S. 2500 — Research for Healthy Soils Act

This section adds microplastics in land-applied biosolids on farmland—defined as plastic or plastic-coated particles less than 5 millimeters in any dimension—as a high-priority research and extension area under the competitive specialized research and extension grants program (7 U.S.C. § 5925). (As background, the program authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to award competitive grants for research and extension on specified agricultural topics, generally requiring recipients to provide non-Federal matching funds equal to the grant amount.) Grants under the new area may support (1) surveys and data collection on microplastic concentration, particle size, and chemical composition; (2) development or analysis of wastewater treatment techniques to filter or biodegrade microplastics in biosolids for agricultural use; (3) analysis of impacts on agricultural crops and soil health; (4) research on how wastewater processing affects microplastics; and (5) research on the fate, residence time, and transport of microplastics on farmland.

This section reauthorizes high-priority research and extension initiatives through 2031 (from 2023), extending competitive USDA grants for activities such as dairy financial risk management research and extension (subsection (e)), food safety and related programs (subsections (f) and (g)), and other specified areas (subsection (h)). (As background, the initiatives support non-Federal matching grants—waivable in certain cases involving minor commodities or broad benefits—for research addressing agricultural challenges, in consultation with the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board.)