Soil Health Federal Bill Tracker Alert - June 2025

 

Dear Friends and Colleagues, 

The 119th Congress has continued to introduce (and re-introduce) a range of agricultural legislation with both direct and indirect implications for soil health. While the overall pace of bill introductions has moderated slightly, there is evidence of growing momentum around shared priorities such as strengthening the resilience of farming communities and expanding economic opportunities for farmers through the expansion of precision agriculture and conservation practices. That said, most of these bills are dependent on the long-overdue Farm Bill in order to have a real chance of moving forward, underscoring the importance of the omnibus food-and-agriculture bill.

Amid a dynamic political environment in Washington, D.C., the Land Core team is closely tracking legislative developments and working on both sides of the aisle to highlight the vital role soil health plays in the long-term sustainability of our agricultural resources and food systems.

In the meantime, here’s your update on soil health legislation in the U.S. Congress from the Land Core Bill Tracker. 

Warmly,

The Land Core Team

Bill Tracker by the Numbers: 119th Congress

This alert tracks bills introduced from April 1 to June 15, 2025.

A Total of 44 bills were introduced that relate to, or would impact, soil health during that period. 

Importance to Soil Health: Core or Secondary 

  • Core Bills: 23 (9 reintroduced)

  • Secondary Bills: 21 (8 reintroduced)

Party Support

  • Bipartisan: 29

  • Democrat Only: 6

  • Republican Only: 9


Chamber

  • House Only: 17

  • Senate Only: 12

  • Bicameral: 15

Core Soil Health Bills

 Bipartisan Bills - REINTRODUCED

Below are 12 CORE bipartisan reintroduced bills that would have a direct impact on soil health.

H.R.3991 Research for Healthy Soils Act

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA-3), (2 Cosponsors)

  • Summary: This bill formalizes the emerging but understudied threat to soil health from PFAS and microplastics, increasingly found in biosolids and composts, expanding research (and supporting grants) to increase understanding of their extent and impact. Simultaneously, it would encourage research examining methods such as wastewater treatment and composting, to filter out or biodegrade such substances.

S.1729 Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act of 2025

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), (3 Cosponsors)

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill would streamline the development and revision of conservation practice standards that can help drive on-farm innovation. It would require regular review every five years, enable public input, and prioritize the integration of innovative technologies such as precision agriculture and biological fertilizers. 

S.1769 Farmer to Farmer Education Act of 2025

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) / (1 Cosponsors)

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill could improve the effectiveness of agricultural technical assistance by empowering farmers to lead education and support efforts within their communities. By creating space for producers to share firsthand experiences, it could accelerate the spread of soil health practices such as cover cropping, reduced tillage, and improved nutrient management. Farmers may be more likely to adopt these practices when they see proven results from peers operating under similar conditions.

S.1713 Agriculture Innovation Act of 2025

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), (1 Cosponsor)

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill would authorize the USDA to modernize its data infrastructure to improve agricultural productivity, profitability, resilience, and outcomes such as soil health. It would establish a secure data center to collect and analyze data on conservation and production practices, and support voluntary producer data sharing, promote data-driven technical assistance tools, and ensure privacy protections.

H.R.3211/S.1618 Precision Agriculture Loan Program Act of 2025

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), (1 Cosponsor)

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA-4), (8 Cosponsors)

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill from the 118th Congress would expand the conservation loan and loan guarantee program to support precision agriculture technologies, prioritizing producers using these tools in programs like EQIP. It aims to streamline program administration by enhancing USDA efficiency and delegating responsibilities to the Farm Service Agency. The bill also extends the program’s authorization through 2029.


S.1389 Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program Improvement Act of 2025

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS), (3 Cosponsors)

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO-4), (2 Cosponsors)

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill seeks to make the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) more flexible and supportive of drought resilience by explicitly allowing dryland farming and grazing as eligible conservation practices. It adjusts payment structures to better reflect water conservation goals—ensuring fair compensation for dryland and permanently retired irrigated acres—and allows producers greater control over how they receive payments, among other changes. Note, the companion bill (H.R.2758) has Republican support only.

S.1616 PRECISE Act of 2025

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), (1 Cosponsor)

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill would support the adoption of precision agriculture practices and technologies. It would authorize funding for equipment and technical assistance, and allow increased cost-share payments (up to 90%) through EQIP. It would also expand CSP to include supplemental payments for precision agriculture. Additionally, the bill would promote third-party technical assistance for soil health and nutrient management planning.

S.1494 Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program Enhancement Act of 2025

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), (4 Cosponsors)

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill would expand eligibility under the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program for crops and grasses used for grazing, ensuring that livestock producers who rely on grazing lands will have access to the same risk management support as other crop producers. This eligibility could also support the use of perennial forages and rotational grazing practices, which build soil health. 

H.R.3476/S.1050 Forest Conservation Easement Program Act of 2025

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Trent Kelly (R-MS-1), (9 Cosponsors) 

  • Senate Sponsor: Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA-8), (8 Cosponsors)

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill aims to establish a program that facilitates the conservation and restoration of forest land and related resources through the acquisition of conservation easements, with a focus on maintaining working forest land, protecting biodiversity, and meeting other conservation goals.    

H.R.3656 To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to waive the matching funds requirement under the specialty crop research initiative, and for other purposes.

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA-8), (11 Cosponsors) 

  • Summary: This reintroduced bill from the 118th Congress could enhance accessibility and equity in agricultural research funding by allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to waive matching fund requirements for underserved communities. Increased involvement from diverse stakeholders could lead to research that prioritizes sustainable practices. Similarly, this bill could support the development and adoption of soil health practices through more inclusive and regionally responsive research efforts.

Bipartisan Bills - NEWLY INTRODUCED

Below are 4 CORE bipartisan newly introduced bills that would have a direct impact on soil health.

S.1981 Strategic Grazing to Reduce Risk of Wildfire Act

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), (1 Cosponsor)

  • Summary: The bill directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to develop a strategy for using targeted livestock grazing to reduce wildfire risk on federal lands. The strategy would consider grazing on vacant allotments during disruptions, postfire recovery, virtual fencing technologies, and coordination with Tribes, local governments, and others. The bill could support soil health by promoting targeted grazing to reduce invasive grasses and wildfire fuels, which may lessen erosion and enhance vegetation cover.

H.R.3293 Support Water-Efficient Strategies and Technologies Act of 2025

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM-3), (2 Cosponsors)

  • Summary: This bill aims to boost agricultural resilience by increasing financial support for drought-resistant and water-saving practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). It enhances incentives for farming methods like dryland farming, crop rotation, and conservation grazing, while raising CSP payment limits and supporting soil health through outreach and measurement initiatives.

H.R.3707 NSF and USDA Interagency Research Act

  • House Sponsor: Rep. James R. Baird (R-IN-4), (1 Cosponsor)

  • Summary: This bill would direct the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the National Science Foundation to coordinate cross-cutting research and development initiatives. It would authorize collaborative efforts in areas such as agricultural biology, food security, soil health, emerging technologies, rural development, and workforce training, and support infrastructure, data sharing, and educational programs, including grants for a Center for Agricultural Research, Education, and Workforce Development.

H.R.2883/S.1395 No Time To Waste Act 

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), (1 Cosponsor)

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1), (1 Cosponsor)

Summary: This bill proposes the creation of a national strategy to cut food loss and waste in half by 2030, led by a new USDA Office of Food Loss and Waste. It would fund data collection, infrastructure, research, education, and grants to support food recovery, upcycling, composting, and policy development.

Single Party Support

Below are an additional seven core bills with single party support that would have a direct impact on soil health.

Republican

H.R.2858 Winter Canola Study Act of 2025 

  • House Sponsor: Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN-8), (2 Cosponsors)

H.R.3346 Sovereign State Environmental Quality Assurance Act 

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA-3)

S.1495 NRCS Wetland Compliance and Appeals Reform Act - Reintroduced

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), (2 Cosponsors)

Democrat

S.1385 Organic Science and Research Investment Act of 2025 

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), (11 Cosponsors)

H.R.3272 COMPOST Act 

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Julia Brownley (D-CA-26), (1 Cosponsors)

H.R.3077/S.1507 Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025 , Reintroduced

  • House Sponsor: Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME-1), (18 Cosponsors)

  • Senate Sponsor: Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM), (11 Cosponsors)

Secondary Bills

Below are 11 new bills, and 12 reintroduced bills, that would have an indirect impact on soil health. (***Corrected from new to reintroduced in the June 24th, Bill Tracker Alert email).

New

Reintroduced

Bills By Issue Area

2 bills related to crop insurance and risk mitigation.

6 bills aimed at providing technical assistance or training to producers.

4 bills related to livestock and grazing.

12 bills related to conservation practices and programs.

7 bills related to research.

3 bills related to antitrust, equity or food security.

5 bills focused on deregulation

(This count is from April - June 15, 2025; however the links above show all bills related to that issue area in the 119th Congress.)

Bill tracker alerts summarize updates to our soil health federal bill tracker. View this update as a PDF.

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Policy Memos, EducationLand Core Staff2025