S. 1507 — Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025

This section establishes national goals for the agricultural sector to achieve at least a 50-percent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions by December 31, 2030 (from 2010 levels), and net zero emissions by December 31, 2040, to prevent climate change from exceeding 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) expanding soil health practices to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils by 25 percent by 2030 and 75 percent by 2040 (from 2023 levels), increase soil carbon stocks by 0.4 percent annually on at least 50 percent of agricultural land by 2030 and all agricultural land by 2040, achieve cover crops or continual living cover on 50 percent of cropland acres by 2030 and 75 percent by 2040 with 75 percent/85 percent annual cropland coverage by those dates, and convert 15 percent of annual grain crop acres by 2030 and 30 percent by 2040 (from enactment levels) to agroforestry, perennial grazing, perennial grains, or other perennials; (3) reducing the rate of agricultural land conversion to development and grassland to cropping by 80 percent by 2030 (from 2023 rates) and to zero by 2040; and (4) implementing advanced grazing management on 50 percent of grazing land by 2030 and 100 percent by 2040, reducing ruminant feeding-related emissions by one-third by 2030 and one-half by 2040 via reduced nongrazing feed, low-emission feed production, and methane-mitigating supplements, and increasing crop-livestock integration acreage by 100 percent by 2030 and 300 percent by 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 make significant and rapid progress toward achieving the national goals described in section 101 and to make the draft plan available for public comment for at least 90 days. The plan must include regulations, incentives, research and development programs, and other actions necessary 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 disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, pollution, and resource degradation); and prioritize greenhouse gas reductions, carbon sequestration, and solutions to other agroenvironmental concerns that expand opportunities, create jobs, improve farmworker conditions, and enhance community resilience. Not later than 18 months after enactment, the Secretary must finalize the plan (considering public comments), submit it to Congress, and begin implementation. Beginning two years after that submission and biennially thereafter, the Secretary must review and revise the plan as needed to achieve the national goals and submit revisions to Congress. Not later than one year after plan submission to Congress and annually thereafter, the Secretary must submit to Congress and publicly release a report describing actions taken under the plan, their effects, the most recent plan review, and any revisions.

This section revises the purposes of federally supported agricultural research, extension, and education 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) 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 (3) in redesignated paragraph (11) on international collaboration, inserting "and delivering to agricultural producers" after "improving" in subparagraph (B) regarding 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 and Forest Service in partnership with other Department of Agriculture (USDA) agencies (i.e., Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, Risk Management Agency, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, National Institute of Food and Agriculture), as well as the Departments of the Interior and Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, United States Geological Survey, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and other appropriate federal agencies. The hubs, staffed by offices of those USDA agencies, must (1) provide science-based, region-specific information, tools, technical support, and assistance referrals to farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, and other agricultural and natural resource managers for climate-informed decisionmaking; (2) assess regional climate risks and vulnerabilities in agriculture and forestry, including to inform the United States Global Change Research Program (established under 15 U.S.C. 2933); (3) deliver outreach, education, and extension services through land-grant universities and cooperative extension; (4) assist with climate-risk business and conservation plans; and (5) partner with farmers and organizations for applied on-farm research under the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (7 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.). The hubs must prioritize synthesis and dissemination of research on soil organic carbon sequestration and net greenhouse gas impacts; lifecycle analyses of alternative cropping, livestock, integrated, biofuel, agroforestry, and forestry systems; and soil health practices, biological nutrient management, soil biota synergies, soil-plant-animal-human health linkages, stakeholder adaptation needs, and new climate-resilient crops or varieties.

This section revises the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, which supports research, education, extension, and demonstration activities to promote sustainable farming systems that enhance profitability, environmental stewardship, and rural vitality. Specifically, it (1) amends Section 1619 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5801) to add resilience in the context of climate change and shocks as a program purpose and to define "resilience" (for agricultural systems) as the ability to absorb and recover from climate and other disturbances without severe impact, while restructuring and reordering other definitions; (2) amends Section 1621(b) (7 U.S.C. 5811(b)) to expand eligibility for research and extension project agreements to include 1994 Institutions (i.e., tribal colleges) and Tribal entities; (3) replaces Section 1627 (7 U.S.C. 5821) with an Agricultural and Food System Resilience Initiative to promote climate adaptation and mitigation through farmer grants, interdisciplinary approaches, living cover systems (e.g., cover crops and perennials), integrated crop-livestock practices, and policy evaluation, funded by $50 million annually in mandatory Commodity Credit Corporation funds beginning in FY2026 and $20 million annually in discretionary funds for FY2013 through FY2030; and (4) amends Section 1628 (7 U.S.C. 5831) to expand technical guides to include outreach resources, eliminate the prior two-year post-enactment deadline for issuance, and make related structural changes.

This section establishes the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network, a network of research sites operated by the Agricultural Research Service, to understand and enhance the sustainability of agriculture, including through integrated research with standardized measurements on cropland, rangeland, and pastureland, and to develop new farming systems, practices, and technologies addressing agricultural challenges such as climate change. Network activities include long-term research for at least 30 years to generate insights at regional and national scales; establishment and maintenance of multiple sites representing diverse agricultural production systems; and coordination, management, and analysis of large-scale data on agricultural sustainability with supporting infrastructure. In implementing the network, the Secretary must coordinate agroecological research across field, regional, and national scales; designate representative sites from major agricultural regions; require standardized experiments to increase productivity and profitability, enhance resilience and climate adaptation, boost ecosystem services, and improve rural community opportunities; make data openly available; provide complementary data infrastructure aligning with networks such as the National Ecological Observatory Network and Long-Term Ecological Research Network; coordinate with USDA Climate Hubs; and collaborate with those Hubs to translate findings into materials for producers. This section authorizes $50 million for Network activities for each of FY2026 through FY2030.

This section amends the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157)—which authorizes competitive grants for agricultural research projects, including facilities construction and special research initiatives—to make technical and conforming changes, such as reorganizing subsection (a), striking references to "hereby," adding definitions (e.g., "public cultivar" as a commercially available end product of publicly funded breeding sufficiently tested for improved characteristics and protected only by plant patents or plant variety protection, not utility patents; "public animal breed" as a similar commercially available product of public breeding programs), and replacing "Secretary of Agriculture" with "Secretary" throughout. The section further adds a new subsection (l) requiring the Secretary to allocate not less than $75 million annually from specified competitive grant programs—including subsections (a) and (b) of the Act, certain provisions of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925b(e), 5801 et seq.), and sections 406 and 412 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7626, 7632)—to competitive research grants supporting development of public cultivars and animal breeds. In awarding such grants, the Secretary must prioritize high-potential projects for regionally adapted varieties that aid climate mitigation and adaptation (e.g., resilient to changing climates and greenhouse gases; suited to grazing or dual-use energy-agriculture systems; enhancing nutrition for Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian populations; preserving endangered indigenous varieties); facilitate long-term grants of at least five years; ensure tribal consultation to protect culturally sensitive breeds and cultivars; require recipients of plant patents or plant variety protection to produce resulting varieties substantially in the U.S.; and submit annual reports to Congress detailing funded research, releases, priorities, gaps, and commercialization status.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out, within the Agricultural Research Service, an internship program for graduate students pursuing a degree in or conducting research relating to climate change and agriculture, in accordance with existing USDA student internship authorities (7 U.S.C. 2279c) that allow payment of student interns' lodging, subsistence, and transportation expenses and cooperation with higher education associations. To carry out the program, the Secretary may use up to $10 million annually from Commodity Credit Corporation funds for FY2026 through FY2030.

This section adds agricultural climate adaptation and mitigation as a new priority area (G) to the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). (As background, AFRI is a USDA competitive grants program for fundamental and applied research, extension, and education to address 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 funds competitive grants for research, extension, and education to address needs of the specialty crop industry (i.e., fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, nursery crops, and horticulture)—as follows: (1) expands the initiative's scope in subsection (b) introductory text to explicitly cover "diverse multicrop production systems"; (2) adds "ecologically based pest management" preceding "pesticide application systems" in subsection (b)(3)(B)(ii); (3) adds a new priority in subsection (b)(6) for efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, including on-farm mitigation strategies, soil health conservation practices and technologies (including carbon sequestration), and breeding research for adaptation; and (4) in subsection (g)(3)(A), reduces the required non-federal matching funds for grants to not less than 25% of grant funds (from not less than 100% of the grant amount).

This section revises the integrated research, education, and extension competitive grants program by (1) requiring the Secretary of Agriculture, where appropriate, to ensure grants are consistent with developing food and agricultural systems that improve climate resilience; (2) requiring grants supporting pest management to prioritize ecologically based approaches that are effective, affordable, environmentally sound, maintain agricultural productivity and healthy communities, and improve climate resilience; and (3) extending the authorization of appropriations through 2030 (from 2023).

This section revises the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas Program (ATTRA)—which funds a national nonprofit institution to provide regional technical assistance on sustainable agriculture practices (e.g., crop rotation, pest management) to farmers and ranchers—by (1) prioritizing beginning farmers or ranchers, veteran farmers or ranchers, and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers seeking program information; (2) adding program purposes to increase on-farm resilience to extreme weather by enhancing soil health and adopting other conservation practices and to improve farm viability and strengthen local, regional, and national supply chains; (3) clarifying that ATTRA grantees remain eligible for other federal grants and may use other public and private funds to expand program resources and outreach; and (4) authorizing appropriations of $5 million for FY2025 and $8.5 million for each of FY2026 through 2030.

This section amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to revise good farming practices under the Federal Crop Insurance Program (FCIP), authorize premium discounts, and expand native sod restrictions, as follows: (1) revises good farming practices that producers must follow to avoid coverage exclusions to explicitly include conservation practices and enhancements approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) or an agricultural expert (as determined by the Secretary), in addition to scientifically sound sustainable and organic farming practices; (2) authorizes the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), 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 determined by FCIC); and (3) strikes the limitation applying reduced premium subsidies for crop production on native sod (i.e., penalties for first four years after converting native grassland to cropland) only to certain states, effective the first day of the first reinsurance year beginning more than one year after enactment. (Thus, the native sod provision applies nationwide.)

This section revises the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). (As background, EQIP provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns through conservation practices that promote soil, water, air, and wildlife protection on working lands.) Specifically, the section (1) expands program purposes to include climate change adaptation and mitigation; adds greenhouse gas emissions reduction and carbon sequestration as regulatory compliance areas under para. (1); inserts sequestering carbon, increasing drought resilience, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions as energy conservation practices under para. (3)(C); and adds climate change before increasing weather volatility under para. (4); (2) defines "resource concern" and adds greenhouse gas emissions reduction planning to conservation planning activities; (3) authorizes payments for practices that increase carbon sequestration or reduce greenhouse gas emissions; (4) extends a specified funding allocation through FY2033 (from FY2023) and requires not less than two-thirds targeted at grazing management practices; (5) eliminates special payment rates for organic production conservation practices; (6) revises conservation incentive contracts to prioritize climate change adaptation and mitigation, adds annual payments for regional practices enhancing soil health, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas emissions reductions, sets contract terms of 5 to 10 years with a graduation option to conservation stewardship contracts, and prioritizes land eligible for stewardship contracts upon expiration; (7) requires greenhouse gas emissions reduction plans, if applicable; (8) limits aggregate cost-share and incentive payments under the conservation title to $450,000 per person or legal entity in any 5-fiscal-year period; and (9) expands conservation innovation grants to address greenhouse gas emissions reduction requirements and goals.

This section revises the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which provides payments to agricultural and forest land producers for maintaining and enhancing conservation activities across multiple resources. (As background, CSP supports comprehensive stewardship plans addressing soil, water, air, plants, animals, and energy on eligible lands.) Specifically, the section (1) extends CSP authorization through 2033 (from 2031); (2) modifies definitions to include conservation enhancements and climate change, replaces “natural resource concern or problem” with “resource concern” (newly defined as a condition impairing resource sustainability or intended use), and specifies “maintained, actively” implemented activities; (3) revises program purposes and contract requirements to emphasize maintaining, actively managing, and where practicable improving existing conservation activities while undertaking additional ones; (4) updates contract evaluation criteria to equally weight environmental benefits and cost-effectiveness, with added emphasis on soil health improvements, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reductions, and other priority concerns (striking prior acreage limitation); (5) guarantees producers an opportunity for contract renewal; (6) incorporates climate change adaptation and mitigation into priority resource concerns; (7) modifies base payment calculations to cover activities on one or more eligible land types, expands income forgone compensation to include increased economic risk, yield reductions, organic or perennial transitions, and conservation conversions, ensures payments for maintaining high stewardship levels regardless of further improvements, and adds payments for organic production and transition activities (including tailored, bundled, or individual practices); (8) establishes a minimum annual payment of $4,000; and (9) expands supplemental payments for advanced grazing rotations, cover crops, and new perennial production systems (i.e., agroforestry practices such as alley cropping, silvopasture, forest farming, and multistory cropping).

This section establishes the State Assistance for Soil Health grant program in a new section 1240S of the Food Security Act of 1985, under which the Secretary of Agriculture shall make grants to state departments of agriculture or Tribal governments for each of FY2026 through 2030—and potentially thereafter using available funding—to develop or implement soil health plans consistent with Natural Resources Conservation Service principles (i.e., to increase adoption of regionally appropriate soil health practices on private agricultural land). Grants, funded from the Commodity Credit Corporation, total $60 million for each of FY2026 and 2027, $80 million for each of FY2028 and 2029, and $100 million for FY2030 and each fiscal year thereafter; maximum amounts are $1 million per state or Tribal government for plan development or modification and $5 million for implementation, with federal cost shares of up to 75% for state plan development and 50% for implementation (100% for Tribes) and nonfederal matching required. (Grants are for one-year terms, renewable at the Secretary's discretion; priority goes to applicants with climate action plans addressing soil health; grantees must report performance measures, undergo audits, and face potential disqualification for noncompliance; and administrative costs are capped at 3% federally and 7% for recipients.)

This section modifies Commodity Credit Corporation funding for specified conservation programs under the Food Security Act of 1985, including (1) for the Conservation Reserve Program, adding $17 million for FY2026 through FY2030 for grassland reserve transition payments under section 3834(c) (previously $12 million for FY2019 through FY2023 only) and $70 million for FY2026 through FY2030, including up to $5 million for outreach and technical assistance, for contract land transfers under section 3835(f) (previously $50 million for FY2019 through FY2023 only); (2) for the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, reducing annual funding to $450 million for FY2019 through FY2025 (from FY2019 through FY2031) and establishing $700 million annually for FY2026 through FY2033; (3) for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, limiting funding to $2.025 billion for FY2025 (from FY2023 through FY2031) and establishing $3 billion annually for FY2026 through FY2033; and (4) for the Conservation Stewardship Program, limiting funding to $1 billion for FY2025 (from FY2023 through FY2031) and establishing $4 billion annually for FY2026 through FY2033. (These programs provide financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers for conservation practices that protect soil, water, air, and wildlife resources.) The section further directs the Secretary, beginning in FY2025 through FY2030, to use at least 1% of annual Commodity Credit Corporation funds available for these programs for a special technical assistance initiative to help producers mitigate and adapt to climate change, with priority for underserved producers (e.g., beginning farmers or ranchers and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers) delivered directly, via third-party providers, or through partnerships. (Thus, this supplements existing technical assistance for conservation program participation.) In addition, the section revises assistance priorities under section 1241(h) to allocate, to the maximum extent practicable, 30% of funds to beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers; expands third-party technical assistance providers to include individuals and Tribal entities and adds eligible planning services such as soil health, greenhouse gas reduction, agroforestry, and organic transition planning; broadens incentives under section 1244(a)(1) to include higher payment rates, advance and transition payments, and farm infrastructure assistance to promote climate-friendly practices that reduce emissions, increase soil carbon, and enhance resilience; and requires periodic review of conservation practice costs and payment rates to accelerate progress toward specified agricultural environmental goals.

This section revises definitions under the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801) applicable to conservation compliance programs (i.e., sodbuster, swampbuster, and highly erodible cropland provisions that condition USDA program eligibility on implementation of approved conservation plans), including: (1) broadening "conservation plan" and "conservation system" from highly erodible cropland to all cropland and adding requirements for crop rotation, cover crops, other soil health measures, erosion not exceeding twice the soil loss tolerance level within five years, and prevention or treatment of ephemeral gullies; and (2) expanding "conservation system" goals to include substantial improvements in soil health conditions (including soil carbon levels). It further modifies cropland conservation ineligibility (16 U.S.C. 3811) to apply to production of an agricultural commodity, or set-aside or diversion of land under USDA programs, on any field where cropland is predominant without an approved conservation plan (previously limited to highly erodible cropland). (Thus, the changes extend mandatory conservation planning to the approximately 370 million acres of U.S. cropland beyond the roughly 120 million acres previously classified as highly erodible.) The section also makes conforming amendments to exemptions (16 U.S.C. 3812) and various technical, formatting, and cross-reference updates to other definitions (e.g., highly erodible land, converted wetland, Indian tribe).

This section revises the agroforestry centers program by defining agroforestry (i.e., a land management system intentionally integrating trees and shrubs into crop and animal production systems such as silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian buffers, forest farming, windbreaks, and shelterbelts to enhance profitability, resilience, conservation, and carbon sequestration); establishing 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; and directing appointment of a National Director and Regional Directors. The section further (1) revises the centers' research, development, education, and demonstration activities to emphasize soil health, carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reduction, drought preparedness, and broader applicability beyond prior semiarid land focus (e.g., expanding compatible products for commercial sale from forestry to agroforestry products; updating systems and technologies to include silvopasture, alley cropping, riparian buffers, and others; and adding climate change to pollution considerations); (2) expands clearinghouse duties to facilitate agroforestry adoption by disseminating information on federal, state, local, and Tribal support programs; (3) authorizes regional grant programs at the centers to support agroforestry projects including demonstration farms; and (4) authorizes $25 million for each of FY2026 through FY2030 (in addition to prior authorization through FY2023). (As background, the centers promote agroforestry research and outreach to help farmers and ranchers integrate trees into agricultural operations for economic, environmental, and climate benefits.)

This section revises and extends through 2030 (from 2023) the Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP), which provides competitive grants and technical assistance to eligible entities—including nonprofits, cooperatives, governments, and producer groups—to develop direct producer-to-consumer marketing, mid-tier value chains, and regional food systems serving beginning farmers or ranchers and family farms. Specifically, the section (1) expands eligible products and program priorities to include agricultural commodities and value-added products produced and marketed to significantly improve soil health and carbon sequestration or reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including when added to crop or grazing rotations; (2) adds a new purpose to enhance producer economic viability; (3) includes the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service in program administration; and (4) establishes a new grant program for farm viability and local climate resiliency centers, administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service in coordination with the Rural Business-Cooperative Service and Natural Resources Conservation Service, to support business planning, marketing strategies, enterprise development, financial assistance, and outreach on climate-friendly farming practices for local, regional, and value-added products.

This section increases the maximum payment to organic producers and handlers under the national organic certification cost-share program to $1,500 (from $750). The program reimburses up to 75% of costs incurred to obtain certification under the national organic production program. This section also replaces fixed annual funding of $2 million for FY2019 and FY2020, $4 million for FY2021, and $8 million for FY2022 through FY2024 with mandatory funding of such sums as necessary from Commodity Credit Corporation funds. (Thus, providing indefinite funding beyond FY2024.)

This section revises the findings, purpose, and definitions sections of the Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA; 7 U.S.C. 4201 et seq.), which minimizes the extent to which federal programs contribute to the unnecessary conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses. Specifically, it (1) updates findings language to refer to "United States farmland" (from "the Nation's farmland"), adds a new finding on farmland as a source of environmental services such as carbon sequestration, and redesignates paragraphs (4) through (7) as (5) through (8); (2) revises the purpose statement to "ensure" (from "assure") compatibility with federal programs and to include Tribal programs alongside State, local, and private efforts; and (3) reorganizes and expands definitions to add or clarify "conversion," "farmland" (with subcategories of prime, unique, statewide/local importance, and a new "farmland of national significance"), "federal program," and "permanently protected farmland," while renumbering other terms (e.g., "State" and "unit of local government").

This section revises the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), which provides cost-share assistance to eligible entities for purchasing easements that protect agricultural uses (including grazing) and related conservation values of eligible land. Specifically, the section— (1) strikes “only” from the conservation plan requirement in subsection (b)(4)(C)(iv) (relating to highly erodible land); (2) requires the landowner, as a condition of cost-share assistance, to implement a conservation plan addressing applicable resource concerns—including soil health and greenhouse gas emissions reduction—not later than three years after the easement is granted (with Bureau of Indian Affairs-developed or recognized plans satisfying the requirement); (3) authorizes the Secretary to provide requested technical assistance for easement compliance and conservation plan development or implementation under subsection (b)(6), including plans for highly erodible land or comprehensive plans; and (4) allows landowners, at their option during the three years after easement execution, to automatically enroll the easement land in the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) if eligible, with the Secretary solely responsible for CSP compliance determinations and such funding excluded from ACEP cost calculations under subsection (b).

This section adds a new subtitle to the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) to regulate animal raising claims (i.e., label statements on meat food products or poultry products used in interstate commerce referencing the source animal's manner of raising—including production practices, living or raising conditions, or location/source—or breed). It directs 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, to establish within two years of enactment, after notice and comment and consistent with international trade obligations, (1) mandatory standards for such claims covering diet (e.g., grass fed, vegetarian fed), living conditions (e.g., cage free, pasture raised), antibiotic or hormone use, source tracing to farm of origin, age, animal welfare, environmental stewardship (e.g., greenhouse gas reduction), breed, and others; (2) procedures to verify claims prior to use in commerce, integrated with labeling requirements under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.); and (3) on-farm and supply chain auditing and verification procedures, consistent with the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.). It authorizes third-party certification of claims if consistent with the Secretary's standards and equivalent to the Secretary's verification and auditing procedures. It requires producers seeking to use such claims to submit to the Secretary for prior approval a detailed description of production controls, raising practices, product tracing and segregation, nonconforming animal/product handling, and any third-party certificate. Beginning three years after enactment, domestic meat food products and poultry products may be sold or labeled with animal raising claims only if compliant with the standards and procedures; imported products are eligible if verified under a program the Secretary determines provides equivalent safeguards.

This section establishes a Processing Resilience Grant Program under new section 210B of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946. The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, must award competitive grants not later than 60 days after enactment to eligible entities—smaller or very small meat processing establishments (as defined in HACCP regulations), state-inspected slaughter or processing establishments, custom operations exempt from inspection, or persons seeking to establish or operate such entities—to support resiliency and diversification of the meat processing system, including employee, supplier, and customer health and safety; increased processing capacity; and small meat and poultry processor resilience. Grants have a maximum amount of $500,000 and duration of three years, with a separate simplified application process for grants of $100,000 or less; applications must be simple, online, and available through local USDA staff, with a notice of funding opportunity published at least 14 days before acceptance begins and reapplication allowed after denial. In reviewing applications, the Secretary must prioritize proposals that (1) increase farmer and rancher access to slaughter options within a 200-mile radius; (2) support smaller or very small establishments; or (3) support businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. Grant funds may be used for (1) developing HACCP plans; (2) purchasing or establishing compliant facilities, equipment, processes, and operations; (3) cold storage, equipment, or transportation; (4) health screening, testing, and sanitation supplies; (5) personal protective equipment; (6) humane handling infrastructure; (7) record-keeping and marketing software, plus related training; (8) staff time and health procedure training; (9) feasibility studies, business plans, or expansion activities for small facilities; (10) equipment for coproduct or byproduct use; and (11) other Secretary-approved activities to expand or establish smaller or very small establishments.

This section revises the private grazing land conservation assistance program (i.e., authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to provide technical, educational, and related assistance through local conservation districts and partnerships to owners and managers of non-federally owned grazing lands for purposes including wildlife habitat conservation, water quality protection, and weed management). Specifically, it (1) expands 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; (2) revises the definition of private grazing land to mean "...perennial hay land, including 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 (replacing "implementing grazing land management technologies"), addressing brush encroachment through integrated strategies such as rotational and multispecies grazing and integrated pest management, and assisting with transitions to managed grazing-based systems; (4) requires program elements including Department personnel for technical assistance and education, partnerships with land-grant colleges and universities, nongovernmental organizations, and Tribal organizations for research, demonstrations, and outreach, and competitive cooperative agreements to regional/State/local partnerships for projects (not to exceed three years, with indirect costs limited to 15% and priority to sustainable systems benefiting multiple ecosystem services, beginning/socially disadvantaged/Tribal producers, and new graziers); (5) directs funding for training programs to develop technical assistance providers for advanced grazing management; and (6) provides mandatory funding of $50 million annually for FY2026 through 2030 from Commodity Credit Corporation funds (with $60 million authorized annually for the same period), of which at least 80% supports cooperative agreements and no more than 10% supports training.

This section extends the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP)—under which the Secretary of Agriculture enrolls eligible land (i.e., primarily highly erodible cropland, marginal pastureland, and grasslands) through contracts to conserve soil, water, and wildlife resources—through FY2030 (from FY2023) and revises annual maximum enrollment caps to 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. The section further requires the Secretary to enroll and maintain 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, of which at least 5 million acres must be under a new Grassland 30 pilot program established in new section 1231C(c). (Thus, Grassland 30 contracts cover grasslands eligible under current CRP grasslands provisions; last 30 years; promote sustainable grazing, soil carbon enhancement, and wildlife habitat; allow compatible uses such as hunting and fishing; and provide 30 annual rental payments equivalent to standard grasslands contracts, with acres counting toward overall caps.)

This section establishes an Alternative Manure Management Program to award contracts of up to three years to eligible dairy and livestock producers who adopt at least one covered management measure to reduce baseline methane emissions—via aerobic decomposition alternatives or complements to anaerobic methane capture systems—and, where applicable, sequester carbon. Covered management measures include (1) pasture-based management (i.e., systems where animals graze fields and manure decomposes aerobically); (2) alternative manure treatment and storage such as compost-bedded pack barns or monthly-cleaned slatted floor pit storage; (3) solid separation systems (i.e., separating liquids from solids) combined with methods such as onsite composting, solar drying, forced evaporation, unconfined storage, vermiculture, or similar practices; and (4) scrape technologies used with the foregoing. In evaluating contract offers—including joint offers by producer groups for shared composting facilities—the Secretary must prioritize applications that maximize carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reductions, and environmental/public health benefits, with priority for operations near low-income or underserved communities; ensure geographical diversity; and group similar farming operations. Eligible producers must implement selected measures, supply compliance data to the Secretary, and meet additional requirements as determined by the Secretary.

This section revises the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP), which provides grants, guaranteed loans, and loan guarantees 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 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions; (2) adds as eligible entities nonprofit corporations and agricultural cooperatives or producer groups, and as eligible applicants agricultural processors; (3) increases the maximum grant amount to 50 percent of project costs (from 25 percent), sets loan guarantee maximums at 80 percent for loans of $1 million or more and 90 percent for smaller loans, and raises the maximum for beginning, socially disadvantaged, or veteran farmers or ranchers (as defined in 7 U.S.C. 2279(a)) to 75 percent; (4) adds eligible project costs for carbon accounting assessments, technical assistance for feasibility studies, and priority for low-carbon or significant GHG-reducing technologies; (5) requires a list of preapproved technologies starting in FY2026 (updated biennially) and a streamlined application process for them; (6) directs development of carbon accounting assessments for supported technologies within two years of enactment (in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory) and their use as program guidance; (7) establishes regional demonstration projects to incentivize agricultural producers' carbon footprint reductions via energy efficiency and renewables, with results to be published; and (8) retitles and funds outreach and technical assistance from specified appropriations.

This section defines an agrivoltaic system (i.e., integration of solar energy production with agricultural production, including crops, livestock, or apiculture, on the same land) and directs the Secretary of Agriculture to (1) conduct a study assessing agrivoltaic compatibility with livestock and crops, land suitability, regional risks and benefits, development strategies, risk management needs, federal procurement opportunities, and support from federal programs; (2) develop a five-year plan to use USDA research, extension, outreach, conservation, and renewable energy activities to advance such systems without displacing agricultural production; and (3) submit a report on the study to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture within one year of enactment. This section further directs the Secretary, through the Agricultural Research Service and in coordination with the Department of Energy, to establish and maintain a national network of agrivoltaic research and demonstration sites across arid, semiarid, and wet zones to increase productivity, resilience, biodiversity, and rural economic opportunities, with coordination through USDA Climate Hubs for outreach to producers; authorizes $15 million for FY2026 and each fiscal year thereafter.

This section directs the Secretary of Agriculture to maintain the AgSTAR program (i.e., a public-private partnership promoting anaerobic digesters on livestock operations to capture methane from manure for energy and reduce emissions) within USDA, including by supporting anaerobic digestion, providing outreach and technical assistance on permitting, codigestion, and grid interconnection, promoting multifarm digesters, collecting data, and maintaining a project database. It requires the EPA Administrator to transition all AgSTAR activities to USDA within one year of enactment, after which USDA has sole jurisdiction and must administer the program through the Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief in coordination with EPA and partners such as Climate Hubs and extension services. The section authorizes appropriations of up to $5 million annually.