Bill Summary
This legislation, titled the "Soil Conservation and Regeneration Education Act of 2023" or the "Soil CARE Act of 2023," aims to require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and maintain a training program for Department of Agriculture personnel and third-party providers on the rapidly evolving methodologies, science, and practices of biological soil health management systems on agricultural land. This training program will educate and provide resources to help agricultural producers understand and implement soil health management systems that regenerate farmland. The program will be available in each Natural Resources Conservation Service region twice every two years and will be developed and delivered through cooperative agreements with entities that have expertise in biological soil health management systems. The program will include a nationally available online curriculum and in-person training workshops. The training will also focus on the use of new conservation practice standards related to soil health and will provide continuing education for relevant personnel and third-party providers. The program will cover various topics, such as the principles of soil health, organic production, diversified production systems, and traditional ecological knowledge. The Secretary will review and update the curriculum every two years to incorporate the latest developments in biological soil health management. The Act authorizes $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to carry out this training program.
Possible Impacts
1. Increased understanding and implementation of regenerative agricultural practices among Department of Agriculture personnel and third-party providers, leading to potential changes in farming methods and potential benefits for soil health, water quality, and biodiversity.
2. Increased access to training and resources for small scale and underserved producers, potentially leading to more diverse and sustainable farming practices and increased profitability.
3. Potential financial impacts for the Department of Agriculture, as the legislation authorizes $10 million for the training program over the course of 5 years.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5951 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5951
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and maintain a
training program for Department of Agriculture personnel and third-
party providers on the rapidly evolving methodologies, science, and
practices of biological soil health management systems on agricultural
land, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 12, 2023
Ms. Salinas (for herself, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Blumenauer, and Ms. Hoyle
of Oregon) introduced the following bill
October 25, 2023
Referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and maintain a
training program for Department of Agriculture personnel and third-
party providers on the rapidly evolving methodologies, science, and
practices of biological soil health management systems on agricultural
land, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Soil Conservation And Regeneration
Education Act of 2023'' or the ``Soil CARE Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. TRAINING FOR REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE IN NRCS PROGRAMS.
(a) Establishment of Training Program.--Section 1242 of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3842) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (1) and (2) as
paragraphs (3) and (5), respectively;
(B) by inserting before paragraph (3) (as so
redesignated) the following:
``(1) Biological soil health management.--The term
`biological soil health management' means land management
methods that are employed to increase and balance soil biology,
such as microbial biomass and macrofauna, for the purpose of
improving biological functions, including forming and
stabilizing soil structure, cycling nutrients, controlling
pests and disease, and degrading or detoxifying contaminants.
``(2) Department.--The term `Department' means the
Department of Agriculture.''; and
(C) by inserting after paragraph (3) (as so
redesignated) the following:
``(4) Soil biology.--The term `soil biology' includes the
collective biomass and activities of soil-dwelling organisms
from an array of trophic levels.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(j) Training for Biological Soil Health Management in NRCS
Programs.--
``(1) Establishment of training program.--Not later than 1
year after the date of enactment of the Soil CARE Act of 2023,
the Secretary shall establish a training program (referred to
in this subsection as the `training program')--
``(A) to provide education, resources, and
technical support to Department personnel and third-
party providers on the rapidly evolving methodologies,
science, and practices for improving soil health; and
``(B) to assist Department personnel and third-
party providers in supporting agricultural producers in
understanding and implementing biological soil health
management systems that regenerate farmland.
``(2) Program development and delivery.--
``(A) In general.--The training program shall--
``(i) be made available in each Natural
Resources Conservation Service region twice
every 2 years; and
``(ii) include--
``(I) a nationally available online
curriculum on biological soil health
management systems that is--
``(aa) developed through
cooperative agreements with
entities described in
subparagraph (B); and
``(bb) delivered by the
Natural Resources Conservation
Service; and
``(II) in-person training workshops
on biological soil health management
systems that regenerate farmland,
that--
``(aa) include coverage
across regions and geography
types;
``(bb) are developed
through cooperative agreements
with entities described in
subparagraph (B); and
``(cc) are delivered by the
Natural Resources Conservation
Service.
``(B) Cooperative agreements.--
``(i) In general.--The training program
shall be developed and delivered through
cooperative agreements with entities with
biological soil health management systems
expertise and experience working with and
training producers, including--
``(I) farming consultants,
including producers and producer
cooperatives;
``(II) nonprofit organizations
serving organic, agroecological, and
other regenerative producers;
``(III) conservation districts;
``(IV) land-grant colleges and
universities (as defined in section
1404 of the National Agricultural
Research, Extension, and Teaching
Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103));
``(V) Long-Term Agroecosystem
Research sites; and
``(VI) other entities with adequate
expertise in biological soil health
management systems, as determined by
the Secretary.
``(ii) Initial agreements.--Not later than
1 year after the date of enactment of the Soil
CARE Act of 2023, the Secretary shall enter
into cooperative agreements under clause (i)
for the initial development and delivery of the
training program.
``(C) Participation.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall
encourage relevant Department personnel and
third-party providers--
``(I) to complete the online
curriculum described in subparagraph
(A)(ii)(I); and
``(II) to the extent practicable,
to attend at least 1 in-person training
workshop described in subparagraph
(A)(ii)(II).
``(ii) Relevant department personnel.--For
purposes of clause (i), relevant Department
personnel shall include, at a minimum,
Department personnel involved in conservation
planning activities with, and the delivery of
technical assistance to, producers, including
field office staff of the Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
``(iii) Completion schedules for third-
party providers.--
``(I) Establishment of schedules.--
The Secretary shall establish--
``(aa) a schedule for the
completion by third-party
providers of the online
curriculum described in
subparagraph (A)(ii)(I); and
``(bb) a schedule of in-
person training workshops that
will be provided in accordance
with subparagraph (A)(ii)(II).
``(II) Use of schedules.--The
Secretary shall encourage each third-
party provider--
``(aa) to complete the
online curriculum in accordance
with the schedule established
under subclause (I)(aa); and
``(bb) to the extent
practicable, to attend at least
1 training workshop identified
on the schedule established
under subclause (I)(bb).
``(D) Continuing education.--The Secretary shall
provide continuing education for relevant Department
personnel and third-party providers, with a focus on
the use of new conservation practice standards related
to soil health.
``(E) Materials for producers.--The Secretary shall
require relevant Department personnel and third-party
providers to provide soil health education materials to
producers through the programs and conservation
activities of the Natural Resources Conservation
Service, including materials relating to the topics
covered by the curriculum described in paragraph (3).
``(3) Curriculum.--
``(A) In general.--The training program shall
include the following minimum curriculum components:
``(i) A unit on the principles of soil
health published by the Natural Resources
Conservation Service, with a focus on
biological function and regional context.
``(ii) A unit on--
``(I) the transition to agriculture
management systems that build soil
health, including operations,
infrastructure, regulations, finance,
and marketing needs; and
``(II) associated risks and
opportunities, including reducing input
costs by building on-farm and ranch
fertility.
``(iii) A unit on organic production and
soil health systems.
``(iv) A unit on diversified production
systems, including--
``(I) perennial cropping systems;
``(II) agroforestry or silvopasture
systems;
``(III) livestock integration into
cropping systems; and
``(IV) prescribed grazing.
``(v) A unit on the body of research on
soil biology and agriculture that regenerates
farmland, including potential impacts on soil
health, water quality and security,
biodiversity, ecosystem function, resilience to
extreme weather, carbon sequestration, and
agricultural profitability.
``(vi) A unit on key conservation practices
that maximize soil health and mitigate climate
impacts by implementing soil health principles.
``(vii) A unit on--
``(I) issues specific to Indian
Tribes; and
``(II) traditional ecological
knowledge.
``(viii) A unit on--
``(I) the special needs of new,
small scale, and underserved producers;
and
``(II) how best to meet those
needs.
``(ix) A unit on approaches, tools, and
skills to support farmers in performing soil
health tests.
``(x) A unit on all conservation programs
available to producers that improve soil
health, reduce production inputs, and
regenerate soil, farmland, and nearby
ecosystems.
``(B) Updates.--The Secretary shall review and
update the curriculum of the training program every 2
years based on the latest--
``(i) biological soil health management
innovations; and
``(ii) scientific and technological
advancements.
``(4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this
subsection $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024
through 2028.''.
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