Soil Health Federal Bill Tracker Alert - April 2026
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Dear friends and colleagues,
Congress continued to introduce soil health-related legislation through the first quarter of the year, while also advancing several existing bills through committee and floor action. Notably, the House Agriculture Committee’s Farm Bill legislative text, released on February 13, included 65 bills that Land Core tracked as marker bills across the bill’s twelve titles. Bipartisan support for soil health legislation remains consistent, with conservation and research continuing to attract significant legislative activity.
In this alert, you’ll find an overview of newly introduced and reintroduced bills, a breakdown of Land Core-tracked marker bills in the House Farm Bill, updates on bill movement, and highlights from the most active legislators during the December 2025-March 2026 period.
Without further ado, here’s your update on soil health legislation in the U.S. Congress from the Land Core Bill Tracker.
Warmly,
The Land Core Team
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House Farm Bill Marker Bills
The House Farm Bill included 65 marker bills that Land Core tracked across its twelve titles. Titles II (Conservation) and VII (Research) had the largest share, with 18 marker bills each. In Title II, all but one marker bill had bipartisan support, 10 were core to soil health, and 8 were secondary. Title VII had a broader mix of sponsorship, and 13 of 18 tracked bills were bipartisan. 12 marker bills in Title VII were core to soil health, while 6 were secondary.
Despite the alignment around these individual bills, we recognize that the House Farm Bill contained many well-reported provisions that have created division between the parties, making passage into law difficult.
To see the full list of Land Core-tracked marker bills from the House Farm Bill on our bill tracker, please see our recent blog post or here on our bill tracker (using the filters “119th Congress” and “Farm Bill”).
* Please note that some marker bills appear in multiple Titles of the House Farm Bill.
Bill Tracker by the Numbers: 119th Congress
This alert mostly tracks bills introduced from December 2025 to March 2026. A total of 44 bills were introduced that relate to or could impact soil health during that period.
Importance to Soil Health: Core or Secondary
Core Bills: 15
Secondary Bills: 29
Party Support
Bipartisan: 26
Democrat Only: 13
Republican Only: 5
Chamber
House Only: 21
Senate Only: 3
Bicameral: 20
Core Soil Health Bills
Image by Aria McLauchlan.
Bipartisan Bills - NEWLY INTRODUCED
Below is 1 newly introduced CORE bipartisan bill that would directly impact soil health.
H.R.6969 - Rural Investment for Producers and the Environment (RIPE) Act of 2026
House Sponsor: Rep. Josh Riley (D-NY-19) (1 Cosponsor)
Summary: This bill would establish a watershed-based conservation demonstration program. The Secretary would be directed to select up to 30 eligible watersheds nationwide and enter into contracts of 3 to 5 years with producers to implement conservation practices. Payments would be calculated on a per-acre and per-animal-unit basis, reflecting adoption costs, foregone income, long-term maintenance, and environmental benefits, including GHG reductions and carbon sequestration. This bill would provide $1 million for FY26 and $150 million annually for FY27-29.
Bipartisan Bills - REINTRODUCED
Below are 6 reintroduced CORE bipartisan bills that would directly impact soil health.
S.3353/H.R.6476 - Relief for Farmers Hit with PFAS Act
Senate Sponsor: Sen. Susan M. Collins (R-ME) (2 Cosponsors)
House Sponsor: Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1) (3 Cosponsors)
Summary: This bill would authorize a grant program to address PFAS contamination on agricultural land in soil and farm water supplies. This bill would also establish a USDA task force to provide technical assistance and identify existing USDA programs for which PFAS contamination should be included as an eligible activity. It would authorize $500 million in funding annually.
H.R.7330 - Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative (DALCI) Act
House Sponsor: Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA-2) (1 Cosponsor)
Summary: This bill would reestablish the Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative. It would authorize financial and technical assistance to producers in the Driftless Area to implement practices that promote year-round ground cover, soil health, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and prairie and grassland restoration. This bill would also require the Secretary to assist grassroots partnerships in education on climate-smart agriculture and soil health, and would authorize $5 million annually.
S.3637/H.R.7142 - ACE Agriculture Act of 2026
Senate Sponsor: Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) (1 Cosponsor)
House Sponsor: Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) (2 Cosponsors)
Summary: This bill would reauthorize and expand the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AgARDA), removing its pilot designation and increasing authorized funding to $100 million annually. The legislation broadens AgARDA's research mandate to encompass water conservation technologies, soil health, greenhouse gas mitigation, and resilience to drought, pests, and infectious diseases, building on the program's original mission to fund high-risk, high-reward research that delivers breakthrough agricultural innovations.
H.R.7906 - FOOD for Health Act
House Sponsor: Rep. Robin L. Kelly (D-IL-2) (8 Cosponsors)
Summary: This bill would establish a competitive grant pilot program supporting Food is Medicine programs. Eligible grant activities would include emergency feeding operations, medically tailored meals and grocery delivery, produce prescriptions, evidence-based cooking skills education, and participant transportation. The bill would authorize $20 million. Food is Medicine programs can be supplemented/strengthened by a focus on soil health’s impact on nutrient density and through emphasizing local and regional food sourcing, the bill supports farms that often engage in soil health land management practices.
Single Party Support
Below are an additional 8 core bills with single-party support that would directly impact soil health.
Democrat
H.R.6775 - New Markets for Farmers and Families Act
House Sponsor: Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14)
S.3717/H.R.7318 - Opportunities in Organic Act
Senate Sponsor: Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) (12 Cosponsors)
House Sponsor: Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) (11 Cosponsors)
S.3820/H.R.7474 - Soil CARE Act of 2026
Senate Sponsor: Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) (2 Cosponsors)
House Sponsor: Rep. Andrea Salinas (D-OR-6) (2 Cosponsors)
S.4088/H.R.7947 - Agricultural Management Assistance Act of 2026
Senate Sponsor: Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-CT) (1 Cosponsor)
House Sponsor: Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1)
H.R.7627 - Tribal Conservation Priorities Inclusion Act
House Sponsor: Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO-2)
There were no new, Republican-only core bills.
Secondary Bills
Image by Aria McLauchlan.
Below are 18 new bills and 11 reintroduced bills that would indirectly impact soil health.
New:
H.R.6776 - Farmers to Families Act - Bipartisan
H.R.6697 - Expanding Access To (EAT) Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act - Bipartisan
H.R.8157 - Risk-based Oversight for Integrity Act - Bipartisan
H.R.6385 - Farm Transitions Act of 2025 - Bipartisan
H.R.6496 - Specialty Crop & Wine Producer Tariff Relief Act - Bipartisan
H.R.6462 - Rural Recovery Act of 2025 - Bipartisan
H.R.6369 - Cutting COSTS Act of 2025 - Bipartisan
S.4152 - Fertilizer Transparency Act of 2026 - Bipartisan
S.4148 - Homegrown Fertilizer Act - Bipartisan
H.Res.1132 - Expressing support for the designation of March 24, 2026, as "National Agriculture Day" and celebrating the importance of agriculture as one of the most impactful industries in the United States. - Bipartisan
S.3936/H.R.6779 - USDA Loan Modernization Act - Republican/Bipartisan
H.R.7475 - Expedited Guaranteed Lender Pilot Program Act - Republican
H.R.7818 - American Meat Freedom Act - Republican
S.4072 - Agricultural and Food Policy Research Centers Reauthorization Act of 2026 - Republican
H.R.7579 - Empowering Rural Communities Act - Republican
H.R.7914 - Agricultural Conservation Mentorship Act - Democrat
H.R.7206 - Farm and Family Relief Act - Democrat
Reintroduced:
H.R.7264 - Restoring America’s Floodplains Act - Bipartisan
H.R.7426 - USDA Express Loan Act of 2026 - Bipartisan
S.3843/H.R.7464 - Temperature Event Mitigation Policy (TEMP) Act - Bipartisan
H.R.7761 - Heirs Education and Investment to Resolve Succession of Property Act - Bipartisan
S.4091 - Habitat Connectivity on Working Lands Act of 2026 - Bipartisan
S.3860/H.R.7562 - Office of Small Farms Establishment Act of 2026 - Democrat
H.R.7589 - Resilient Food Supply Chain and Affordability Act - Democrat
Most Active Legislators
Congressional members across the aisle introduced legislation that could impact soil health from December 2025 through March 2026. The most active legislators in this period, with 2 introductions each, were Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-MD-6), Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1), and Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14).
Bill Progression
Several bills that Land Core tracks have seen recent movement. The Emergency Conservation Program Improvement Act of 2025 (S.629) advanced the furthest, passing the full Senate on March 24, and has since been received by the House. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee advanced two grazing-related bills on March 4: the Strategic Grazing to Reduce Risk of Wildfire Act (S.1981) and the Grasslands Grazing Act of 2025 (S.2787). The House companion to the Grasslands Grazing Act of 2025 (H.R.6300) cleared the House Natural Resources Committee on February 11. All four bills await further floor action in their respective chambers.
Bill tracker alerts summarize updates to our soil health federal bill tracker. View this update (including links to each individual bill) on our website.
Let us know if there is a bill of interest that we have not added.
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Land Core is a 501(c)3 organization that works closely with the USDA, legislators, producers, scientists, NGOs and financial institutions across the country to develop policy recommendations that build healthy soils, resilient farmers and national food security. This includes guiding the successful passage of language in both the House and Senate supporting soil health outcomes at the USDA and helping to secure over $50M in federal investment in Soil Health in the 2018 Farm Bill.
Resources: The Land Core Soil Health Bill Tracker is a comprehensive tool designed to monitor and analyze legislation related to soil health and resilience. It can be used to support bills that align with the priorities of strengthening American agriculture, promoting energy independence, and revitalizing rural communities.
Contact: Aria McLauchlan, Co-Founder & Executive Director, aria@landcore.org