncompliance; and (3) administrative expenses are limited to 3% for USDA and 7% for grantees.

This section revises Commodity Credit Corporation funding allocations for the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which provide financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers for soil, water, air, and wildlife conservation. (1) For the CRP, adds $17 million for FY2026 through 2030 to provide transition payments under section 3834(c) (in addition to $12 million for FY2019 through 2023) and $70 million for FY2026 through 2030, including not more than $5 million for outreach and technical assistance, to facilitate contract land transfers under section 3835(f) (in addition to $50 million for FY2019 through 2023). (2) For the ACEP, limits annual funding to $450 million for FY2019 through 2025 (from through FY2031) and establishes $700 million annually for FY2026 through 2033. (3) For the EQIP, sets annual funding at $2.025 billion for FY2025 (from FY2023 through 2031) and establishes $3 billion annually for FY2026 through 2033. (4) For the CSP, sets annual funding at $1 billion for FY2025 (from FY2023 through 2031) and establishes $4 billion annually for FY2026 through 2033. This section further establishes a special technical assistance initiative beginning in FY2025 through 2030 using at least 1% of Commodity Credit Corporation funds available for each program specified in 16 U.S.C. 3841(a) to assist producers in mitigating and adapting to climate change, with priority to underserved producers (i.e., beginning farmers or ranchers and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers); revises assistance under such programs to allocate 30% to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers (previously to the maximum extent practicable under a specified formula); expands third-party technical assistance providers to include individuals and Tribal entities and adds eligible planning activities (e.g., soil health planning, greenhouse gas emissions reduction planning, agroforestry planning, organic transition planning); and updates administrative incentives to include higher payment rates, advance payments, transition payments, and farm infrastructure assistance while establishing goals to foster climate-friendly conservation activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase soil carbon, and improve resilience to weather extremes.

This section revises definitions applicable to conservation programs under the Food Security Act of 1985 (i.e., subchapters I through VIII of chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XII), including broadening the scope of "conservation plan" and "conservation system" from highly erodible cropland to cropland generally; requiring conservation systems to improve soil health conditions (including soil carbon levels), achieve erosion not exceeding twice the soil loss tolerance level within five years of applying a conservation plan, and prevent new or treat existing ephemeral gullies; and making other technical and formatting changes (e.g., updating the "Indian tribe" definition). (As background, these definitions support "conservation compliance," which conditions USDA program eligibility—such as crop insurance subsidies and farm loans—on implementing approved conservation plans.) It further expands program ineligibility under Section 1211 (16 U.S.C. 3811) to persons who produce an agricultural commodity, designate land for set-aside or conservation uses under a USDA program, or produce without a conservation plan on any field where cropland is predominant (previously limited to highly erodible cropland), with conforming changes to exemptions under Section 1212 (16 U.S.C. 3812). (Thus, the changes extend mandatory conservation planning to substantially more cropland acreage.)

This section revises and expands authorities for national and regional agroforestry centers (i.e., facilities conducting research, development, demonstration, and promotion of agroforestry practices that integrate trees and shrubs into crop and animal systems to enhance profitability, resilience, conservation, and sustainable land use). Specifically, it (1) establishes a National Agroforestry Research, Development, and Demonstration Center at the Forest Service's Forestry Sciences Laboratory in Lincoln, Nebraska, and at least three additional regional centers in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service; (2) appoints a National Director and Regional Directors; (3) broadens research purposes in former subsection (b), now (c), to emphasize soil health, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, and agroforestry systems beyond semiarid lands only (e.g., silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian buffers); (4) expands the National Clearinghouse on Agroforestry Conservation and Promotion, now subsection (d), to disseminate information on federal, state, local, and Tribal agroforestry support programs; (5) authorizes regional grant programs at the centers, now subsection (e), for agroforestry projects including demonstration farms; and (6) authorizes $25 million for each of FY2026 through 2030 (in addition to prior authorization through FY2023).

This section revises the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP)—which provides competitive grants to eligible entities for projects supporting local and regional food systems, including direct producer-to-consumer marketing, mid-tier value chains, and food councils—by (1) expanding eligible projects and priorities throughout subsections (a), (b), and (d) to include agricultural commodities and products produced and marketed in a manner that significantly improves soil health and carbon sequestration or significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions (or, when added to crop or grazing rotations, will do so); (2) adding to program purposes in subsection (b) the enhancement of economic viability for producers and agricultural enterprises; (3) extending program authorization through 2030 (from 2023); (4) requiring coordination with the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service; and (5) establishing a new subsection (f) competitive grant program, administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service in coordination with the Rural Business-Cooperative Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, for eligible entities (e.g., agricultural cooperatives, governments, nonprofits, institutions of higher education) to operate farm viability and local climate resiliency centers that provide technical assistance—such as business planning, marketing strategies, enterprise development, financial and management support, ownership succession planning, and outreach on conservation practices and other federal programs—to producers of local, regional, and value-added products with climate benefits.

This section revises the national organic certification cost-share program, which reimburses up to 75% of certification costs (capped per recipient) for producers and handlers under the national organic program. Specifically, it (1) increases the maximum payment per producer or handler to $1,500 (from $750), and (2) provides mandatory funding from Commodity Credit Corporation funds of such sums as are necessary (previously $2 million for FY2019 and FY2020, $4 million for FY2021, and $8 million annually for FY2022 through FY2024).

This section revises the findings, purpose, and definitions in §1540 of the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (7 U.S.C. 4201), which establishes the Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA) to minimize unnecessary federal contributions to the conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses. Specifically, the section (1) updates findings by replacing "the Nation’s" with "United States," adds a new finding that farmland provides environmental services such as carbon sequestration (as para. (4)), and redesignates prior paras. (4)-(7) as (5)-(8); (2) revises the purpose statement to insert "Tribal" alongside State and local programs and replace "assure" with "ensure"; and (3) restructures definitions to add "conversion" (i.e., physical or effective change of farmland to nonagricultural use, including certain federal land management changes), expand "farmland" into prime farmland, unique farmland, and farmland of statewide or local importance (with added suitability criteria), add "farmland of national significance" (i.e., most suitable for intensive crop production as determined by USDA), revise "Federal program," and add "permanently protected farmland" (i.e., farmland under a conservation easement).

This section revises the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), which provides cost-share assistance to eligible entities for purchasing easements on agricultural and grassland to limit nonagricultural uses and protect related conservation values. Specifically, the section (1) removes the word "only" from the conservation plan requirement in subsection (b)(4)(C)(iv); (2) requires, as a condition of cost-share assistance, that easement landowners implement a conservation plan addressing resource concerns including soil health and greenhouse gas emissions reduction within three years of the easement date (or use a Bureau of Indian Affairs plan), with technical assistance available upon request; and (3) authorizes optional, automatic enrollment of eased land in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)—which provides payments to producers for conservation performance—within three years of the easement date, with USDA solely responsible for CSP compliance and such funding excluded from ACEP cost calculations.

This section establishes a verification program for "animal raising claims" (i.e., label statements on meat food products or poultry products about source animals' production practices, living/raising conditions, birth-to-processing location or source, or breed) under the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. Not later than two years after enactment, the Secretary of Agriculture—acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service in coordination with the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service—must establish (1) mandatory standards for such claims covering diet (e.g., grass fed), living conditions (e.g., cage free), antibiotics/hormones, traceability to farm of origin, age, animal welfare, environmental stewardship (e.g., greenhouse gas reduction), breed, and other appropriate claims; (2) pre-use verification procedures integrated with labeling requirements under the Federal Meat Inspection Act and Poultry Products Inspection Act; and (3) on-farm and supply chain auditing to ensure claim truthfulness. Standards must align with the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990. Producers must submit supporting documentation (e.g., controls from birth to harvest, tracing/segregation mechanisms) for Secretary approval prior to labeling, with third-party certifications allowed if equivalent to Secretary procedures. Beginning three years after enactment, domestic meat or poultry products may use such claims only if compliant; imported products are eligible if verified under an equivalent foreign program. The section addresses violations for label misuse (text incomplete in provision).

This section establishes a Processing Resilience Grant Program under new section 210B of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, administered by the Secretary of Agriculture through the Agricultural Marketing Service Administrator. The program provides competitive grants to eligible entities—namely, smaller or very small meat and poultry establishments (as defined in HACCP regulations), state-inspected slaughter and processing establishments, custom operations exempt from federal inspection, and persons seeking to establish or engage in such operations—to increase resiliency and diversification of the meat processing system through activities such as supporting employee, supplier, and customer health and safety; increasing processing capacity; and bolstering the small meat and poultry processing sector. Grants have a maximum award of $500,000 and a term of up to three years. The Secretary must award grants not later than 60 days after enactment; publish a notice of funding opportunity at least 14 days prior to accepting applications; provide a simplified application process for grants of $100,000 or less; ensure applications are simple, online, and available via local USDA staff; allow reapplications following denial; and prioritize applications that (1) increase farmer and rancher access to slaughter options within a 200-mile radius, (2) support very small establishments, or (3) support businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (as defined in the State Small Business Credit Initiative Act of 2010). Grant funds may be used for (1) developing HACCP plans; (2) purchasing or establishing facilities, equipment, and operations for federal compliance; (3) acquiring cold storage, equipment, or transportation; (4) buying health and sanitation supplies; (5) purchasing and decontaminating PPE; (6) constructing humane handling infrastructure; (7) acquiring software, computers, and related training for recordkeeping and marketing; (8) staff time and training for health procedures; (9) feasibility studies, business plans, or activities to establish or expand small facilities; (10) equipment for coproduct or byproduct use; and (11) other activities to expand or establish very small establishments, as determined by the Secretary.

This section revises the private grazing land conservation assistance program (i.e., authorizes USDA to provide technical, educational, and related assistance to owners and managers of non-federally owned grazing lands—rangeland, pastureland, grazed forest land, and hay land—through conservation districts to conserve resources, enhance habitats, and provide other benefits). (1) revises the program's purposes to include conserving water and improving water supplies, conserving and improving soil health and grazing system resilience to climate change through advanced practices, and supporting producers transitioning from confinement/feedlot systems or continuous grazing to managed grazing-based systems (adds new purposes (9) and (10)); (2) expands the definition of private grazing land to expressly include perennial hay land and silvopasture (from hay land); (3) revises assistance activities to include planning and implementing regionally appropriate advanced grazing management technologies to improve soil health and maximize carbon sequestration (replaces prior subparagraph (B)), integrated strategies such as rotational/multispecies grazing and integrated pest management for weed/brush problems (adds to (C)(iv)), and assistance for producers transitioning to managed grazing systems including pasture development (adds new (J)); and (4) requires delivery through local conservation districts and partnerships described in new paragraph (c)(2)(B). This section further requires the program to include (1) Department personnel trained in pasture/range management to provide technical assistance and education, including for developing new/improved grazing systems; (2) partnerships with land-grant colleges/universities, nongovernmental organizations, and Tribal organizations for research, demonstrations, education, workforce training, planning, and outreach; and (3) competitive cooperative agreements to regional/State/local partnerships for such projects (up to 3 years, ≤15% indirect costs, priority to sustainable systems aiding climate adaptation/mitigation and involving beginning/socially disadvantaged/Tribal producers or new graziers/apprenticeships). This section revises grazing technical assistance training to require funding for programs fostering a new generation of providers supporting advanced grazing management (replaces prior subsection (d)). This section establishes mandatory funding of $50 million annually for FY2026 through 2030 from Commodity Credit Corporation funds and authorizes $60 million annually for the same period, with ≥80% allocated to cooperative agreements under subsection (c)(2)(C) and ≤10% to technical assistance training under subsection (d) (replaces prior subsection (e)).

This section extends the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)—a voluntary USDA program that pays farmers and ranchers to retire environmentally sensitive cropland, pastureland, and grasslands from production to conserve soil, water, air, and wildlife resources—through FY2030 (from FY2023); revises maximum annual enrollment acreage limitations to not more than 28 million acres in FY2026, 29 million acres in FY2027, 30 million acres in FY2028, 31 million acres in FY2029, and 32 million acres in FY2030; and requires enrollment and maintenance of at least 7 million acres of eligible grasslands (i.e., those that could provide significant ecological habitat value if retained or restored) by September 30, 2028, including at least 5 million acres reserved for a new Grassland 30 pilot program. The Grassland 30 pilot establishes 30-year CRP contracts for such grasslands (not limited to expiring contracts), with payments provided annually in 30 installments equivalent to standard grassland CRP rates; terms that promote sustainable grazing, soil carbon enhancement, and wildlife habitat; compatible uses such as hunting and fishing; and options for owners of expiring or early-terminating grassland contracts to transition into these contracts. (Thus, the pilot supports longer-term grassland conservation while counting toward overall CRP acreage caps.)

This section establishes an alternative manure management program to award contracts of up to three years to eligible dairy and livestock producers (i.e., those adopting at least one covered management measure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as an alternative or complement to anaerobic methane capture systems) for carbon sequestration and methane emissions reductions. Covered management measures include (1) pasture-based management (e.g., converting operations to grazing systems that promote aerobic manure decomposition); (2) alternative manure treatment and storage practices (e.g., compost-bedded pack barns or monthly-cleaned slatted floor pits); (3) solid separation systems combined with methods such as onsite composting, solar drying, or vermiculture; and (4) scrape technologies paired with such methods. The Secretary evaluates contract offers using criteria that maximize carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reductions, and environmental/public health benefits, giving priority to applications addressing air or water quality concerns near low-income or underserved communities; requires geographical diversity; and permits joint offers from producer groups for shared composting facilities with allocated payments.

This section revises the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)—which provides grants, loan guarantees, and payments to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements—as follows: (1) expands the program's purpose to include the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and limits eligibility to projects that reduce such emissions; (2) in subsection (b), broadens eligible entities to include nonprofit corporations and agricultural cooperatives or producer groups; adds greenhouse gas emissions reductions to eligible technical assistance activities; and expands eligible grant recipients to include agricultural processors while authorizing grants to assist in developing feasibility studies and plans; (3) in subsection (c), adds agricultural processors as eligible recipients for grants and loan guarantees; includes carbon accounting assessments as eligible project costs; increases the maximum grant amount to 50 percent of project costs (from 25 percent), with 75 percent for beginning, socially disadvantaged, or veteran farmers or ranchers (as defined in 7 U.S.C. 2279(a)); establishes new maximum loan guarantee levels of 80 percent for loans of $1 million or more and 90 percent for loans below $1 million; requires a streamlined application process and biennial list of preapproved technologies starting in FY2026; and prioritizes projects with low carbon footprints or significant net greenhouse gas reductions; (4) requires the Secretary, in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to develop carbon accounting assessments for eligible projects within two years of enactment (new subsection (d)) and to carry out regional demonstration projects incentivizing agricultural producers to reduce carbon emissions (new subsection (e)); and (5) specifies that outreach and technical assistance funding come from a designated account (redesignated subsection (f)).

This section defines an agrivoltaic system as solar energy production integrated with agricultural production, including crops, livestock, or apiculture, on the same land. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct a study assessing (1) livestock and crop compatibility with agrivoltaic designs (including optimal panel height and spacing for grazing, shading, equipment, and yield impacts); (2) animal and plant breeding research needs; (3) regional risk-benefit analyses comparing greenhouse gas impacts of agrivoltaics to standalone solar displacing agriculture; (4) suitable land types; (5) national and local development strategies to maintain agricultural production, resilience, farmland, economic opportunities, and biodiversity; (6) risk management and crop insurance needs; (7) federal procurement to build markets for agrivoltaic products; and (8) enhancements to federal conservation, renewable energy, and tax credit programs; develop a 5-year plan for departmental research, extension, outreach, conservation, and renewable energy activities to support agrivoltaics without displacing agriculture; and submit a report to the agriculture committees of Congress within one year of enactment. Directs the Secretary, through the Agricultural Research Service and in coordination with the Department of Energy, to establish and maintain a network of research and demonstration sites for agrivoltaic systems across U.S. regions (including arid, semiarid, and wet zones) to increase productivity, profitability, resilience, climate adaptation, biodiversity, and rural economic opportunities; and authorizes $15 million for FY2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.

This section requires the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain the AgSTAR program within the Department of Agriculture to reduce methane emissions from livestock waste through (1) support for anaerobic digestion in the agricultural sector, (2) outreach, education, and training on anaerobic digestion of livestock waste, (3) technical and regulatory assistance to stakeholders including farmers and ranchers on permitting, codigestion of multiple organic wastes, and interconnection to the electrical grid, (4) promotion of centralized multifarm digesters, (5) data collection and reporting on anaerobic digestion of livestock waste, and (6) maintenance of a database of on-farm anaerobic digester projects. The section further directs the EPA Administrator to transition AgSTAR activities from EPA to USDA within one year of enactment, with USDA assuming sole jurisdiction; requires USDA administration through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in coordination with EPA and partners including Climate Hubs and cooperative extension services; and authorizes appropriations of up to $5 million annually. (As background, AgSTAR is a voluntary program promoting anaerobic digesters on livestock operations to capture methane from manure for energy production.)