Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1696590685107.pdf (United States)
G:\M\18\PINGRE\PINGRE_014.XML ..................................................................... (Original Signature of Member) 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. ll To address the impact of climate change on agriculture, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Ms. PINGREE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on llllllllllllll A BILL To address the impact of climate change on agriculture, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1.

SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023’’.

(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for this Act is as follows: Sec.

1.

Short title; table of contents.

Sec.

2.

Definition of Secretary.


TITLE I—NATIONAL GOALS Sec.

101.

National goals.

Sec.

102.

Action plan.

TITLE II—RESEARCH Sec.

201.

Research, extension, and education purpose.

Sec.

202.
Sec.

202.

Regional hubs for risk adaptation and mitigation to climate change.

Sec.

203.

Sustainable agriculture research and education resilience initiative.

Sec.

204.

Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network.

Sec.

205.

Public breed and cultivar research.

Sec.

206.

ARS Climate Scientist Career Development Program.

Sec.

207.

Agricultural Climate Adaptation and Mitigation through AFRI.

Sec.

208.

Specialty crop research initiative.

Sec.

209.

Integrated pest management.

Sec.

210.


Appropriate technology transfer for rural areas program.

TITLE III—SOIL HEALTH Sec.

301.

Crop insurance.

Sec.

302.

Environmental quality incentives program.

Sec.

303.

Conservation stewardship program.

Sec.

304.

State assistance for soil health.

Sec.

305.

Funding and administration.

Sec.

306.

Conservation compliance.

Sec.

307.

National and regional agroforestry centers.

TITLE IV—FARMLAND PRESERVATION AND FARM VIABILITY Sec.

401.
401.

Local Agriculture Market Program.

Sec.

402.

National organic certification cost-share program.

Sec.

403.

Farmland Protection Policy Act.

Sec.

404.

Agricultural conservation easement program.

TITLE V—PASTURE-BASED LIVESTOCK Sec.

501.

Animal raising claims.

Sec.

502.

Processing resilience grant program.

Sec.

503.

Conservation of private grazing land.

Sec.

504.

Conservation reserve program.

Sec.

505.

Alternative manure management program.

TITLE VI—ON-FARM RENEWABLE ENERGY Sec.


601.

Rural Energy For America Program.

Sec.

602.

Agrivoltaic systems.

Sec.

603.

AgSTAR program.

TITLE VII—FOOD LOSS AND WASTE Subtitle A—Food Date Labeling Sec.

701.

Definitions.

Sec.

702.

Quality dates and discard dates.

Sec.

703.

Misbranding.

Sec.

704.

Regulations.

Sec.

705.

Delayed applicability.


Subtitle B—Other Provisions Sec.

711.

Composting as conservation practice.

Sec.

712.

Amendments to Federal Food Donation Act.

Sec.

713.
Sec.

713.

Grants for composting and anaerobic digestion food waste-to-energy projects.

Sec.

714.

School food waste reduction grant program.

Sec.

715.

Support for national media campaigns to decrease incidence of food waste.

Sec.

716.

Food waste research program.

SEC.

2.

DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.

In this Act, the term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Sec- retary of Agriculture.

TITLE I—NATIONAL GOALS SEC.

101.

NATIONAL GOALS.


(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the goals established under this title is to prevent climate change from exceed- ing 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above preindustrial lev- els through a national greenhouse gas emission reduction effort.
(b) NATIONAL GOALS.—The national goals for the agricultural sector shall be to achieve— (1) not less than a 50 percent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions, as compared to those lev- els during calendar year 2010, by not later than De- cember 31, 2030; and (2) net zero emissions by not later than Decem- ber 31, 2040.
(c) SUBGOALS.—To achieve the national goals de- scribed in subsection (b), there are established the fol- 21 lowing subgoals: (1) RESEARCH.—The total Federal investment in public food and agriculture research and exten- sion should— (A) at a minimum, as compared to that total Federal investment for fiscal year 2023— (i) triple by not later than December 31, 2030; and (ii) quadruple by not later than De- cember 31, 2040; and (B) strongly focus on climate change adap- tation and mitigation, soil health and carbon se- questration, nutrient and manure management to curb nitrous oxide and methane emissions, agroforestry, advanced grazing management and crop-livestock integration, perennial pro- duction systems, on-farm and food system en- ergy efficiency and renewable energy produc- tion, farmland preservation and viability, food waste reduction, and any other related areas, as determined by the Secretary.
(2) SOIL HEALTH.—The United States should— (A) immediately become a member of the Partners Forum and the Consortium of the 4 per 1000 Initiative, hosted by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, with the aim of increasing total soil carbon stocks by 0.4 percent annually to reduce carbon in the atmosphere, restore soil health and pro- ductivity, and thereby improve food security; (B) sufficiently expand adoption of soil health systems and practices (including diverse crop rotations, cover cropping, and conservation tillage), perennial crop and grass-based live- stock production systems, agroforestry, composting, advanced nutrient budgeting and biologically based nutrient management, ad- vanced grazing management (including silvopasture and management-intensive rota- tional grazing), and integrated crop-livestock systems— (i) to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils, as compared to those levels during calendar year 2023— (I) by 25 percent by not later than December 31, 2030; and (II) by 75 percent by not later than December 31, 2040; (ii) to increase soil carbon stocks by 0.4 percent annually on at least 50 percent of agricultural land by not later than De- cember 31, 2030; and (iii) to meet or exceed the threshold described in clause (ii) on all agricultural land by not later than December 31, 2040; (C) expand implementation of
 regionally appropriate cover crops and other continual liv- ing cover so that— (i) at least 50 percent of cropland acres include 1 or more cover crops or other continual living cover in the rotations of the cropland acres by not later than De- cember 31, 2030; (ii) at least 75 percent of cropland acres include 1 or more cover crops or other continual living cover in the rotations of the cropland acres by not later than De- cember 31, 2040; (iii) cropland acres are covered by crops (including forages and hay crops), cover crops, or residue for an average of 75 percent of each calendar year by not later than December 31, 2030; and (iv) cropland acres are covered by crops (including forages and hay crops), cover crops, or residue for an average of 85 percent of each calendar year by not later than December 31, 2040; and (D) encourage conversion of at least— (i) 15 percent of annual grain crop acres, as in use on the date of enactment of this Act, to agroforestry, perennial graz- ing, perennial grain crops, or other peren- nial production systems by not later than December 31, 2030; and (ii) 30 percent of annual grain crop acres, as in use on the date of enactment of this Act, to agroforestry, perennial graz- ing, perennial grain crops, or other peren- nial production systems by not later than December 31, 2040.
(3) FARMLAND PRESERVATION.— (A) 2030 GOAL.—The rate of conversion of agricultural land to development, and the rate of conversion of grassland to cropping, should be reduced by at least 80 percent, as compared to those rates for calendar year 2023 by not later than December 31, 2030. (B) 2040 GOAL.—There should be no con- version of agricultural land to development, or grassland to cropping, by December 31, 2040.
(4) PASTURE-BASED LIVESTOCK.—The live- stock sector should— (A) establish advanced grazing manage- ment, including management-intensive rota- tional grazing, on at least— (i) 50 percent of all grazing land by not later than December 31, 2030; and (ii) 100 percent of all grazing land by not later than December 31, 2040; (B)(i) reduce greenhouse gas emissions re- lated to feeding of ruminants by at least— (I) 1⁄3 by not later than December 31, 2030; and (II) 1⁄2 by not later than December 31, 2040; and (ii) accomplish the reductions described in clause (i) by— (I) reducing nongrazing feeding of ruminants; (II) growing feed grains and forages with soil health and nutrient management practices that minimize net greenhouse gas emissions from cropland; and (III) designing livestock feed mixtures and supplements to mitigate enteric meth- ane emissions; (C) re-integrate livestock and crop produc- tion systems at farm, local, and regional levels to facilitate environmentally sound management and field application of manure and reduce the need for long-term manure storage by increas- ing acreage on individual farms under crop-live- stock integrated management by at least— (i) 100 percent as compared to cal- endar year 2017 levels by not later than December 31, 2030; and (ii) 300 percent as compared to cal- endar year 2017 levels by not later than December 31, 2040; and (D) reduce greenhouse gas emissions re- sulting from manure management by— (i) immediately ceasing building any new or expanded waste lagoons for con- fined animal feeding operations; and (ii) converting— g:\VHLC\032323\032323.020.xml (871305|4) March 23, 2023 (2:02 p.m.) VerDate
(871305|4) March 23, 2023 (2:02 p.m.) (I) by not later than December 31, 2030, at least 1⁄3 of wet manure handling and storage to non-digester dairy or livestock methane manage- ment methods (as defined in section 1240T(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985); and (II) by not later than December 31, 2040, at least 2⁄3 of wet manure handling and storage to non-digester dairy or livestock methane manage- ment methods (as so defined).
(5) ON-FARM RENEWABLE ENERGY.—The agri- cultural sector should— (A) implement energy audits and energy efficiency improvements on at least— (i) 50 percent of farms by not later than December 31, 2030; and (ii) 100 percent of farms by not later than December 31, 2040; (B) expand on-farm clean renewable en- ergy production to a level that is at least— (i) double the 2017 level by not later than December 31, 2030; and (ii) triple the 2017 level by not later than December 31, 2040; and (C) install and manage on-farm renewable energy infrastructure in a manner that does not— (i) compromise the climate resilience and greenhouse gas mitigation goals of this Act; or (ii) adversely impact farmland, soil, and water resources, or food production.
(6) FOOD LOSS AND WASTE.—Consistent with the Food Waste Challenge launched by the Depart- ment of Agriculture and the Environmental Protec- tion Agency in June 2013, and the national food loss and waste goal announced in September 2015, the food and agricultural sector should commit to— (A) at least a 50 percent reduction in food loss and waste by not later than December 31, 2030; (B) at least a 75 percent reduction in food loss and waste by not later than December 31, 2040; and (C) in a manner consistent with the Food Recovery Hierarchy established by the Environ- mental Protection Agency, diverting from land- fills through composting and other means at least— (i) 50 percent of unavoidable food waste and food processing byproducts by not later than December 31, 2030; and (ii) 90 percent of unavoidable food waste and food processing byproducts by not later than December 31, 2040.
SEC.

102.

ACTION PLAN.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— (1) develop a plan (referred to in this section as the ‘‘plan’’), which may involve actions to be taken by other Federal agencies, to make significant and rapid progress to achieve the national goals de- scribed in section 101; and (2) make the plan available for public comment for a period of not less than 90 days.
(b) ACTIONS.—Actions under the plan shall— (1) include issuing regulations, providing incen- tives, carrying out research and development pro- grams, and any other actions the Secretary deter- mines are necessary to achieve the national goals de- scribed in section 101; and (2) be designed— (A) to fully implement the provisions of this Act and the amendments made by this Act; (B) to provide benefits for farmers and ranchers, rural communities, small businesses, and consumers; (C) to improve public health, resilience, and environmental outcomes, especially for rural and low-income households, communities of color, Tribal and indigenous communities, and communities that are disproportionately vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, air and water pollution, and other resource deg- radation; and (D) to prioritize investments that reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and sequester carbon while simultaneously helping to solve other pressing agro-environmental resource con- cerns, increase farming and ranching opportuni- ties, create quality jobs, improve farmworker working conditions and living standards, and make communities more resilient to the effects of climate change.
(c) FINAL PLAN.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall— (1) finalize the plan, taking into account any public comments received on the plan; (2) begin implementation of the plan; and (3) submit the plan to Congress.
(d) UPDATES.—Beginning 2 years after the date on which the Secretary submits the plan to Congress under subsection (c)(3), and not less frequently than biennially thereafter, the Secretary shall— (1) review and revise the plan to ensure that the plan is sufficient to achieve the national goals described in section 101; and (2) submit the revised plan to Congress.
(e) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary submits the plan to Con- gress under subsection (c)(3), and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to Congress, and make publicly available, an annual report that describes, for the period covered by the report— (1) actions taken pursuant to the plan and the effects of those actions; (2) the conclusion of the most recent review of the plan conducted under subsection (d), if applica- ble; and (3) a summary of any revisions made to the plan under that subsection.
TITLE II—RESEARCH SEC.

201.

RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION PUR- POSE.

Section 1402 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C.
3101) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (8) and (9) as paragraphs (9) and (11), respectively; (2) by inserting after paragraph (7) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(8) accelerate the ability of agriculture and the food system of the United States to first achieve net- zero carbon emissions and then be carbon negative by removing additional carbon dioxide from the at- mosphere;’’; (3) in paragraph (9) (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (4) by inserting after paragraph (9) (as so re- designated) the following: ‘‘(10) develop food systems that are healthful, sustainable, equitable, and resilient to extreme weather, other impacts of climate change, and other potential intersecting global and national disrup- tions; and’’; and (5) in paragraph (11) (as so redesignated), in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘and delivering to agricultural producers’’ after ‘‘improving’’.
SEC.

202.

REGIONAL HUBS FOR RISK ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 is amended by inserting before section 404 (7 U.S.C.

7624) the following: ‘‘SEC.

401.

REGIONAL HUBS FOR RISK ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab- lish a national network of regional hubs for risk adapta- tion and mitigation to climate change to provide to farm- ers, ranchers, forest landowners, and other agricultural and natural resource managers— ‘‘(1) science-based, region-specific, cost-effec- tive, and practical information and program support for science-informed decisionmaking in light of the increased costs, opportunities, risks, and vulnerabilities associated with a changing climate; and ‘‘(2) access to assistance to implement that de- cisionmaking.
‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.—An entity shall be eligible to be selected as a regional hub under subsection (a) if the enti- ty is any office of the Agricultural Research Service, the Forest Service, or any other agency of the Department of Agriculture that the Secretary determines to be appro- priate.
‘‘(c) ADMINISTRATION.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The network established under subsection (a) shall be designated and admin- istered jointly by the Agricultural Research Service and the Forest Service, in partnership with other Federal agencies, including the following: ‘‘(A) Within the Department of Agri- culture, the following agencies: ‘‘(i) The Natural Resources Conserva- tion Service.

‘‘(ii) The Farm Service Agency.

‘‘(iii) The Risk Management Agency.

‘‘(iv) The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
‘‘(v) The National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

‘‘(B) The Department of the Interior.

‘‘(C) The Department of Energy.

‘‘(D) The Environmental Protection Agen- cy.

‘‘(E) The United States Geological Survey.


 ‘‘(F) National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

‘‘(G) National Aeronautics and Space Ad- ministration.

‘‘(H) Such other Federal agencies as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
‘‘(2) PARTNERS.—The regional hubs estab- lished under subsection (a) shall work in close part- nership with other stakeholders and partners, includ- ing— ‘‘(A) colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C.
3103)); ‘‘(B) cooperative extension services (as de- fined in that section); ‘‘(C) State agricultural experiment stations (as defined in that section); ‘‘(D) private entities; ‘‘(E) State, local, and regional govern- ments; ‘‘(F) Indian Tribes; ‘‘(G) agriculture and commodity organiza- tions; ‘‘(H) nonprofit and community-based orga- nizations; and ‘‘(I) other partners, as determined by the Secretary.
‘‘(d) RESPONSIBILITIES.—A regional hub established under subsection (a) shall— ‘‘(1) offer tools, strategic management options, and technical support to farmers, ranchers, and for- est landowners to help those farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners mitigate and adapt to climate change; ‘‘(2) direct farmers, ranchers, and forest land- owners to Federal agencies that can provide pro- gram support to enable those farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to implement science-informed management practices that address climate change; ‘‘(3) determine how climate and weather projec- tions will impact the agricultural and forestry sec- tors; ‘‘(4) provide periodic regional assessments of risk and vulnerability in the agricultural and for- estry sectors— ‘‘(A) to help farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners better understand the potential di- rect and indirect impacts of climate change; and ‘‘(B) to inform the United States Global Change Research Program established under section 103 of the Global Change Research Act of 1990 (15 U.S.C.
2933); ‘‘(5) provide to farmers, ranchers, forest land- owners, and rural communities outreach, education, and extension on science-based risk management through partnerships with the land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C.
3103)), cooperative extension services (as defined in that section), and other entities; ‘‘(6) work with any cooperative extension serv- ices (as defined in section 1404 of the Food and Ag- riculture Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C.
3103)), conservation districts, and nongovernmental organizations in- volved in farmer outreach in the region served by the hub to assist producers in developing business plans and conservation plans that take into account emerging climate risk science with respect to crop, production, and conservation system changes that will help producers adapt to a changing climate; and ‘‘(7) establish, in partnership with programs and projects carried out under subtitle B of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
5801 et seq.

), addi- tional partnerships with farmers and nonprofit and community-based organizations to conduct applied on-farm research on climate change.

‘‘(e) PRIORITIES.—A regional hub established under subsection (a) shall prioritize synthesis and dissemination of research and data collection activities in the following areas: ‘‘(1) Improved measurement and monitoring of— ‘‘(A) soil organic carbon sequestration; and ‘‘(B) total net greenhouse gas impacts of different farming systems and practices.
‘‘(2) Lifecycle analysis for total net greenhouse gas emissions related to— ‘‘(A) alternative cropping systems; ‘‘(B) alternative livestock production sys- tems; ‘‘(C) integrated cropping-livestock systems; ‘‘(D) alternative biofuel crop production systems and biofuel end uses; ‘‘(E) alternative agroforestry practices and systems; and ‘‘(F) alternative forestry management sys- tems.
‘‘(3) Research and education on— ‘‘(A) optimal soil health management sys- tems and practices; ‘‘(B) advanced biological nutrient manage- ment based on optimal soil health practices; ‘‘(C) enhanced synergies between crop roots and soil biota; ‘‘(D) linkages between soil, plant, animal, and human health; ‘‘(E) adaption and mitigation needs of stakeholders; ‘‘(F) new crops or new varieties to help producers be profitable while implementing soil heath management systems and adapting to a changing climate; ‘‘(G) social and economic barriers to stake- holder adoption of new practices that improve adaptation, mitigation, and soil sequestration; and ‘‘(H) evaluation and assessment of climate- related decision tools of the Department of Ag- riculture.
‘‘(4) Grazing-based livestock management sys- tems to optimize the net greenhouse gas footprint, including— ‘‘(A) grazing land carbon sequestration; ‘‘(B) reduction of nitrous oxide emissions from manure deposited on grazing land; and ‘‘(C) mitigation of enteric methane.
‘‘(5) Perennial production systems that seques- ter carbon, enhance soil health, and increase resil- ience, including— ‘‘(A) perennial forages; ‘‘(B) perennial grains; and ‘‘(C) agroforestry.
‘‘(f) STAKEHOLDER INPUT.—Each regional hub es- tablished under subsection (a)— ‘‘(1) shall solicit input from stakeholders on pressing needs, important issues, and outreach strat- egies through a variety of mechanisms, including re- gional stakeholder committees; and ‘‘(2) may partner with stakeholders in con- ducting research and developing tools.
‘‘(g) RISK MANAGEMENT.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall appoint a team of individuals representing the regional hubs established under subsection (a), partners with those regional hubs, and the Risk Management Agency to develop recommendations to better account for— ‘‘(A) climate risk in actuarial tables; and ‘‘(B) soil health and other risk-reducing conservation activities under the Federal crop insurance program under the Federal Crop In- surance Act (7 U.S.C.
1501 et seq.).

‘‘(2) SUBMISSION OF RECOMMENDATIONS.— The team appointed under paragraph (1) shall sub- mit to the Secretary, on an iterative basis, but not less frequently than once every 2 years, the rec- ommendations developed by the team under that paragraph.

‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.’’.

SEC.

203.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION RESILIENCE INITIATIVE.
(a) SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.—Section 1619 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
5801) is 19 amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (B) in paragraph (6), by striking the pe- riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(7) increase resilience in the context of a changing climate and related economic, social, and environmental shocks.’’; and (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (2)— (i) by striking ‘‘integrated crop man- agement’’ and inserting ‘‘integrated crop and livestock management system or prac- tice’’; and (ii) by inserting ‘‘resilience,’’ after ‘‘profitability,’’; and (B) by striking paragraph (3) and insert- ing the following: ‘‘(3) The term ‘resilience’ means, with respect to an agricultural management system, the ability of that system to absorb and recover from climate and other disturbances, such that the system is not im- pacted by severe shocks.’’.
(b) ELIGIBILITY OF TRIBAL COLLEGES TO ENTER INTO RESEARCH AND EXTENSION PROJECT AGREE- MENTS.—Section 1621(b) of the Food, Agriculture, Con- servation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
5811(b)) is amended by striking ‘‘or Federal or State’’ and inserting ‘‘1994 Institutions (as defined in section 532 of the Eq- uity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C.
301 note; Public Law 103–382)), or Federal, State, or Tribal’’.

(c) AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SYSTEM RESILIENCE INITIATIVE.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 1627 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
5821) is amended— (A) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS’’ and inserting ‘‘AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SYSTEM RESILIENCE INITIATIVE’’; (B) by striking subsection (a) and insert- ing the following: ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In close conjunction with programs and projects established under sections 1621 and 1623, the Secretary shall establish a re- search, education, extension, and outreach initiative to increase the resilience and climate change mitiga- tion potential of agriculture and the food system in the context of a changing climate and related eco- nomic, social, and environmental shocks, which may include— ‘‘(A) farmer and rancher research and demonstration grants; and ‘‘(B) the use of an interdisciplinary ap- proach wherever appropriate.
‘‘(2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the initiative established under paragraph (1) shall be— ‘‘(A) to equip farmers to prepare, adapt, and transform the farming systems of the farm- ers when confronted by shocks and stresses to the agricultural production and livelihoods of the farmers; ‘‘(B) to support local and regional food systems that support resilience and enhance local access to and control over productive re- sources; ‘‘(C) to encourage producers to adopt prac- tices and systems that provide living cover year- round throughout the farm, including through the use of cover crops and perennial plants in diversified combinations, and that are designed to support crop, livestock, and crop-livestock in- tegrated systems that— ‘‘(i) minimize or abate adverse climate and environmental impacts; ‘‘(ii) increase soil carbon sequestration and storage; ‘‘(iii) reduce soil erosion and loss of water and nutrients; ‘‘(iv) enhance soil quality and the effi- cient use of on-farm and off-farm inputs; ‘‘(v) reduce dependency on fossil fuels; and ‘‘(vi) maintain or increase profitability and long-term productivity; ‘‘(D) to develop knowledge and information and conduct outreach on living cover systems and practices, including greater use of perennials, and integrated crop and livestock management systems and practices to increase resilience and assist agricultural producers in the adoption of those systems and practices; ‘‘(E) to facilitate the adoption of year- round living cover and perennial production sys- tems supporting whole-farm integrated crop and livestock management systems and prac- tices through demonstration projects on indi- vidual farms, including small and limited re- source farms, throughout the
 United States; and ‘‘(F) to evaluate and recommend appro- priate policies and programs to improve food and agricultural system resilience.’’; and (C) by striking subsections (b), (c), and (d) and inserting the following: ‘‘(b) FUNDING.— ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter.
‘‘(2) DISCRETIONARY FUNDING.—There is au- thorized to be appropriated to carry out this section through the National Institute of Food and Agri- culture $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2013 through 2028.’’.

(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The chapter heading of chapter 2 of subtitle B of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.

5821) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SYSTEM RESILIENCE INITIATIVE’’.
(d) TECHNICAL GUIDES AND BOOKS.—Section 1628 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
5831) is amended— (1) by inserting ‘‘and outreach resources and’’ after ‘‘educational’’ each place it appears; (2) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary’’ and inserting ‘‘The Sec- retary’’; (3) in subsection (b), by striking the second sentence; (4) in subsection (d)— (A) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; and (B) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following: ‘‘(3) adapting to and mitigating the effects of climate change;’’; (5) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘Soil Con- servation’’ and inserting ‘‘Natural Resources Con- servation’’; and (6) in subsection (f)(2), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’.
(e) NATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM.—Section 1629 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
5832) is amended— (1) in subsection (g)— (A) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘Soil Conservation Service and the Agricultural Sta- bilization and Conservation Service’’ and insert- ing ‘‘Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service Agency’’; (B) by redesignating paragraphs (10) and (11) as paragraphs (11) and (12), respectively; and (C) by inserting after paragraph (9) the following; ‘‘(10) develop and provide information con- cerning climate change adaptation and mitigation developed under this subtitle and other research and education programs of the Department;’’; (2) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘Soil Con- servation Service’’ and inserting ‘‘Natural Resources Conservation Service’’; and (3) in subsection (i), by inserting ‘‘, and $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028’’ before the period at the end.
SEC.

204.

LONG-TERM AGROECOSYSTEM RESEARCH NET- WORK.

Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C.

7624 et seq.)
7624 et seq.)

1 is amended by inserting after section 401 (as added by section 202) the following: ‘‘SEC.

402.
402.

LONG-TERM AGROECOSYSTEM RESEARCH NET- WORK.

‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Re- search Service, shall provide for the establishment and maintenance of a network of research sites oper- ated by the Agricultural Research Service for re- search on the sustainability of agricultural systems in the United States, to be known as the ‘Long- Term Agroecosystem Research Network’ (referred to in this section as the ‘Network’).
‘‘(2) GOALS.—The Network shall have the fol- lowing goals: ‘‘(A) To understand and enhance the sus- tainability of agriculture.

‘‘(B) To integrate research projects with common standardized measurements on mul- tiple agroecosystems and land uses, including cropland, rangeland, and pastureland.
‘‘(C) To develop new farming systems, practices, and technologies to address agricul- tural challenges and opportunities, including challenges and opportunities posed by climate change.
‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—The activities of the Network shall include— ‘‘(1) research conducted for a minimum of 30 years to develop novel scientific insights at regional and national scales and evaluate the applicability of and adaptation to local conditions; ‘‘(2) the establishment and maintenance of mul- tiple sites or research centers that capture the diver- sity of agricultural production systems that function as a network; and ‘‘(3) the coordination, management, and anal- ysis of large-scale data collection relating to the sus- tainability of agricultural systems and the provision of infrastructure to research sites to allow for ana- lyzing and disseminating that data.
‘‘(c) COORDINATION OF RESEARCH.—The Secretary shall, in carrying out subsection (a)— ‘‘(1) coordinate long-term agroecological re- search to improve understanding within the Depart- ment of how agroecosystems function at the field, regional, and national scales; ‘‘(2) designate research sites for inclusion in the Network that are representative of major agri- cultural regions; ‘‘(3) ensure that each research site included in the Network conducts experiments with common standardized goals and methods— ‘‘(A) to increase agricultural productivity and profitability; ‘‘(B) to enhance agricultural resilience and the capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change; ‘‘(C) to boost the provision of ecosystem services from agricultural landscapes; and ‘‘(D) to improve opportunities for rural communities; ‘‘(4) make data collected at research sites in- cluded in the Network open to researchers and the public whenever practicable, and integrate data across the network and partner sites; ‘‘(5) provide infrastructure to research sites in- cluded in the Network for data collection, common measurements, and data streams that complement other national networks, such as the National Eco- logical Observatory Network and the Long-Term Ec- ological Research network; ‘‘(6) coordinate with Department of Agriculture Climate Hubs to share research findings and data insights; and ‘‘(7) collaborate with Department of Agriculture Climate Hubs to translate research findings into educational, outreach, and technical assistance mate- rials for agricultural producers.
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out activities of the Network under this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.’’.

SEC.

205.

PUBLIC BREED AND CULTIVAR RESEARCH.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Competitive, Special, and Fa- cilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C.
3157) is amended— (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(3) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: ‘‘(A) CONVENTIONAL BREEDING.—The term ‘conventional breeding’ means the develop- ment of a new variety of an organism through controlled mating and selection without the use of transgenic methods.
‘‘(B) CULTIVAR.—The term ‘cultivar’ means a variety of a species of plant that has been intentionally selected for use in cultivation because of the improved characteristics of that variety of the species.
‘‘(C) PUBLIC ANIMAL BREED.—The term ‘public animal breed’ means an animal breed that is the commercially available end product of a publicly funded breeding program that has been sufficiently tested to demonstrate im- proved characteristics and stable performance.
‘‘(D) PUBLIC CULTIVAR.—The term ‘public cultivar’ means a cultivar— ‘‘(i) that is the commercially available end product of a publicly funded breeding program that has been sufficiently tested to demonstrate improved characteristics and stable performance; and ‘‘(ii) with respect to which, if intellec- tual property rights are asserted, the intel- lectual property rights are in the form of plant patents or plant variety protection and not utility patents.
‘‘(E) PUBLIC CULTIVAR OR ANIMAL BREED.—The term ‘public cultivar or animal breed’ means— ‘‘(i) a public animal breed; and ‘‘(ii) a public cultivar.’’; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(l) PUBLIC BREED AND CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT FUNDING.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the total amount of grants made under the provisions of law described in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall ensure that not less than $75,000,000 for each fiscal year is used for competitive research grants that support the de- velopment of public cultivars and animal breeds.
‘‘(2) APPLICABLE PROGRAMS.—The provisions of law referred to in paragraph (1) are— ‘‘(A) subsections (a) and (b); ‘‘(B) section 1672B(e) of the Food, Agri- culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.

5925b(e)); ‘‘(C) sections 1619 through 1624 of that Act (7 U.S.C.

5801 et seq.

); ‘‘(D) any relevant competitive grant pro- gram authorized by section 406 of the Agricul- tural Research, Extension, and Education Re- form Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C.
7626), as deter- mined by the Secretary; and ‘‘(E) section 412 of that Act (7 U.S.C.

7632).
‘‘(3) PRIORITY.—In making grants under para- graph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to high- potential research projects that lead to the release of regionally adapted public cultivars and animal breeds that assist producers in mitigating and adapting to climate change, including— ‘‘(A) regionally adapted public cultivars and animal breeds; ‘‘(B) public cultivars and animal breeds bred for environmental resilience, including re- silience to changing climates, mitigating green- house gas emissions, and sequestering carbon; ‘‘(C) public animal breeds adapted to graz- ing and overwintering as appropriate for the applicable production region; ‘‘(D) public cultivars and animal breeds bred to enhance the nutritional and health out- comes of local and Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian populations; ‘‘(E) public cultivars and animal breeds of indigenous and place-based importance that are endangered; and ‘‘(F) public cultivars and animal breeds with beneficial and compatible characteristics and behaviors for dual-use renewable energy-ag- ricultural systems.
‘‘(4) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall ensure that— ‘‘(A) the terms and renewal process for any competitive grants made under subsection (b) in accordance with paragraph (1) facilitates the development and commercialization of pub- lic cultivars and animal breeds through long- term grants not less than 5 years in length; and ‘‘(B) Tribal consultation occurs to ensure public cultivar or animal breed development does not infringe on the abilities of Tribes to maintain culturally sensitive animal breeds and cultivars.
‘‘(5) REQUIREMENT FOR DOMESTIC PRODUC- TION.—No person that receives title to a plant pat- ent or plant variety protection relating to any public cultivar or animal breed developed using funds re- ceived under this subsection, and no assignee of any such person, shall grant to any person the exclusive right to use or sell that public cultivar or animal breed unless that person agrees that any cultivars or animals embodying the public cultivar or animal breed or produced through the use of the public cultivar or animal breed will be produced substan- tially in the United States.
‘‘(6) REPORT.—Not later than October 1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that provides information on all public cultivar and animal breeding research funded by the Department of Agriculture, including— ‘‘(A) a list of public cultivars and animal breeds developed and released in a commercially available form; ‘‘(B) areas of high-priority research; ‘‘(C) identified research gaps relating to public cultivar and animal breed development; and ‘‘(D) an assessment of the state of com- mercialization for public cultivars and animal breeds.’’.
(b) PUBLIC BREED AND CULTIVAR RESEARCH AC- 19 TIVITIES COORDINATION.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 251 of the Depart- ment of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C.
6971) is amended— (A) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(7) PUBLIC BREED AND CULTIVAR RESEARCH ACTIVITIES COORDINATOR.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall appoint a coordinator within the Office of the Chief Scientist that reports to the Under Secretary to coordinate research activities at the Department relating to the breeding of pub- lic cultivars and animal breeds (as defined in paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of the Competi- tive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C.
3157(a))).
‘‘(B) DUTIES OF COORDINATOR.—The co- ordinator appointed under subparagraph (A) shall— ‘‘(i) coordinate plant and animal breeding research activities funded by the Department relating to the development of public cultivars and animal breeds; ‘‘(ii)(I) carry out ongoing analysis and track activities for any Federal research funding supporting plant and animal breeding (including any public cultivars and animal breeds developed with Federal funds); and ‘‘(II) ensure that the analysis and ac- tivities are made available to the public not later than 60 days after the last day of each fiscal year; ‘‘(iii) develop a strategic plan that es- tablishes targets for public cultivar and animal breed research investments across the Department to ensure that a diverse range of crop and animal needs are being met in a timely and transparent manner, with a strong focus on delivery of resource- efficient, stress-tolerant, regionally adapted public cultivar and animal breeds that— ‘‘(I) help build agricultural resil- ience to climate change; and ‘‘(II) support on-farm carbon se- questration and greenhouse gas miti- gation, nutritional quality, and other farmer-identified priority agronomic and market traits; ‘‘(iv) convene a working group to carry out the coordination functions de- scribed in this subparagraph comprised of individuals who are responsible for the management, administration, or analysis of public cultivar and animal breeding pro- grams within the Department from— ‘‘(I) the National Institute of Food and Agriculture; ‘‘(II) the Agricultural Research Service; and ‘‘(III) the Economic Research Service; ‘‘(v) in order to maximize delivery of public cultivars and animal breeds, pro- mote collaboration among— ‘‘(I) the coordinator; ‘‘(II) the working group convened under clause (iv); ‘‘(III) the advisory council estab- lished under section 1634 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
5843); ‘‘(IV) genetic resource conserva- tion centers; ‘‘(V) land-grant colleges and uni- versities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C.
3103)); ‘‘(VI) Hispanic-serving institu- tions (as defined in section 502(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1101a(a))); ‘‘(VII) Native American-serving nontribal institutions (as defined in section 371(c) of the Higher Edu- cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.

1067q(c))); ‘‘(VIII) Tribal Colleges and Uni- versities (as defined in section 316(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C.
1059c(b))) and federally recognized Tribes extension programs; ‘‘(IX) nongovernmental organiza- tions with interest or expertise in pub- lic breeding; and ‘‘(X) public and private plant and animal breeders, including small-scale organic breeders; ‘‘(vi) convene regular stakeholder lis- tening sessions to provide input on na- tional and regional priorities for public cultivar and animal breed research activi- ties across the Department; and ‘‘(vii) evaluate and make rec- ommendations to the Under Secretary on training and resource needs to meet future breeding challenges.’’; and (B) in subsection (f)(1)(D)(i), by striking ‘‘(7 U.S.C.
450i(b))’’ and inserting ‘‘(7 U.S.C.

3157(b))’’.

(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 296(b)(6)(B) of the Department of Agriculture Re- organization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C.

7014(b)(6)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘Scientist; and’’ and insert- ing ‘‘Scientist (including the public breed and cultivar research activities coordinator under sub- section (e)(7) of that section); and’’.
(c) PUBLIC BREED AND CULTIVAR DEVELOP- MENT.—Subtitle H of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.

5921 et seq.)

is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘SEC.

1681.

PUBLIC BREED AND CULTIVAR DEVELOPMENT.
‘‘(a) FUNDING.—The Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service (referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’) and in conjunction with the Director of the National Genetic Resources Program appointed under section 1633, shall support the development of public breeds and cultivars (as defined in paragraph (3) of subsection (a) of the Competi- tive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C.
3157(a))) by Federal researchers.

‘‘(b) PRIORITY.—In supporting research under sub- section (a) using funds made available pursuant to sub- section (d), the Secretary shall give priority to high-poten- tial research projects that lead to the release of regionally adapted public breeds and cultivars that assist producers in mitigating and adapting to climate change.
‘‘(c) REPORT.—Not later than October 1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that provides information on all public breed and cultivar re- search funded by the Agricultural Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, includ- 15 ing— ‘‘(1) a list of public breeds and cultivars devel- oped and released in a commercially available form; ‘‘(2) areas of high-priority research; ‘‘(3) identified research gaps relating to public breed and cultivar development, including newly emerging needs stemming from climate change; and ‘‘(4) an assessment of the state of commer- cialization for breeds and cultivars that have been developed.
‘‘(d) FUNDING.—Of the funds made available to the Secretary for a fiscal year, not less than $50,000,000 shall be made available to carry out this section.’’.

SEC.

206.

ARS CLIMATE SCIENTIST CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.


(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, in accord- ance with section 922 of the Federal Agriculture Improve- ment and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C.

2279c), carry out an internship program within the Agricultural Re- search Service for graduate students pursuing a degree or conducting research relating to climate change and ag- 12 riculture.
(b) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Cred- it Corporation, the Secretary may use to carry out the pro- gram described in subsection (a) not more than $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.

SEC.

207.

AGRICULTURAL CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND MITI- GATION THROUGH AFRI.

Subsection (b)(2) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Grant Act (7 U.S.C.
3157(b)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(G) AGRICULTURAL CLIMATE ADAPTA- TION AND MITIGATION.—Agricultural climate adaptation and mitigation, including— ‘‘(i) strategies for agricultural adapta- tion to climate change and drought, includ- ing strategies for small and medium-sized farms and ranches; ‘‘(ii) on-farm mitigation strategies and solutions, including infrastructure, equip- ment, and ecosystems-based strategies; ‘‘(iii) economic and social costs and benefits of adopting conservation practices to mitigate and adapt to climate change; ‘‘(iv) ecosystem services co-benefits of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate change; ‘‘(v) new technologies, methods, and models to measure and predict greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon sequestra- tion; and ‘‘(vi) the intersection of agricultural production, soil health, climate change, and human health.’’.
SEC.

208.

SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

Section 412 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C.
7632) is amended— 25 (1) in subsection (b)— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, diverse multi-crop production systems,’’ after ‘‘specific crops’’; (B) in paragraph (3)(B)(ii), by striking ‘‘pesticide application systems’’ and inserting ‘‘ecologically based pest management, pesticide application systems,’’; (C) in paragraph (4)(E), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (D) in paragraph (5), by striking the pe- riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (E) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(6) efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change, including— ‘‘(A) on-farm mitigation strategies and so- lutions, including agricultural ecosystems-based strategies; ‘‘(B) conservation practices and tech- nologies designed to improve soil health, includ- ing practices and technologies that sequester carbon in soil; and ‘‘(C) breeding research and cultivar devel- opment to help adapt to climate change.’’; and (2) in subsection (g)(3)(A), by striking ‘‘equal to not less than the amount of the grant’’ and in- serting ‘‘in an amount that is equal to not less than 25 percent of the funds provided through the grant’’.
SEC.

209.

INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT.

Section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C.
7626) is amended— (1) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and (f) as subsections (f), (g), and (h), respectively; (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(d) EMPHASIS ON CLIMATE RESILIENCE.—The Sec- retary shall ensure that grants made under this section are, where appropriate, consistent with the development of food and agricultural systems that improve climate re- 16 silience.
17 18 19 ‘‘(e) ECOLOGICALLY BASED PEST MANAGEMENT.— The Secretary shall ensure that grants made under this section to support pest management prioritize ecologically 20 based approaches that— ‘‘(1) are effective, affordable, and environ- mentally sound; ‘‘(2) maintain agricultural productivity and healthy communities; and ‘‘(3) improve climate resilience.’’; and (3) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’.
SEC.

210.

APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR RURAL AREAS PROGRAM.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 310B(i)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.

1932(i)(2)) is amended— (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘, including a beginning farmer or rancher and a veteran farmer or rancher (as those terms are defined in section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
2279(a))) and a socially disadvantaged farm- er or rancher (as defined in section 355(e)),’’ after ‘‘producers’’; (2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (3) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as sub- paragraph (E); (4) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(D) increase on-farm resilience to extreme weather by enhancing soil health and adopting other conservation practices;’’; (5) in subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (6) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(F) improve farm viability and strengthen local, regional, and national supply chains.’’.
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.—Section 310B(i)(3) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1932(i)(3)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(C) ELIGIBILITY FOR AND USE OF OTHER FUNDS.—A national nonprofit agricultural as- sistance institution that receives a grant or en- ters into a cooperative agreement under this subsection— ‘‘(i) may not, as a result of that grant or cooperative agreement, be treated as in- eligible for a grant under any other Fed- eral program; and ‘‘(ii) may utilize, in accordance with applicable law, other public and private funds made available to the institution to expand the resources and outreach of the program established under this sub- section.’’.
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 310B(i) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1932(i)) is amended by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following: ‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection— ‘‘(A) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; and ‘‘(B) $8,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.’’.

TITLE III—SOIL HEALTH SEC.

301.

CROP INSURANCE.

(a) VOLUNTARY GOOD FARMING PRACTICES.—Sec- tion 508(a)(3)(A)(iii) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C.
1508(a)(3)(A)(iii)) is amended— (1) by striking ‘‘including scientifically’’ and in- serting the following: ‘‘including— ‘‘(I) scientifically’’; (2) in subclause (I) (as so designated), by strik- ing the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(II) conservation practices and enhancements that are approved by— ‘‘(aa) the Natural Resources Conservation Service; or ‘‘(bb) an agricultural expert, as determined by the Secretary.’’.
(b) RISK-REDUCTION-BASED DISCOUNTS.—Section 508(d) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C.
1508(d)) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para- graph (5); and (2) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(4) RISK-REDUCTION BASED DISCOUNT.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Effective beginning with the 2024 reinsurance year, the Corpora- tion may provide a risk-reduction based pre- mium discount for a producer of an agricultural commodity who uses risk-reduction farming practices, as determined by the Corporation in accordance with subparagraph (B).
‘‘(B) RISK-REDUCTION FARMING PRAC- TICES.— For purposes of subparagraph (A), a risk-reduction farming practice may include any of the following: ‘‘(i) The use of a cover crop.

‘‘(ii) A resource-conserving crop rota- tion.


1 ‘‘(iii) Management-intensive rotational grazing.

‘‘(iv) A compost or biochar applica- tion.


‘‘(v) An agroforestry or other peren- nial production system.

‘‘(vi) Other risk-reducing and soil health-promoting farming practices, as de- termined by the Corporation.’’.

10 (c) CROP PRODUCTION ON NATIVE SOD APPLICA- 11 BILITY.— (1) APPLICATION TO CERTAIN STATES.—Sec- tion 508(o) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C.

1508(o)) is amended by striking paragraph (3).


(2) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall take effect on the first day of the first reinsurance year that begins after the date that is 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act.

SEC.

302.

ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PRO- GRAM.

(a) PURPOSES.—Section 1240 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa) is amended— (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and environmental quality’’ and inserting ‘‘environmental quality, and climate change adapta- tion and mitigation’’; (2) in paragraph (1)— (A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (B) in subparagraph (C), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(D) greenhouse gas emissions reduction and carbon sequestration;’’; (3) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ‘‘seques- tering carbon, increasing drought resilience, reduc- ing greenhouse gas emissions, and’’ before ‘‘con- serving energy’’; and (4) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘climate change and’’ before ‘‘increasing weather volatility’’.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1240A of the Food Secu- rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–1) is amended— (1) in paragraph (6)(B)— (A) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (B) by redesignating clause (vi) as clause (vii); and (C) by inserting after clause (v) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(vi) greenhouse gas emissions reduc- tion planning; and’’; (2) in paragraph (7), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘natural resource concern or problem’’ and inserting ‘‘resource con- cern’’; (3) by redesignating paragraphs (9) and (10) as paragraphs (10) and (11), respectively; and (4) by inserting after paragraph (8) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(9) RESOURCE CONCERN.—The term ‘resource concern’ means a natural resource condition of the soil, water, air, plant, animal, or energy resource base that impairs the sustainability or intended used of the resource.’’.
(c) ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION OF EN- VIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM.— (1) PAYMENTS.—Section 1240B(d)(7)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa– 2(d)(7)(A)) is amended— (A) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘; or’’ and inserting a semicolon; (B) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(v) increases carbon sequestration or reduces greenhouse gas emissions.’’.
(2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDING.—Section 1240B(f)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839aa–2(f)(1)) is amended— (A) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2031’’; and (B) by striking ‘‘including grazing manage- ment’’ and inserting ‘‘of which not less than 2⁄3 shall be targeted at practices relating to grazing management’’.

(3) PAYMENTS FOR CONSERVATION PRACTICES RELATED TO ORGANIC PRODUCTION.—Section 1240B(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–2(i)) is amended— (A) by striking paragraph (3); and (B) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively.

(4) CONSERVATION INCENTIVE CONTRACTS.— Section 1240B(j) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–2(j)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘, which may include climate change adap- tation and mitigation,’’ after ‘‘priority re- source concerns’’; and (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘, which may include climate change adap- tation and mitigation’’ before the period at the end; and (B) in paragraph (2)— (i) in subparagraph (A)(ii)— (I) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; (II) in subclause (II), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and (III) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(III) funding, through annual payments, for a suite of incentive practices that are appropriate for the region and land use and that best en- hance soil health and carbon seques- tration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as determined by the Sec- retary.’’; (ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following: ‘‘(B) TERM.— ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A contract under this subsection shall have a term of not less than 5, and not more than 10, years.
‘‘(ii) GRADUATION OPTION.—The Sec- retary may reduce the term for a contract under this subsection if the producer en- ters into a conservation stewardship con- tract under section 1240K with respect to the eligible land that is subject to the con- tract under this subsection.’’; and (iii) in subparagraph (C)— (I) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (II) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (III) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(iii) give priority to applications that cover eligible land that, on expiration of a contract under this subsection, may be en- rolled in a conservation stewardship con- tract under section 1240K.’’.
(d) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PLAN.— Section 1240E(a)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839aa–5(a)(3)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and a greenhouse gas emissions reduction plan’’ after ‘‘if appli- cable’’.

(e) LIMITATION ON PAYMENTS.—Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–7) is amended by striking ‘‘Not including payments’’ and all that follows through ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘A person or legal entity (including a joint venture and a general part- nership) may not receive, directly or indirectly, cost-share or incentive payments under this subchapter that, in ag- gregate, exceed $450,000 for all contracts entered into under this subchapter by the person or legal entity during any 5-fiscal-year period’’.
(f) CONSERVATION INNOVATION GRANTS.— (1) AIR QUALITY CONCERNS FROM AGRICUL- TURAL OPERATIONS.—Section 1240H(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–8(b)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) by striking ‘‘practices to address’’ in the first sentence and all that follows through ‘‘The funds’’ in the second sen- tence and inserting the following: ‘‘prac- tices— ‘‘(i) to address air quality concerns from agricultural operations; and ‘‘(ii) to meet Federal, State, and local— ‘‘(I) regulatory requirements; and ‘‘(II) goals with respect to green- house gas emissions reductions.
‘‘(B) BASIS OF AVAILABILITY AND USE.— Funds for payments under subparagraph (A)’’; and (ii) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so designated), by striking ‘‘The Sec- retary’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and (B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$37,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2031’’ and inserting ‘‘$37,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023, and $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2031’’.
(2) ON-FARM CONSERVATION INNOVATION TRIALS.—Section 1240H(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–8(c)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)(B)(i)— (i) in subclause (II), by inserting ‘‘on- farm nutrient recycling,’’ after ‘‘plans,’’; (ii) in subclause (VI), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and (iii) by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘(VII) perennial production sys- tems, including agroforestry and pe- rennial forages and grain crops; and’’; and (B) in paragraph (2), in the matter pre- ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘2019 through 2031’’ and inserting ‘‘2019 through 2023, $50,000,000 of the funds made available to carry out this subchapter for each of fiscal years 2024 and 2025, and $100,000,000 of the funds made available to carry out this sub- chapter for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031’’.
SEC.

303.

CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM.

(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1240I of the Food Secu- rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–21) is amended— (1) in paragraph (2)— (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘en- hancements,’’ after ‘‘practices,’’; and (B) in subparagraph (B)(v), by inserting ‘‘and climate change’’ before the period at the end; (2) in paragraph (3)(C), by inserting ‘‘main- tained, actively’’ after ‘‘implemented,’’; (3) in paragraph (5), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘natural resource concern or problem’’ and inserting ‘‘resource con- cern’’; (4) by redesignating paragraph (7) as para- graph (8); and (5) by inserting after paragraph (6) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(7) RESOURCE CONCERN.—The term ‘resource concern’ means a natural resource condition of the soil, water, air, plant, animal, or energy resource base that impairs the sustainability or intended used of the resource.’’.
(b) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM.—Sec- tion 1240J(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–22(a)) is amended by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and inserting the following: ‘‘(1) by maintaining, actively managing, and, where practicable, improving existing conservation activities; and ‘‘(2) by undertaking additional conservation ac- tivities.’’.

(c) STEWARDSHIP CONTRACTS.— (1) SUBMISSION OF CONTRACT OFFERS.—Sec- tion 1240K(a)(2)(B) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–23(a)(2)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘improving, maintaining, and managing’’ and inserting ‘‘maintaining, actively managing, and, where practicable, improving’’.

(2) EVALUATION OF CONTRACT OFFERS.—Sec- tion 1240K(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–23(b)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking clause (iii) and inserting the following: ‘‘(iii) other criteria consistent with an equal weighting of the factors described in clauses (i) and (ii), as determined by the Secretary, including criteria the Secretary determines are necessary to ensure that— ‘‘(I) the program effectively tar- gets improvements to soil health, in- creases in carbon sequestration, and reductions in greenhouse gas emis- sions; and ‘‘(II) other national, State, and local priority resource concerns are ef- fectively addressed.’’; and (B) by striking paragraph (3).
(3) CONTRACT RENEWAL.—Section 1240K(e) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–23(e)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (3)— (i) by striking subparagraph (B); (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘; or’’ at the end and inserting ‘‘, if appli- cable.’’; and (iii) by striking ‘‘period—’’ in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and all that follows through ‘‘to meet’’ in subpara- graph (A) and inserting ‘‘period, to meet’’; (B) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (3) as subparagraphs (A) through (C), respectively, and indenting appropriately; (C) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘The Sec- retary’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and (D) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(2) RANKING AND PAYMENTS.—In deter- mining whether to accept an application for contract renewal under this subsection, and when calculating payments for those renewed contracts, the Secretary shall consider the full conservation benefits across the entire applicable agricultural operation, includ- ing— ‘‘(A) the number of priority resource con- cerns with respect to which the producer is ex- pected to meet or exceed the stewardship threshold by the end of the contract period; and ‘‘(B) the active management and mainte- nance of ongoing conservation activities, includ- ing— ‘‘(i) the conservation activities adopt- ed during a prior contract period; and ‘‘(ii) the new or improved conservation activities to be adopted if a contract is re- newed.’’.
(d) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.— (1) CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION AND MITI- GATION.—Section 1240L(a)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–24(a)(2)) is amend- ed by inserting ‘‘(which may include climate change adaptation and mitigation)’’ after ‘‘priority resource concerns’’.

(2) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PAY- MENTS.—Section 1240L(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–24(c)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘on 1 or more types of eligible land cov- ered by the contract’’ after ‘‘activities’’; and (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘improving, maintaining, and managing’’ and inserting ‘‘maintaining, actively man- aging, and improving’’; (B) in paragraph (2)— (i) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following: ‘‘(B) Income forgone by the producer, in- cluding amounts that reflect— ‘‘(i) increased economic risk; and ‘‘(ii) loss in revenue due to— ‘‘(I) production changes; ‘‘(II) anticipated reductions in yield; ‘‘(III) transitioning to an or- ganic, resource-conserving cropping or grazing, or perennial production sys- tem; or ‘‘(IV) acreage converted to con- servation uses.’’; and (ii) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ‘‘, actively managed, and, where applicable, improved’’ after ‘‘maintained’’; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(6) PAYMENTS FOR CONSERVATION ACTIVI- TIES RELATED TO ORGANIC PRODUCTION SYS- TEMS.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide payments under this subsection for con- servation activities relating to— ‘‘(i) organic production; and ‘‘(ii) transitioning to organic produc- tion.
‘‘(B) CONSERVATION ACTIVITIES.—Con- servation activities described in subparagraph (A) may include— ‘‘(i) generally available and specifically tailored conservation activities; and ‘‘(ii) individual conservation activities and bundles of conservation activities.
‘‘(7) MINIMUM PAYMENT.—The amount of an annual payment under the program shall be not less than $2,000.’’.

(3) SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS.—Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–24(d)) is amended— (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ‘‘, PERENNIAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS,’’ after ‘‘ROTATIONS’’; (B) in paragraph (1)— (i) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D); and (ii) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following: ‘‘(C) PERENNIAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM.— The term ‘perennial production system’ means— ‘‘(i) the use of cropland for agro- forestry, including alley cropping, silvopasture, and related production prac- tices, as determined by the Secretary; ‘‘(ii) the use of woodland for agro- forestry, including forest farming, multi- story cropping, and related production practices, as determined by the Secretary; and ‘‘(iii) the use of cropland for perennial forages or perennial grain crops.’’; (C) in paragraph (2)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and (iii) by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘(C) a perennial production system.’’; and (D) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or ad- vanced grazing management’’ and inserting ‘‘, advanced grazing management, or a perennial production system’’.
(4) PAYMENT FOR COMPREHENSIVE CONSERVA- TION PLAN.—Section 1240L(e)(1) of the Food Secu- rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–24(e)(1)) is amended— (A) by striking the period at the end and inserting the following: ‘‘; and ‘‘(B) with respect to an organic production system— ‘‘(i) is integrated with an organic sys- tem plan approved under the national or- ganic program established under the Or- ganic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
6501 et seq.

); or ‘‘(ii) allows a producer to transition to organic production systems and pursue certification under that Act.’’; and (B) in the matter preceding subparagraph (B) (as added by subparagraph (A)), by strik- ing ‘‘plan that meets’’ and inserting the fol- lowing: ‘‘plan that— ‘‘(A) meets’’.

(5) PAYMENT LIMITATIONS.—Section 1240L(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–24(f)) is amended— (A) by inserting ‘‘(including a joint venture and a general partnership)’’ after ‘‘A person or legal entity’’; and (B) by striking ‘‘fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘any consecutive 5-fiscal- year period’’.
(6) SPECIALTY CROP AND ORGANIC PRO- DUCERS.—Section 1240L(g) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839aa–24(g)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, and producers transitioning to or- ganic production systems,’’ after ‘‘organic pro- ducers’’.

(7) SOIL HEALTH.—Section 1240L(k) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa– 24(k)) is amended by striking the period at the end and inserting the following: ‘‘, including by— ‘‘(1) conducting outreach to encourage the use of contracts to improve soil health and sequester carbon in the soil; and ‘‘(2) offering payments for soil testing to pro- vide producers and the Secretary with information on the soil health and carbon sequestration impacts of conservation activities.’’.
(e) ON-FARM CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP INNO- VATION GRANTS.—Subchapter B of chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839aa–21 et seq.)
3839aa–21 et seq.)

is amended by adding at the end the 25 following: ‘‘SEC.

1240L–2.

ON-FARM CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP IN- NOVATION GRANTS.
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF AGRICULTURAL PROFES- SIONAL.—In this section, the term ‘agricultural profes- sional’ means a university researcher or educator, includ- ing an extension agent or specialist, Federal agency field staff, an agricultural consultant, State and local agency staff, Tribal agency staff, a Federally-Recognized Tribes Extension Program agent, and nonprofit organization staff assisting farmers and ranchers at the local level.
‘‘(b) GRANTS.—Using funds made available to carry out this subchapter, the Secretary shall provide competi- tive grants to carry out on-farm conservation innovation projects on eligible land of program participants for the purpose of stimulating innovative approaches on farms and ranches to leverage Federal investment in conserva- tion stewardship, in conjunction with agricultural produc- tion or forest resource management, through the program.
‘‘(c) PARTICIPANTS.—The Secretary shall provide 20 grants under this section— 26 ‘‘(1) directly to agricultural operations, or groups of agricultural operations, participating in the program; or ‘‘(2) through partnerships between agricultural professionals and small groups of agricultural oper- ations participating in the program.
‘‘(d) USE.—An entity that receives a grant under this section directly or through a partnership in accordance with subsection (c) shall carry out an on-farm conserva- tion innovation project that— ‘‘(1) facilitates on-farm research and dem- onstration or pilot testing of new technologies or in- novative conservation systems and practices that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonize agriculture; ‘‘(2) facilitates on-farm research and dem- onstration or pilot testing of practices and systems with a proven high impact for greenhouse gas emis- sions reduction and decarbonization and low national or regional adoption rates; or ‘‘(3) helps to prepare program participants for participation in environmental services markets that have as a primary goal greenhouse gas emissions re- duction or decarbonization of agriculture.
‘‘(e) INCENTIVE PAYMENTS.— ‘‘(1) AGREEMENTS.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall enter into agree- ments with agricultural operations (directly or through governmental or nongovernmental or- ganizations involved in a partnership with 1 or more agricultural operations) on whose land an on-farm conservation innovation project is being carried out under this section to provide pay- ments to the agricultural operations to assist with adopting and evaluating new or innovative conservation approaches to achieve conservation benefits.
‘‘(B) AMOUNT.—Payments provided under subparagraph (A) shall reflect the direct costs of the research and demonstration and com- pensation for foregone income, as appropriate to address the increased economic risk or lower economic return potentially associated with the applicable innovative conservation approach.
‘‘(2) ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME REQUIRE- MENTS.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Adjusted gross income requirements under section 1001D(b)(1) shall— ‘‘(i) apply to producers receiving pay- ments under this subsection; and ‘‘(ii) be enforced by the Secretary.
‘‘(B) REPORTING.—A governmental or nongovernmental organization participating in an on-farm conservation innovation project under this subsection shall submit to the Sec- retary an annual report describing the amount of payments that the organization made to each agricultural operation under this subsection.
‘‘(3) RESEARCH, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—The Secretary may provide to a partnership described in paragraph (1)(A) not more than $50,000 for each on-farm con- servation innovation project for research, technical assistance, and administrative expenses.
‘‘(4) LENGTH OF AGREEMENTS.—An agreement entered into under paragraph (1)(A) shall be for a period determined by the Secretary that is— ‘‘(A) not less than 2 years; and ‘‘(B) if appropriate, more than 2 years, in- cluding if the longer period is appropriate to support— ‘‘(i) adaptive management over mul- tiple crop years; and ‘‘(ii) adequate data collection and analysis by an agricultural operation or partnership to report the natural resource and agricultural production benefits of the new or innovative conservation approaches to the Secretary.’’.
SEC.

304.

STATE ASSISTANCE FOR SOIL HEALTH.

Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Secu- rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839bb et seq.)
3839bb et seq.)

is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘SEC.

1240S.

STATE ASSISTANCE FOR SOIL HEALTH.

‘‘(a) AVAILABILITY AND PURPOSE OF GRANTS.— Using funds made available under subsection (k), the Sec- retary shall make grants to States or Tribal governments for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028 to be used by State departments of agriculture or appropriate Tribal au- thorities to develop and implement plans to improve soil 12 health on agricultural land.
‘‘(b) APPLICATION.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State department of ag- riculture or Tribal government requesting a grant under this section shall prepare and submit for ap- proval by the Secretary an application at such time, in such a manner, and containing such information as the Secretary shall require, including an assur- ance that grant funds received under this section shall supplement the expenditure of State or Tribal funds in support of soil health, rather than replace State or Tribal funds for those purposes.
‘‘(2) USE OF FUNDS.—A State or Tribal gov- ernment may request funds under this section— ‘‘(A) to develop or modify a State or Tribal soil health plan; or ‘‘(B) to implement a State or Tribal soil health plan approved by the Secretary under this section, including through— ‘‘(i) technical assistance; ‘‘(ii) financial assistance; ‘‘(iii) on-farm research and dem- onstration; ‘‘(iv) education, outreach, and train- ing; ‘‘(v) monitoring and evaluation; or ‘‘(vi) such other activities as the Sec- retary determines to be appropriate.
‘‘(3) PLAN COMPONENTS.—Prior to approving a State or Tribal soil health plan, the Secretary shall ensure that the plan, at a minimum— ‘‘(A) is broadly consistent with the soil health principles of the Natural Resources Con- servation Service; and ‘‘(B) identifies effective strategies for in- creasing adoption of regionally appropriate soil health practices and systems on privately owned agricultural land under the jurisdiction of the applicable State or Tribal government.
‘‘(4) ELIGIBILITY.—A State or Tribal govern- ment may— ‘‘(A) apply for a grant for the purposes de- scribed in paragraph (2)(A) at any time; and ‘‘(B) apply for a grant for the purposes de- scribed in paragraph (2)(B) on approval by the Secretary of a soil health plan for the State or Tribal government.
‘‘(c) TRIBAL OPTION.—At the sole discretion of a Tribal government, an Indian Tribe or Tribal organization shall have the option of being incorporated into a State application rather than submitting an application for the Indian Tribe or Tribal organization.
‘‘(d) GRANT AMOUNT.— ‘‘(1) MAXIMUM.—The maximum grant any 1 State or Tribal government may receive under this section for a fiscal year shall be— ‘‘(A) in the case of a grant for the pur- poses described in subsection (b)(2)(A), $1,000,000; and ‘‘(B) in the case of a grant for the pur- poses described in subsection (b)(2)(B), $5,000,000.
‘‘(2) FEDERAL SHARE.— ‘‘(A) GRANTS TO STATES.—The amount of a grant to a State under this section shall not exceed— ‘‘(i) 75 percent of the cost of devel- oping or modifying a soil health plan; or ‘‘(ii) 50 percent of the cost of imple- menting the soil health plan.
‘‘(B) GRANTS TO TRIBES.—The amount of a grant to a Tribal government under this sec- tion shall not exceed— ‘‘(i) 90 percent of the cost of devel- oping or modifying a soil health plan; or ‘‘(ii) 75 percent of the cost of imple- menting the soil health plan.

‘‘(3) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—A grant made under this section shall be made on the condition that the non-Federal share of expenditures under paragraph (2) be provided by non-Federal sources.
‘‘(e) GRANT TERM.—A grant under this section shall be for 1 year and may be renewed annually, at the discre- tion of the Secretary.

22 23 24 25 ‘‘(f) PRIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority to States or Tribal governments with a climate action plan that includes soil health, as determined by the Secretary.
‘‘(g) PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND EVALUATION.— ‘‘(1) PERFORMANCE MEASURES.—Each applica- tion under subsection (b) shall include performance measures to be used to evaluate the results of the assistance received under this section.
‘‘(2) REVIEW.—Each applicable State depart- ment of agriculture or Tribal authority shall submit to the Secretary a review and evaluation of the progress of the State department of agriculture or Tribal authority, using the performance measures under paragraph (1), at such intervals as the Sec- retary shall establish.
‘‘(h) EFFECT OF NONCOMPLIANCE.—If the Sec- retary, after reasonable notice to a State or Tribal govern- ment, determines that there has been a failure by the State or Tribal government to comply with the terms of a grant made under this section, the Secretary may dis- qualify, for 1 or more years, the State or Tribal govern- ment from receipt of future grants under this section.
‘‘(i) AUDIT REQUIREMENT.—For each year that a State or Tribal government receives a grant under this section, the State or Tribal government shall— ‘‘(1) conduct an audit of the expenditures of grant funds by the State or Tribal government; and ‘‘(2) not later than 30 days after the completion of the audit under paragraph (1), submit to the Sec- retary a copy of the audit.
‘‘(j) ADMINISTRATION.— ‘‘(1) DEPARTMENT.—The Secretary may not use more than 3 percent of the funds made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year for admin- istrative expenses.

‘‘(2) STATES AND TRIBES.—A State or Tribal government receiving a grant under this section may not use more than 7 percent of the funds received under the grant for a fiscal year for administrative expenses.
‘‘(k) FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to make grants 16 under this section— ‘‘(1) $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 and 2025; ‘‘(2) $80,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027; and ‘‘(3) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2028 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’.

SEC.

305.

FUNDING AND ADMINISTRATION.


(a) COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION.— (1) ANNUAL FUNDING.—Section 1241(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3841(a)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘, and $17,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024 through 2028,’’ after ‘‘2023’’; and (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘and $70,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024 through 2028, including not more than $5,000,000 to provide outreach and technical assistance,’’ after ‘‘technical assistance,’’; (B) in paragraph (2)— (i) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘2031.’’ and inserting ‘‘2023; and’’; and (iii) by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘(G) $700,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2031.’’; and (C) in paragraph (3)— (i) in subparagraph (A)— (I) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (II) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘each of fiscal years 2023 through 2031’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2023’’; and (III) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(vi) $3,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2031; and’’; and (ii) in subparagraph (B)— (I) in clause (iv), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (II) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘each of fiscal years 2023 through 2031.’’ and inserting ‘‘fiscal year 2023; and’’; and (III) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(vi) $4,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2031.’’.
(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 1241(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3841(c)) is amended by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘(5) SPECIAL INITIATIVE.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Beginning in fiscal year 2022, and each year thereafter through fiscal year 2028, the Secretary shall use for a special technical assistance initiative to assist producers in mitigating and adapting to climate change, of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, an amount equal to not less than 1 percent of Commodity Credit Corporation funds made available for the applicable fiscal year for each of the programs described in sub- section (a).
‘‘(B) PROVISION OF TECHNICAL ASSIST- ANCE.—The Secretary shall provide technical assistance under the special initiative under this paragraph to producers— ‘‘(i) directly; ‘‘(ii)(I) through an agreement with a third-party provider (as defined in section 1242(a)); or ‘‘(II) at the option of the producer, through a payment, as determined by the Secretary, to the producer for a third-party provider approved under section 1242, if available; or ‘‘(iii) through a cooperative agreement or contract with— ‘‘(I) a cooperative extension; ‘‘(II) a nongovernmental organi- zation; or ‘‘(III) a State, Tribal, or Federal agency.
‘‘(C) UNDERSERVED PRODUCERS.—In pro- viding technical assistance under this para- graph, the Secretary shall give priority to pro- ducers who are persons described in section 1244(a)(2).’’.

(3) ASSISTANCE TO CERTAIN FARMERS OR RANCHERS FOR CONSERVATION ACCESS.—Section 1241(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3841(h)) is amended— (A) in paragraph (1)(B), by striking ‘‘practicable—’’ in the matter preceding clause (i) and all that follows through the period at the end of clause (ii) and inserting ‘‘practicable, 30 percent to assist beginning farmers or ranchers and socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers.’’; and (B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘section 2501(e)’’ and all that follows through the pe- riod at the end and inserting ‘‘section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
2279(a))) that qualifies under paragraph (1)(B).’’.

(b) DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 1242 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3842) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(2)— (A) by inserting ‘‘an individual,’’ before ‘‘a commercial entity’’; (B) by striking ‘‘State or local’’ and insert- ing ‘‘State, local, or Tribal’’; and (C) by striking ‘‘nutrient management planning,’’ and inserting ‘‘soil health planning, greenhouse gas emissions reduction planning, nutrient management planning, integrated pest management planning, agroforestry planning, organic transition planning,’’; (2) in subsection (e)— (A) in paragraph (3)(A)— (i) by inserting ‘‘individuals,’’ before ‘‘commercial entities,’’; and (ii) by striking ‘‘State or local’’ and inserting ‘‘State, local, or Tribal’’; and (B) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘or or- ganic’’ after ‘‘sustainability’’; and (3) in subsection (i)— (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ‘‘PERENNIAL AGRICULTURE SYSTEM,’’ after ‘‘ORGANIC,’’; and (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘a pe- rennial agriculture system,’’ after ‘‘production,’’ each place it appears.
10 (c) ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR CON- 11 SERVATION PROGRAMS.— (1) INCENTIVES FOR CERTAIN FARMERS AND RANCHERS AND INDIAN TRIBES.—Section 1244(a)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3844(a)(1)) is amended— (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘incentives’’ and inserting ‘‘in- centives, including higher payment rates, ad- vance payments, transition payments, and farm infrastructure assistance,’’; (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and (C) by striking subparagraph (B) and in- serting the following: ‘‘(B) to establish a new generation of pro- ducers who use the full array of climate-friendly conservation activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase soil carbon, and improve resilience to weather extremes; and ‘‘(C) to enhance other long-term environ- mental goals.’’.
(2) REVIEW AND GUIDANCE FOR PRACTICE COSTS AND PAYMENT RATES.—Section 1244(j)(1)(B) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3844(j)(1)(B)) is amended— (A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (B) in clause (iii), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(iv) accelerates progress in meeting the goals established under title I of the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023.’’.
(3) ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT.—Sec- tion 1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3844) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(q) ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out any con- servation program administered by the Secretary, the Secretary shall encourage advanced grazing management, including management-intensive rota- tional grazing (as those terms are defined in section 1240L(d)(1)).
‘‘(2) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—In each of fis- cal years 2024 through 2028, the Secretary shall use to carry out this subsection not less than 2⁄3 of any funds available for activities relating to livestock production under conservation programs adminis- tered by the Secretary under this title (other than the conservation reserve program established under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D, except for acres enrolled in that program under section 1231(d)(2)).’’.
(d) ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES MARKETS.—Section 1245 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3845) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(f) GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND CARBON SE- QUESTRATION MONITORING AND MEASUREMENT FED- ERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE.— ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall establish an advisory committee, to be known as the ‘Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Carbon Sequestration Monitoring and Measurement Federal Advisory Committee’ (referred to in this subsection as the ‘advisory committee’).
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—In carrying out paragraph (1), the Secretary shall appoint members to the ad- visory committee that— ‘‘(A) reflect diversity in gender, age, race, and geography; and ‘‘(B) include— ‘‘(i) farmers and ranchers, including farmers and ranchers operating small and mid-sized farms; ‘‘(ii) organizations representing farm- ers and ranchers, including organizations representing farmers and ranchers oper- ating small and mid-sized farms; ‘‘(iii) scientists; ‘‘(iv) environmental nonprofit organi- zations; ‘‘(v) existing private sector carbon and ecosystem services market development ini- tiatives; ‘‘(vi) businesses working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture in the supply chains of the businesses; ‘‘(vii) relevant Federal agencies; ‘‘(viii) Tribal communities; and ‘‘(ix) State agriculture agencies.
‘‘(3) TERMS.— ‘‘(A) TERM LENGTH.—The term of a member of the advisory committee shall be 3 years.

‘‘(B) REAPPOINTMENT.—The Secretary may reappoint a member of the advisory com- mittee for not more than 2 consecutive terms.

‘‘(4) MEETINGS.—The advisory committee shall meet— ‘‘(A) not fewer than 4 times in the first year after the advisory committee is established; and ‘‘(B) not less frequently than twice annu- ally thereafter.
‘‘(5) RECOMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 1 year after the date on which the advisory committee is established, and periodically thereafter, the advi- sory committee shall submit to the Secretary rec- ommendations on— ‘‘(A) the feasibility of establishing reliable outcomes-based measurement systems, as de- scribed in subsection (g); ‘‘(B) existing technology that provides reli- able measurement data; ‘‘(C) with respect to parameters for which existing technology does not provide reliable measurement data, research and technical needs and, as appropriate, goals and plans for that research; ‘‘(D) standards for data collection and dis- semination; ‘‘(E) farmer data management and pri- vacy; ‘‘(F) greenhouse gas emissions and soil health inventories and databases, as described in subsection (h); and ‘‘(G) criteria for soil health and green- house gas emissions reductions incentives, as described in subsection (i).
‘‘(g) MEASUREMENT SYSTEM.— ‘‘(1) PURPOSE.—The Secretary shall evaluate existing outcomes-based measurement systems for recordkeeping, modeling, and measurement of farm- level greenhouse gas emissions and soil carbon se- questration, including measures of soil disturbance, plant diversity, continual living cover, residue man- agement, advanced grazing management, and crop- livestock integration, to determine which of those systems— ‘‘(A) can be implemented quickly; ‘‘(B) can improve in accuracy and ease over time; ‘‘(C) use the best available science and technology; ‘‘(D) estimate uncertainty; and ‘‘(E) are cost-effective.
‘‘(2) GUIDANCE.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall issue guidance on the outcomes- based measurement systems evaluated under para- graph (1), based on— ‘‘(A) recommendations from the advisory committee established under subsection (f); and ‘‘(B) information from— ‘‘(i) existing and emerging agroecosystem models; ‘‘(ii) remote sensing data and anal- ysis; ‘‘(iii) soil health demonstration trials carried out under section 1240H(c)(7); ‘‘(iv) existing and emerging public en- vironmental services protocols, measure- ment systems, and benchmarks, including uncertainty predictions and measurements; ‘‘(v) field-level measurement, including field-based data collected under section 21002(a)(2) of Public Law 117–169 (7 U.S.C.
6936 note; 136 Stat.

2018); ‘‘(vi) the Conservation Evaluation and Monitoring Activity for the Carbon Seques- tration and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation As- sessment; and ‘‘(vii) such other sources as the Sec- retary determines to be appropriate.
‘‘(3) REVIEW.—The Secretary, based on rec- ommendations from the advisory committee estab- lished under subsection (f), shall— ‘‘(A) establish and maintain an outcomes- based measurement system in accordance with the guidance issued under paragraph (2) when feasible; ‘‘(B) conduct a periodic review of that sys- tem; ‘‘(C) periodically make any necessary up- dates to that system; and ‘‘(D) establish research and development goals and plans, as necessary.
‘‘(h) INVENTORY.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this subsection, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary, in consulta- tion with the advisory committee established under subsection (f) and the Administrator of the Environ- mental Protection Agency, shall conduct a nation- wide soil health and agricultural greenhouse gas emissions inventory that uses the best available science and data to establish expected average per- formance for soil carbon drawdown and storage and greenhouse gas emissions reduction by primary pro- duction type and production region.
‘‘(2) DATABASE.—Drawing on the field-based data collected under section 21002(a)(2) of Public Law 117–169 (7 U.S.C.

6936 note; 136 Stat.
2018), the Secretary shall— ‘‘(A) establish an accessible and interoper- able database for the information collected through the inventory conducted under para- graph (1); and ‘‘(B) improve and update that database not less frequently than once every 2 years as new data is collected.
‘‘(i) CRITERIA.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consulta- tion with the advisory committee established under subsection (f), shall establish criteria for payments, credits, or other forms of incentives to inform policy established to promote soil carbon sequestration or greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The criteria established under paragraph (1) shall— ‘‘(A) have a documented likelihood to lead to long-term net increases in soil carbon seques- tration and net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, according to the best available science; ‘‘(B) be based in part on environmental impact modeling of the changes of shifting from baseline agricultural practices to new or im- proved agricultural practices; and ‘‘(C) be designed to prevent the degrada- tion of other natural resource or environmental conditions.
‘‘(j) DEMONSTRATION TRIALS.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall peri- odically review the results from soil health dem- onstration trials carried out under section 1240H(c)(7), and other similar public and private demonstration trials that the Secretary determines to be appropriate, to inform the activities under sub- sections (g), (h), and (i).
‘‘(2) RECOMMENDATIONS.—In submitting re- ports pursuant to section 1240H(c)(7)(C)(ii), the Secretary shall include any recommendations to Con- gress for changes or additions to the conservation programs under this Act that the Secretary deter- mines to be appropriate to accelerate net increases in soil carbon sequestration and other improvements in soil health.’’.

SEC.

306.

CONSERVATION COMPLIANCE.

(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1201(a) of the Food Se- curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3801(a)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (3)— (A) by striking ‘‘highly erodible’’ each place it appears; and (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and conservation treatment measures’’ and inserting ‘‘crop rotation and cover crop systems, and other relevant soil conservation and soil health management treatment measures’’; (2) in paragraph (4)— (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (B) in subparagraph (B)— (i) by striking ‘‘or a substantial im- provement in soil conditions on a field or group of fields containing highly erodible cropland’’ and inserting ‘‘and a substantial improvement in soil health conditions (in- cluding soil carbon levels) on a field or group of fields containing cropland’’; and (ii) by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(C) are designed to achieve, within 5 years of actively applying a conservation plan, a level of erosion not to exceed twice the soil loss tolerance level; and ‘‘(D) are designed to effectively prevent the formation of new, or treat all existing, ephem- eral gullies.’’; and (3) in paragraph (11)(A)(ii), by striking ‘‘exces- sive average annual rate of erosion in relation to’’ and inserting ‘‘average annual rate of erosion ex- ceeding twice’’.
(b) CROPLAND CONSERVATION.— (1) PROGRAM INELIGIBILITY.—Section 1211 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3811) is amended— (A) in subsection (a)— (i) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘produces an agricultural commodity’’ and all that follows through ‘‘as determined by the Secretary’’ and in- serting ‘‘carries out an activity described in subsection (b), as determined by the Sec- retary,’’; and (ii) in paragraph (1)(D), by inserting ‘‘cropland or’’ before ‘‘highly erodible land’’; (B) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub- section (c); (C) by inserting after subsection (a) the following: ‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES DESCRIBED.—Activities referred to 23 in subsection (a) are— 24 25 ‘‘(1) the production of an agricultural com- modity on a field on which cropland is predominant; ‘‘(2) the designation of land on which cropland is predominant to be set aside, diverted, devoted to conservation uses, or otherwise not cultivated under a program administered by the Secretary to reduce production of an agricultural commodity; and ‘‘(3) the production of an agricultural com- modity without having in place a conservation plan.’’; and (D) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), by striking the heading and inserting ‘‘AU- THORITY OF SECRETARY.—’’.
(2) EXEMPTIONS.—Section 1212 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3812) is amend- ed— (A) in subsection (a)(3)— (i) in the first sentence, by striking ‘‘highly erodible land’’ and inserting ‘‘crop- land’’; and (ii) in the first and second sentences, by striking ‘‘only be required to apply a conservation plan established under this subtitle.
The person shall not be required to meet a higher conservation standard than the standard applied to other highly erodible’’ and inserting ‘‘be required to apply a conservation plan established under this subtitle consistent with the standard applied to other’’; (B) in subsection (c)(1), by striking ‘‘high- ly erodible land’’ each place it appears and in- serting ‘‘cropland’’; and (C) in subsection (f)(4)(A)— (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘highly erodible’’; and (ii) in clause (ii)(II), by inserting ‘‘and soil health’’ after ‘‘erosion control’’.
(3) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Subtitle B of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3811 et seq.)

is amended in the subtitle heading by striking ‘‘Highly Erodible Land’’ and inserting ‘‘Cropland’’.

SEC.

307.

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AGROFORESTRY CEN- TERS.

Section 1243 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (16 U.S.C.
1642 note; Public Law 101–624) is amended— 22 23 24 (1) by striking the section heading and insert- ing ‘‘NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AGRO- FORESTRY CENTERS’’; (2) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), and (d) as subsections (c), (d), and (f), respectively; (3) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following: ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF AGROFORESTRY.—In this sec- tion, the term ‘agroforestry’ means a management system that intentionally integrates trees and shrubs into crop and animal farming systems to build more profitable and weather-resilient farms, ranches, and communities, ad- dress natural resource concerns and conservation needs, and establish productive and sustainable land use prac- 12 tices, including— ‘‘(1) riparian forest buffers and managed waterbreaks; ‘‘(2) alley cropping; ‘‘(3) silvopasture; ‘‘(4) forest farming and multistory cropping; and ‘‘(5) windbreaks, shelterbelts, hedgerows, field borders, and living snow fences.
‘‘(b) NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AGROFORESTRY 22 CENTERS.— 23 24 25 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agri- culture (referred to in this section as the ‘Sec- retary’)— ‘‘(A) shall establish at the Forestry Sciences Laboratory of the Forest Service, in Lincoln, Nebraska, a National Agroforestry Re- search, Development, and Demonstration Cen- ter; and ‘‘(B) acting through the Chief of the For- est Service and in cooperation with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall establish not fewer than 3 additional regional agro- forestry centers at other locations, as deter- mined by the Secretary.
‘‘(2) NATIONAL AND REGIONAL DIRECTORS.— The Secretary shall appoint a National Director and Regional Directors to manage and coordinate the program established under subsection (c).’’; (4) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated)— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1)— (i) by striking ‘‘Center’’ and inserting ‘‘Centers established under subparagraphs (A) and (B) of subsection (b)(1) (referred to in this section as the ‘Centers’)’’; and (ii) by inserting ‘‘and organizations’’ after ‘‘nonprofit foundations’’; (B) in paragraph (1)— (i) by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands that’’ and inserting ‘‘that build soil health and’’; and (ii) by inserting ‘‘, including agro- forestry systems on semiarid land and other fragile agroecosystems in which res- toration of permanent woody perennial plant communities will enhance carbon se- questration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions’’ before the semicolon; (C) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘forestry products for commercial sale from semiarid land’’ and inserting ‘‘agroforestry products for commercial sale’’; (D) in paragraph (4)— (i) by striking ‘‘in semiarid regions’’; and (ii) by striking ‘‘the Great Plains re- gion’’ and inserting ‘‘particular regions’’; (E) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘tech- nical assistance and’’ before ‘‘technology’’; (F) by striking paragraph (6) and insert- ing the following: ‘‘(6) develop improved silvopasture, alley crop- ping, forest farming, multistory cropping, riparian
Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00106 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\MORSI\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\11.0\GEN\C\PINGRE_014.X G:\M\18\PINGRE\PINGRE_014.XML 107 buffer, windbreak and shelterbelt, and other peren- nial production and conservation systems and tech- nologies to improve soil health, carbon sequestration, drought preparedness, soil and water conservation, environmental quality, and biological diversity;’’; (G) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands’’; (H) in paragraph (8), by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands worldwide’’ and inserting ‘‘worldwide, including on semiarid land’’; and (I) in paragraph (9)— (i) by striking ‘‘on semiarid lands’’; and (ii) by inserting ‘‘and climate change’’ after ‘‘pollution’’; (5) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘Center’’ and inserting ‘‘Centers’’; (B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (C) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe- riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (D) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(3) facilitate agroforestry adoption by dissemi- nating comprehensive information on Federal, State, local, and Tribal programs that provide support for agroforestry.’’; (6) by inserting after subsection (d) (as so re- designated) the following: ‘‘(e) GRANTS.—The Secretary may establish regional grant programs at each of the Centers to support agro- forestry projects, including demonstration farms.’’; and (7) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated), by in- serting ‘‘and $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028’’ after ‘‘through 2023’’.
TITLE IV—FARMLAND PRESER- VATION AND FARM VIABILITY SEC.

401.

LOCAL AGRICULTURE MARKET PROGRAM.

Section 210A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C.
1627c) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)(12)(A)— (A) by redesignating clauses (iv) and (v) as clauses (vi) and (vii), respectively; and (B) by inserting after clause (iii) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(iv) is produced and marketed in a manner that significantly improves soil health and carbon sequestration or signifi- cantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions; ‘‘(v) when added to the crop or graz- ing rotation on a farm, will significantly improve soil health and carbon sequestra- tion or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions;’’; (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the semicolon at the end and inserting ‘‘, including value-added agricultural products from crops or animals that, when added into crop or grazing rotations on a farm, will significantly improve soil health and carbon sequestration or significantly re- duce greenhouse gas emissions; and’’; and (iii) by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘(D) markets for agricultural commodities and products produced in a manner that signifi- cantly improve soil health and carbon seques- tration or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions;’’; (B) in paragraph (3)— (i) by striking ‘‘and local’’ and insert- ing ‘‘, local’’; and (ii) by inserting ‘‘, and production and marketing approaches to significantly im- prove soil health and carbon sequestration or significantly reduce greenhouse gas
 emissions’’ before the semicolon at the end; (C) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (D) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (7); and (E) by inserting after paragraph (5) the following: ‘‘(6) enhances the economic viability of pro- ducers and related agricultural enterprises; and’’; (3) in subsection (d)— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) by striking ‘‘subsection (i)’’ and in- serting ‘‘subsection (j)’’; and (ii) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’; (B) in paragraph (2)— (i) in subparagraph (C)— (I) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (II) in clause (ii), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end; and (III) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(iii) agricultural commodities and products that are produced and marketed in a manner that— ‘‘(I) significantly improves soil health and carbon sequestration or significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions; or ‘‘(II) when added to a crop or grazing rotation on a farm will signifi- cantly improve soil health and carbon sequestration or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions;’’; and (ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘producers of local food products and value-added agricultural products in new and existing markets’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘producers of— ‘‘(i) local food products; ‘‘(ii) value-added agricultural products in new and existing markets; and
G:\M\18\PINGRE\PINGRE_014.XML 112 ‘‘(iii) agricultural commodities and products that are produced in a manner that— ‘‘(I) enhances soil health and car- bon sequestration or significantly re- duces greenhouse gas emissions; or ‘‘(II) when added to a crop or grazing rotation on a farm, will sig- nificantly improve soil health and car- bon sequestration or significantly re- duce greenhouse gas emissions;’’; and (C) in paragraph (5)(A), by inserting ‘‘and the Chief of the Natural Resources Conserva- tion Service’’ before the period at the end; (4) in subsection (e)(2)(A)— (A) by striking ‘‘subsection (i)’’ and insert- ing ‘‘subsection (j)’’; and (B) by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’; (5) by redesignating subsections (f), (g), (h), and (i) as subsections (g), (h), (i), and (j), respec- tively; (6) by inserting after subsection (e) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(f) FARM VIABILITY AND LOCAL CLIMATE RESIL- IENCY CENTERS.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Mar- keting Service and in coordination with the Adminis- trator of the Rural Business-Cooperative Service and the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, shall provide grants to eligible entities de- scribed in paragraph (2) to serve as farm viability and local climate resiliency centers (referred to in this section as ‘centers’) to support— ‘‘(A) efforts to enhance farm viability; and ‘‘(B) the development, coordination, and expansion of markets for commodities and farm products that significantly improve soil health and carbon sequestration or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity is eligible to receive a grant under this subsection if the entity is— ‘‘(A) an agricultural cooperative or other agricultural business entity or a producer net- work or association; ‘‘(B) a local, State, or Tribal government; ‘‘(C) a nonprofit corporation; ‘‘(D) a public benefit corporation; ‘‘(E) an economic development corporation; ‘‘(F) an institution of higher education; or ‘‘(G) such other entity as the Secretary may designate.
‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity receiv- ing a grant under this subsection shall use grant funds to provide to entities described in subsection (d)(5)(B)— ‘‘(A) assistance for the development of business plans and feasibility studies; ‘‘(B) assistance in developing marketing strategies for— ‘‘(i) local products; and ‘‘(ii) value-added agricultural products in new and existing markets; ‘‘(C) assistance in enterprise development for the processing, aggregation, distribution, and storage of— ‘‘(i) local and regional food products that are marketed locally or regionally; and ‘‘(ii) value-added agricultural prod- ucts; ‘‘(D) assistance relating to finances and recordkeeping; ‘‘(E) assistance relating to enterprise and business management; ‘‘(F) assistance relating to ownership suc- cession planning; ‘‘(G) outreach and assistance in the adop- tion of farming practices that enhance soil health and carbon sequestration or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; ‘‘(H) outreach regarding assistance avail- able under subsection (d); ‘‘(I) outreach regarding assistance avail- able through other programs administered by any other Federal agency that supports the adoption of farming practices that enhance soil health and carbon sequestration or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; or ‘‘(J) at the request of the entity described in subsection (d)(5)(B), assistance in applying for a grant under subsection (d), including act- ing on behalf of the entity in applying for the grant.
‘‘(4) GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY.—To the max- imum extent practicable, the Secretary shall ensure geographic diversity in selecting eligible entities to receive a grant under this subsection.
‘‘(5) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—An entity receiv- ing a grant under this subsection shall provide fund- ing in an amount equal to not less than 25 percent of the total amount of the Federal portion of the grant.
‘‘(6) APPLICATIONS.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to re- ceive a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an applica- tion at such time, in such manner, and con- taining such information as the Secretary con- siders necessary to evaluate and select applica- tions.
‘‘(B) COMPETITIVE PROCESS.—The Sec- retary— ‘‘(i) shall conduct a competitive proc- ess to select applications submitted under subparagraph (A); ‘‘(ii) may assess and rank applications with similar proposals as a group; and ‘‘(iii) shall, prior to accepting applica- tions under that subparagraph, make pub- lic the criteria to be used in evaluating the applications.
‘‘(7) PRIORITY.—The Secretary may give pri- ority to applications submitted under paragraph (6)(A) that include— ‘‘(A) plans to use funds for 3 or more of purposes described in paragraph (3); or ‘‘(B) activities relating to improving the use and expanded adoption of farming practices that enhance soil health and carbon sequestra- tion or significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while simultaneously improving farm viability.
‘‘(8) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—An entity receiving a grant under this subsection may use not more than 4 percent of the funds received through the grant for administrative expenses.’’; (7) in subsection (i)(1) (as so redesignated), in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘subsection (i)(3)(E)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (j)(3)(E)’’; and (8) in subsection (j) (as so redesignated)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘fiscal year 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023 and $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2024’’; (B) in paragraph (3)— (i) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking ‘‘35’’ and inserting ‘‘36’’; and (ii) by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following: ‘‘(B) FARMERS’ MARKET AND LOCAL FOOD PROMOTION GRANTS.— ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, 36 percent shall be used for grants under subsection (d)(6).
‘‘(ii) ALLOCATION AMONG SUBPRO- GRAMS.—Of the funds made available for grants under subsection (d)(6) for a fiscal year— ‘‘(I) 40 percent shall be made available for farmers’ market pro- motion grants; and ‘‘(II) 60 percent shall be made available for local food promotion grants.’’; (C) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) and (E) as subparagraphs (E) and (F), respec- tively; (D) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the following: ‘‘(D) FARM VIABILITY AND LOCAL CLI- MATE RESILIENCY.—Of the funds made avail- able to carry out this section for a fiscal year, 10 percent shall be used to provide grants under subsection (f).’’; and (E) in subparagraph (E) (as so redesig- nated), in the matter preceding clause (i), by striking ‘‘or (C)’’ and inserting ‘‘(C), or (D)’’.
SEC.

402.

NATIONAL ORGANIC CERTIFICATION COST-SHARE PROGRAM.

(a) FEDERAL SHARE.—Section 10606(b)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C.

6523(b)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘$750’’ and inserting ‘‘$1,500’’.

15 (b) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Section 10606(d)(1) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C.
6523(d)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘shall make available’’ in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and all that follows through the period at the end of subpara- graph (C) and inserting ‘‘shall use such sums as are nec- essary to carry out this section.’’.

SEC.

403.

FARMLAND PROTECTION POLICY ACT.

(a) FINDINGS, PURPOSE, AND DEFINITIONS.—Sec- tion 1540 of the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (7 25 U.S.C.
4201) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) by redesignating paragraphs (4) through (7) as paragraphs (5) through (8), re- spectively; and (B) by inserting after paragraph (3) the following: ‘‘(4) the Nation’s farmland is a vital source of environmental services, such as carbon sequestra- tion;’’; (2) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘Tribal,’’ after ‘‘State,’’; and (3) in subsection (c)— (A) by redesignating paragraphs (1), (2), (3), and (5) as paragraphs (2), (7), (8), and (6), respectively, and moving the paragraphs so as to appear in numerical order; (B) by inserting before paragraph (2) (as so redesignated) the following: ‘‘(1) the term ‘conversion’ means— ‘‘(A) the physical conversion of farmland to a nonagricultural use; ‘‘(B) the effective conversion of farmland as a consequence of physical conversion of adja- cent farmland, which threatens the continued viability of the land for agricultural use; or ‘‘(C) a change in management of federally owned land historically used for agriculture to a nonagricultural use;’’; (C) in paragraph (2) (as so redesig- nated)— (i) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘that is used for’’ and inserting ‘‘that is suitable for’’; and (ii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ‘‘and is suitable’’ after ‘‘local importance’’; (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) (as so redesignated) the following: ‘‘(3) the term ‘farmland of national signifi- cance’ means farmland that is the most suitable for intensive crop
 and food production, as determined by the Secretary, taking into consideration, among other factors, the physical and chemical characteris- tics of the farmland;’’; (E) in paragraph (4), in the second sen- tence, by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (F) by inserting after paragraph (4) the following: ‘‘(5) the term ‘permanently protected farmland’ means farmland encumbered by a conservation ease- ment— ‘‘(A) held by the Federal Government, a State, Tribal, or local unit of government, or a land conservation organization; and ‘‘(B) that is perpetual or the maximum number of years allowed by State law;’’; (G) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; (H) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end; and (I) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated), by striking the semicolon at the end and insert- ing a period.
(b) FARMLAND PROTECTION POLICY.—Section 1541 of the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (7 U.S.C.

4202) is amended to read as follows: ‘‘SEC.

1541.

FARMLAND PROTECTION POLICY.
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—It is the policy of the United States that Federal programs— ‘‘(1) shall minimize the conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses; and ‘‘(2) subject to subsection (d), shall not convert to nonagricultural uses farmland— ‘‘(A) that is permanently protected farm- land; ‘‘(B) that has been defined and delineated by the Secretary under subsection (b)(1) as farmland of national significance; or ‘‘(C) that has been defined and delineated by a State as significant to the State or a pri- ority for inclusion in a State farmland protec- tion program and for which the State has sub- mitted a definition and delineation under sub- section (b)(2).
‘‘(b) DEFINITION AND DELINEATION OF LAND.— ‘‘(1) NATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall define and delineate farmland of national sig- nificance.

‘‘(B) EXPERTS.—The Secretary shall con- vene a group of experts, including agronomists and soil scientists, to assist the Secretary in carrying out subparagraph (A).

‘‘(2) STATE SIGNIFICANCE.—Any State wishing to have farmland recognized under subsection (a)(2)(C) shall provide to the Secretary a definition and delineation of the farmland.
‘‘(c) PROCESS AND CRITERIA.— ‘‘(1) PROCESS AND CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall develop a process, including criteria— ‘‘(A) to determine the potential conversion of farmland as a consequence of any action or activity conducted through a Federal program; ‘‘(B)(i) to minimize the conversion of farmland to nonagricultural uses; or ‘‘(ii) in the case of farmland identified under subsection (a)(2), to avoid conversion of the farmland to nonagricultural uses; ‘‘(C) to provide to the Secretary notice re- garding actions described in subparagraphs (A) and (B); and ‘‘(D) that the Secretary shall use to make determinations under subsection (d).
‘‘(2) USE REQUIRED.—Each department, agen- cy, independent commission, and other unit of the Federal Government shall use the process and cri- teria developed under paragraph (1) in carrying out a Federal program.

‘‘(d) EXEMPTION.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subsection (a)(2) shall not apply if the Secretary determines, based on the proc- ess and criteria developed under subsection (c)(1), that converting farmland to nonagricultural uses cannot be avoided.
‘‘(2) MINIMIZATION OF CONVERSION.—In a case in which the Secretary makes a determination under paragraph (1), the Federal program shall minimize the conversion of farmland described in subsection (a)(2) to the maximum extent practicable.
‘‘(e) INFORMATION.—The Secretary may make avail- able to States, units of local government, individuals, orga- nizations, and other units of the Federal Government in- formation— ‘‘(1) useful in restoring, maintaining, and im- proving the quantity and quality of farmland; and ‘‘(2) concerning the location of permanently protected farmland.
‘‘(f) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall provide as- sistance to departments, agencies, independent commis- sions, and other units of the Federal Government, on re- quest, in using the process and criteria developed under 18 subsection (c)(1).’’.

19 20 21 SEC.

404.

AGRICULTURAL CONSERVATION EASEMENT PRO- GRAM.

Section 1265B of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 22 U.S.C.
3865b) is amended— 23 24 25 (1) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (4)(C)(iv), by striking ‘‘only’’; and (B) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(6) CONDITION OF ASSISTANCE.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—As a condition of re- ceiving cost-share assistance under this section, the owner of eligible land shall agree to have in place a conservation plan that addresses appli- cable resource concerns for the land subject to the easement, including soil health and green- house gas emissions reduction, not later than 3 years after the date on which the easement is granted.
‘‘(B) BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS.—Sub- paragraph (A) may be satisfied by having in place a conservation plan developed or recog- nized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.’’; and (2) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following: ‘‘(d) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may provide technical assistance, if requested, to assist in— ‘‘(1) compliance with the terms and conditions of an easement; and ‘‘(2) development and implementation of a con- servation plan required under subsection (b)(6), in- cluding, as applicable— ‘‘(A) a conservation plan for highly erod- ible land required under subsection (b)(4)(C)(iv); and ‘‘(B) a comprehensive conservation plan developed pursuant to subsection (e)(1).
‘‘(e) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— ‘‘(A) ENROLLMENT IN CSP.—At the sole option of the owner of the eligible land subject to an easement, the Secretary shall provide for the automatic enrollment of the eligible land subject to the easement in the conservation stewardship program established by subchapter B of chapter 4 of subtitle D, including financial assistance for the development of a comprehen- sive conservation plan under section 1240L(e), if the person or entity farming the eligible land is otherwise eligible for the conservation stew- ardship program, as determined by the Sec- retary.
‘‘(B) DETERMINATION OF COMPLIANCE.— In the case of eligible land enrolled in the con- servation stewardship program pursuant to sub- paragraph (A), the Secretary shall have the sole responsibility of determining compliance with the terms of the conservation stewardship pro- gram contract.
‘‘(C) FUNDING.—Funding received by an eligible entity pursuant to this paragraph shall not be considered in the calculation of costs under subsection (b).

‘‘(2) TIMING.—The owner of the eligible land subject to an easement may exercise the option under paragraph (1)(A) during the 3-year period be- ginning on the date on which the easement is grant- ed.’’.

TITLE V—PASTURE-BASED LIVESTOCK SEC.

501.

ANIMAL RAISING CLAIMS.

The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C.

1621 et seq.)
1621 et seq.)

is amended by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘Subtitle H—Animal Raising Claims ‘‘SEC.

298A.

DEFINITIONS.
‘‘In this subtitle: ‘‘(1) ANIMAL RAISING CLAIM.—The term ‘ani- mal raising claim’ means a statement on the labeling of a meat food product or poultry product used in interstate commerce that references— ‘‘(A) the manner in which the source ani- mal for the meat food product or poultry prod- uct was raised, including— ‘‘(i) production practices that were used, such as living or raising conditions; and ‘‘(ii) the location or source where the source animal was born, raised, and proc- essed; or ‘‘(B) the breed of the source animal.
‘‘(2) MEAT FOOD PRODUCT.—The term ‘meat food product’ has the meaning given the term in sec- tion 1 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

601).

‘‘(3) POULTRY PRODUCT.—The term ‘poultry product’ has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

453).
453).

‘‘(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Ad- ministrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, in coordination with the Administrator of the Food Safety and Inspection Service.
‘‘SEC.

298B.

REQUIRED VERIFICATION PROCESS FOR ANI- MAL RAISING CLAIMS.
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to fa- cilitate marketing, truth in labeling, and new economic op- portunities for producers and businesses using animal raising claims.
‘‘(b) STANDARDS AND PROCEDURES.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this subtitle, after providing notice and an opportunity to comment, and in a manner consistent with United States obli- gations under international agreements, the Sec- retary shall establish— ‘‘(A) mandatory standards with respect to animal raising claims, including the standards described in paragraph (2); ‘‘(B) procedures— ‘‘(i) to verify an animal raising claim prior to the use in commerce of any meat food product or poultry product bearing that claim; and ‘‘(ii) that are incorporated seamlessly with the labeling requirements under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.
601 et seq.)

and the Poultry Products In- spection Act (21 U.S.C.

451 et seq.
451 et seq.

); and ‘‘(C) on-farm and supply chain auditing and verification procedures to ensure the truth- fulness of animal raising claims.
‘‘(2) STANDARDS.—In developing and approv- ing animal raising claim standards under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall include standards relat- ing to— ‘‘(A) diet claims, including claims that the source animal was grass fed, vegetarian fed, or fed no animal byproducts; ‘‘(B) living and raising condition claims, including claims that the source animal was cage free, free range, or pasture raised; ‘‘(C) antibiotic and hormone claims, in- cluding claims that the source animal was raised without antibiotics, had no hormones added, or was raised without growth promotants; ‘‘(D) source claims that the source animal can be traced back to its farm of origin from birth to slaughter; ‘‘(E) age claims; ‘‘(F) animal welfare claims; ‘‘(G) environmental stewardship claims, in- cluding greenhouse gas reduction and carbon sequestration claims; ‘‘(H) breed claims; and ‘‘(I) any other claim that the Secretary de- termines appropriate.
‘‘(3) CONSISTENCY WITH OTHER LAWS.—The Secretary shall ensure consistency between the ani- mal raising claim standards established under this subsection and the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.

6501 et seq.)

and any rules or regu- lations implementing that Act.
‘‘(c) THIRD-PARTY CERTIFICATION.—A producer of a meat food product or a poultry product may use an ani- mal raising claim that is verified by a third party if— ‘‘(1) the claim is consistent with standards es- tablished by the Secretary under subsection (b); and ‘‘(2) the procedures used by the third party to verify the claim, and for any subsequent auditing, are equivalent to the verification and auditing proce- dures established under subsection (b)(1)(C), as de- termined by the Secretary.
‘‘(d) APPROVAL PROCESS.—To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall require that a producer seeking to make an animal raising claim shall submit to the Secretary, prior to using the label on the meat food product or poultry product that is the subject of the ani- mal raising claim, the following documentation to support the animal raising claim: ‘‘(1) A detailed written description explaining the controls used for ensuring that the animal rais- ing claim is valid, as applicable— ‘‘(A) from birth to harvest; or ‘‘(B) for the period of raising referenced in the animal raising claim.
‘‘(2) A signed and dated document describing the manner in which the source animals were raised.

‘‘(3) A written description of the product trac- ing and segregation mechanism used with respect to the applicable meat food product or poultry product from the time of slaughter of the source animal or further processing through the packaging and dis- tribution of the meat food product or poultry prod- uct.
‘‘(4) A written description of the identification, control, and segregation of nonconforming animals or products.

‘‘(5) In the case of a meat food product or poultry product certified by a third party, a current copy of the third party certificate.
‘‘(e) COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS.—Beginning on the date that is 3 years after the date of enactment of this subtitle— ‘‘(1) a person may sell or label a domestic meat food product or poultry product with an animal rais- ing claim only if the animal raising claim and the meat food product or poultry product is in compli- ance with the standards established under subsection (b); and ‘‘(2) an imported meat food product or poultry product may be sold or labeled with an animal rais- ing claim if, as determined by the Secretary, the ani- mal raising claim and the meat food product or poultry product is in compliance with a verification program that provides safeguards and guidelines that are at least equivalent to the standards estab- lished under subsection (b).
‘‘(f) VIOLATIONS.— ‘‘(1) MISUSE OF LABEL.—Any person who, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, is found by the Secretary to have knowingly sold or labeled any meat food product or poultry product with an animal raising claim in violation of this subtitle, in- cluding the standards and procedures established under subsection (b), shall be assessed a civil pen- alty of not more than $10,000.
‘‘(2) FALSE STATEMENT.—Any person who, after notice and an opportunity to be heard, is found by the Secretary to have made to the Secretary, a Federal or State official, or a third-party certifier a false, fraudulent, or fictitious statement, or to have concealed to, hidden from, falsified to, or deceived the Secretary, official, or certifier regarding a mate- rial fact, with respect to an animal raising claim subject to the requirements of this subtitle, shall be subject to a penalty described in section 1001 of title 18, United States Code.
‘‘(g) EFFECT ON OTHER LAWS.—Nothing in this sec- tion alters the authority of the Secretary under the Fed- eral Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

601 et seq.)

or the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

451 et seq.).

‘‘SEC.

298C.

APPLICABILITY.

‘‘This subtitle shall only apply to meat food products and poultry products that are subject to labeling require- ments under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

601 et seq.)

or the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 23 U.S.C.

451 et seq.).
451 et seq.).

 ‘‘SEC.

298D.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.


‘‘There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec- retary such sums as are necessary to carry out this sub- title.’’.

SEC.

502.

PROCESSING RESILIENCE GRANT PROGRAM.

Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C.

1621 et seq.)

is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘SEC.

210B.

PROCESSING RESILIENCE GRANT PROGRAM.


‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: ‘‘(1) BUSINESS ENTERPRISE OWNED AND CON- TROLLED BY SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY DIS- ADVANTAGED INDIVIDUALS.—The term ‘business en- terprise owned and controlled by socially and eco- nomically disadvantaged individuals’ has the mean- ing given the term in section 3002 of the State Small Business Credit Initiative Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C.

5701).
5701).

‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en- tity’ means— ‘‘(A) a smaller establishment or very small establishment (as those terms are defined in the final rule entitled ‘Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems’ (61 Fed.

Reg.
Reg.

33806 (July 25, 1996))); ‘‘(B) a slaughtering or processing estab- lishment subject to— ‘‘(i) a State meat inspection program pursuant to section 301 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.
661); or ‘‘(ii) a State poultry product inspec- tion program pursuant to section 5 of the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

454); ‘‘(C) a person engaging in custom oper- ations that is exempt from inspection under— ‘‘(i) section 23 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

623); or ‘‘(ii) section 15 of the Poultry Prod- ucts Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.
464); and ‘‘(D) a person seeking— ‘‘(i) to establish and operate an estab- lishment described in subparagraph (A) or (B); or ‘‘(ii) to engage in custom operations described in subparagraph (C).

‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Ad- ministrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service.
‘‘(b) GRANTS.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec- retary shall award competitive grants to eligible enti- ties for activities to increase resiliency and diver- sification of the meat processing system, including activities that— ‘‘(A) support the health and safety of meat and poultry plant employees, suppliers, and cus- tomers; ‘‘(B) support increased processing capac- ity; and ‘‘(C) otherwise support the resilience of the small meat and poultry processing sector.
‘‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The maximum amount of a grant awarded under this section shall not exceed $500,000.

‘‘(3) DURATION.—The term of a grant awarded under this section shall not exceed 3 years.

‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity desiring a grant under this section shall submit to the Sec- retary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
‘‘(2) APPLICATIONS FOR SMALL GRANTS.—The Secretary shall establish a separate, simplified appli- cation process for eligible entities applying for a grant under this section of not more than $100,000.
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall en- sure that any application for a grant under this sec- tion is— ‘‘(A) simple and practicable; ‘‘(B) accessible online; and ‘‘(C) available through local staff of the Department of Agriculture.

‘‘(4) NOTICE.—Not later than 14 days before the date on which the Secretary begins to accept ap- plications under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall publish a notice of funding opportunity with respect to the grants available under this section.
‘‘(5) REAPPLICATION.—If an application of an eligible entity under this subsection is denied by the Secretary, the eligible entity may submit a revised application.
‘‘(6) PRIORITY.—In reviewing applications sub- mitted under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to proposals that will— ‘‘(A) increase farmer and rancher access to animal slaughter options within a 200-mile ra- dius of the location of the farmer or rancher; ‘‘(B) support an eligible entity described in subsection (a)(2)(A); or ‘‘(C) support an eligible entity that is a business enterprise owned and controlled by so- cially and economically disadvantaged individ- uals.
‘‘(d) USE OF GRANT.—An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the grant funds to carry out activities in support of the purposes described in subsection (b)(1), including through— ‘‘(1) the development and issuance of a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plan for the eli- gible entity, which may be developed by a consultant; ‘‘(2) the purchase or establishment, as applica- ble, of facilities, equipment, processes, and oper- ations necessary for the eligible entity to comply with applicable requirements under the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.
601 et seq.)

or the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

451 et seq.
); ‘‘(3) the purchase of cold storage, equipment, or transportation services; ‘‘(4) the purchase of temperature screening supplies, testing for communicable diseases, dis- infectant, sanitation systems, hand washing stations, and other sanitizing supplies; ‘‘(5) the purchase and decontamination of per- sonal protective equipment; ‘‘(6) the construction or purchase of humane handling infrastructure, including holding space for livestock prior to slaughter, shade structures, and knock box structures; ‘‘(7)(A) the purchase of software and computer equipment for record keeping, production data, Haz- ard Analysis and Critical Control Points record re- view, and facilitation of marketing and sales of prod- ucts in a manner consistent with the social distancing guidelines of the Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention; and ‘‘(B) the provision of guidelines and training re- lating to that software and computer equipment; ‘‘(8) the provision of staff time and training for implementing and monitoring health and safety pro- cedures; ‘‘(9) the development of a feasibility study or business plan for, or the carrying out of any other activity associated with, establishing or expanding a small meat or poultry processing facility; ‘‘(10) the purchase of equipment that enables the further use or value-added sale of coproducts or byproducts, such as organs, hides, and other rel- evant products; and ‘‘(11) other activities associated with expanding or establishing an eligible entity described in sub- section (a)(2)(A), as determined by the Secretary.
‘‘(e) OUTREACH.—During the period beginning on the date on which the Secretary publishes the notice under subsection (c)(4) and ending on the date on which the Sec- retary begins to accept applications under subsection (c)(1), the Secretary shall perform outreach to States and eligible entities relating to grants under this section.
‘‘(f) FEDERAL SHARE.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), the Federal share of the activities carried out using a grant awarded under this section shall not ex- ceed— ‘‘(A) 90 percent in the case of a grant in the amount of $100,000 or less; or ‘‘(B) 75 percent in the case of a grant in an amount greater than $100,000.
‘‘(2) FISCAL YEARS 2023 AND 2024.—An eligible entity awarded a grant under this section during fis- cal year 2023 or 2024 shall not be required to pro- vide non-Federal matching funds with respect to the grant.
‘‘(g) ADMINISTRATION.—The promulgation of regula- tions under, and administration of, this section shall be made without regard to— ‘‘(1) the notice and comment provisions of sec- tion 553 of title 5, United States Code; and ‘‘(2) chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly known as the ‘Paperwork Reduction Act’).
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Agri- culture to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2028.’’.

SEC.

503.

CONSERVATION OF PRIVATE GRAZING LAND.

(a) PURPOSE.—Section 1240M(a) of the Food Secu- rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839bb(a)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (6), by inserting ‘‘conserving water and’’ before ‘‘improving’’; (2) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (3) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and (4) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(9) conserving and improving soil health and improving grazing system resilience in the face of climate change through advanced grazing manage- ment practices; and ‘‘(10) providing support for producers transitioning from confinement and feedlot systems or continuous grazing to managed grazing-based sys- tems, including support for pasture development and management.’’.
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1240M(b)(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839bb(b)(2)) is amend- ed by striking ‘‘hay land’’ and inserting ‘‘perennial hay 16 land, including silvopasture’’.

17 (c) PRIVATE GRAZING LAND CONSERVATION ASSIST- ANCE.—Section 1240M(c) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839bb(c)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (1)— (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘and partnerships described in paragraph (2)(B)’’ after ‘‘local conservation dis- tricts’’; (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and in- serting the following: ‘‘(B) planning and implementing regionally appropriate, advanced grazing land manage- ment technologies to improve soil health and maximize carbon sequestration;’’; (C) in subparagraph (C)(iv), by inserting ‘‘through integrated strategies that include ro- tational and multispecies grazing, integrated pest management, and other ecological prac- tices’’ after ‘‘brush encroachment problems’’; (D) in subparagraph (H), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (E) in subparagraph (I), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (F) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(J) assisting producers in transitioning from confinement or feedlot systems or contin- uous grazing to managed grazing-based sys- tems, including assistance in pasture develop- ment and management.’’; and (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following: ‘‘(2) PROGRAM ELEMENTS.— ‘‘(A) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND EDU- CATION.—Personnel of the Department trained in pasture and range management shall be made available under the program to deliver and coordinate technical assistance and edu- cation to owners and managers of private graz- ing land, including owners and managers inter- ested in developing new or improved pasture or grazing-based systems on the land of the own- ers and managers, at the request of the owners and managers.
‘‘(B) PARTNERSHIPS.—In carrying out the program under this section, the Secretary shall provide research, demonstration, education (in- cluding conferences, workshops, field days, and trainings), workforce training, planning, and outreach activities through partnerships with— ‘‘(i) land-grant colleges and univer- sities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C.
3103)); ‘‘(ii) nongovernmental organizations; and ‘‘(iii) Tribal organizations.
‘‘(C) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the program under this section, the Sec- retary shall provide funds on a competitive basis for cooperative agreements to re- gional, State, or local partnerships to use to conduct grazing land research, dem- onstration, education, workforce training, planning, and outreach projects.
‘‘(ii) DURATION.—Grants made by partnerships under this subparagraph shall be for a period not to exceed 3 years.

‘‘(iii) LIMITATION ON INDIRECT COSTS.—A partnership that receives fund- ing under this subparagraph may not use more than 15 percent of the total cost of the project for the indirect costs of car- rying out the project.
‘‘(iv) PRIORITY.—A partnership that receives funding under this subparagraph shall give priority to projects that— ‘‘(I) focus on sustainable grazing management systems and techniques that assist producers with multiple ecosystem services, including climate change adaptation and mitigation; and ‘‘(II) involve beginning farmers and ranchers, socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, Tribal pro- ducers, or new graziers (including State or federally registered appren- ticeships).’’.
(d) GRAZING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TRAINING.— Section 1240M of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839bb) is amended by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following: ‘‘(d) GRAZING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TRAINING.— In carrying out the program under this section, the Sec- retary shall provide funds to establish training programs to foster a new generation of technical assistance providers to support advanced grazing management.’’.
(e) FUNDING.—Section 1240M of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839bb) is amended by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following: ‘‘(e) FUNDING.— ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall use to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028. ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
‘‘(3) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.—Of the funds made available under paragraphs (1) and (2), the Secretary shall use not less than 80 percent to carry out subsection (c)(2)(C).

‘‘(4) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TRAINING.—Of the funds made available under paragraphs (1) and (2), the Secretary shall use not more than 10 per- cent to carry out subsection (d).’’.

SEC.

504.

CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM.

(a) CONSERVATION RESERVE.—Section 1231 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3831) is amend- 16 ed— (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2023’’ and inserting ‘‘2028’’; (2) in subsection (d)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara- graphs (A) through (E) and inserting the fol- lowing: ‘‘(A) fiscal year 2024, not more than 28,000,000 acres; ‘‘(B) fiscal year 2025, not more than 29,000,000 acres; ‘‘(C) fiscal year 2026, not more than 30,000,000 acres; ‘‘(D) fiscal year 2027, not more than 31,000,000 acres; and ‘‘(E) fiscal year 2028, not more than 32,000,000 acres.’’; and (B) in paragraph (2)(A)— (i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (ii) in clause (ii)(III), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (iii) by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘(iii) the Secretary shall enroll and maintain in the conservation reserve not fewer than 7,000,000 acres of land de- scribed in subsection (b)(3) by September 30, 2028, of which not fewer than 5,000,000 acres shall be reserved for the pilot program established under section 1231C(c).’’.
(b) PILOT PROGRAMS.—Section 1231C of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3831c) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(c) GRASSLAND 30.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— ‘‘(A) ENROLLMENT.—The Secretary shall establish a pilot program to enroll land in the conservation reserve program through a 30-year conservation reserve contract (referred to in this subsection as a ‘Grassland 30 contract’) in accordance with this subsection.
‘‘(B) INCLUSION OF ACREAGE LIMITA- TION.—For purposes of applying the limitations in section 1231(d)(1), the Secretary shall in- clude acres of land enrolled under this sub- section.
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE LAND.—Eligible land for enroll- ment through a Grassland 30 contract— ‘‘(A) is land that is eligible to be enrolled in the conservation reserve program under the grasslands initiative described in section 1231(d)(2); and ‘‘(B) shall not be limited to land that is subject to a covered contract (as defined in paragraph (3)(A)).
‘‘(3) CONSERVATION CONTRACT ELECTION.— ‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF COVERED CON- TRACT.—In this paragraph, the term ‘covered contract’ means a contract entered into under this subchapter that— ‘‘(i) expires on or after the date of en- actment of this subsection; and ‘‘(ii) covers land enrolled in the con- servation reserve program under the grass- lands initiative described in section 1231(d)(2).
‘‘(B) EXPIRING CONTRACTS.—On the expi- ration of a covered contract, an owner or oper- ator party to the covered contract shall elect— ‘‘(i) not to reenroll the land under the contract; ‘‘(ii) to offer to reenroll the land under the contract if the land remains eli- gible under the terms in effect as of the date of expiration; or ‘‘(iii) not to reenroll the land under the contract and to enroll that land through a Grassland 30 contract under this subsection.
‘‘(C) UNEXPIRED CONTRACTS.—Prior to the expiration of a covered contract, an owner or operator party to the covered contract may elect to terminate the contract and to enroll that land through a Grassland 30 contract under this subsection.
‘‘(4) TERM.—The term of a Grassland 30 con- tract shall be 30 years.
‘‘(5) AGREEMENTS.—To be eligible to enroll land in the conservation reserve program through a Grassland 30 contract, the owner of the land shall enter into an agreement with the Secretary— ‘‘(A) to implement a conservation reserve plan developed for the land; ‘‘(B) to comply with the terms and condi- tions of the contract and any related agree- ments; and ‘‘(C) to temporarily suspend the base his- tory for the land covered by the contract.
‘‘(6) TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF GRASSLAND 30 CONTRACTS.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A Grassland 30 con- tract— ‘‘(i) shall include terms and conditions that promote sustainable grazing systems, protect and enhance soil carbon levels, and are compatible with wildlife habitat con- servation, as determined by the Secretary; and ‘‘(ii) may include any additional provi- sion that the Secretary determines is ap- propriate to carry out this subsection or facilitate the practical administration of this subsection.
‘‘(B) VIOLATION.—On the violation of a term or condition of a Grassland 30 contract, the Secretary may require the owner to refund all or part of any payments received by the owner under the conservation reserve program, with interest on the payments, as determined appropriate by the Secretary.
‘‘(C) COMPATIBLE USES.—Land subject to a Grassland 30 contract may be used for com- patible economic uses, including hunting and fishing, if the use— ‘‘(i) is specifically permitted by the conservation reserve plan developed for the land; and ‘‘(ii) is consistent with the long-term protection and enhancement of the con- servation resources for which the contract was established.
‘‘(7) COMPENSATION.— ‘‘(A) AMOUNT OF PAYMENTS.—The Sec- retary shall provide payment under this sub- section to an owner of land enrolled through a Grassland 30 contract using 30 annual pay- ments in an amount equal to the amount that would be used if the land were to be enrolled in the conservation reserve program under sec- tion 1231(d)(2).
‘‘(B) FORM OF PAYMENT.—Compensation for a Grassland 30 contract shall be provided by the Secretary in the form of a cash payment in an amount determined under subparagraph (A).

‘‘(C) TIMING.—The Secretary shall provide any annual payment obligation under subpara- graph (A) as early as practicable in each fiscal year.
‘‘(D) PAYMENTS TO OTHERS.—The Sec- retary shall make a payment, in accordance with regulations prescribed by the Secretary, in a manner as the Secretary determines is fair and reasonable under the circumstances, if an owner who is entitled to a payment under this section— ‘‘(i) dies; ‘‘(ii) becomes incompetent; ‘‘(iii) is succeeded by another person or entity who renders or completes the re- quired performance; or ‘‘(iv) is otherwise unable to receive the payment.
‘‘(8) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall assist owners in complying with the terms and conditions of a Grassland 30 contract.
‘‘(B) CONTRACTS OR AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may enter into 1 or more contracts with private entities or agreements with a State, nongovernmental organization, or Indian Tribe to carry out necessary maintenance of a Grassland 30 contract if the Secretary deter- mines that the contract or agreement will ad- vance the purposes of the conservation reserve program.
‘‘(9) ADMINISTRATION.— ‘‘(A) CONSERVATION RESERVE PLAN.— The Secretary shall develop a conservation re- serve plan for any land subject to a Grassland 30 contract, which shall include practices and activities necessary to maintain, protect, and enhance the conservation value of the enrolled land, including the protection and enhancement of soil carbon levels.
‘‘(B) DELEGATION OF CONTRACT ADMINIS- TRATION.— ‘‘(i) FEDERAL, STATE, TRIBAL, OR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENCIES.—The Sec- retary may delegate any of the manage- ment, monitoring, and enforcement respon- sibilities of the Secretary under this sub- section to other Federal, State, Tribal, or local government agencies that have the appropriate authority, expertise, and re- sources necessary to carry out those dele- gated responsibilities.
‘‘(ii) CONSERVATION ORGANIZA- TIONS.—The Secretary may delegate any management responsibilities of the Sec- retary under this subsection to conserva- tion organizations if the Secretary deter- mines the conservation organization has similar expertise and resources.’’.
SEC.

505.

ALTERNATIVE MANURE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.

Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Secu- rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839bb et seq.)
3839bb et seq.)

(as amended by section 304) is amended by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘SEC.

1240T.

ALTERNATIVE MANURE MANAGEMENT PRO- GRAM.

‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: ‘‘(1) ALTERNATIVE MANURE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM.—The term ‘alternative manure manage- ment program’ means the program established under subsection (b).
‘‘(2) COVERED MANAGEMENT MEASURE.—The term ‘covered management measure’ means a dairy or livestock operation method that is used by an eli- gible producer to reduce baseline methane emissions and, where applicable, improve carbon sequestration on the operation of that eligible producer, including the measures described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of subsection (f)(2).
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE PRODUCER.—The term ‘eligible producer’ means a dairy or livestock producer who agrees to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by adopt- ing at least 1 covered management measure as an alternative or complement to anaerobic systems that capture methane emissions.
‘‘(4) PASTURE-BASED MANAGEMENT.—The term ‘pasture-based management’ means a dairy or livestock production system— ‘‘(A) that eliminates or reduces the quan- tity of manure stored in anaerobic conditions; and ‘‘(B) in which the animals spend all or a substantial portion of their time grazing on fields in which some or all of the manure is de- posited and left in the field and decomposes aerobically.
‘‘(5) SOLID SEPARATION SYSTEM.—The term ‘solid separation system’ means a system designed to separate liquid components of manure from mineral and organic solid components of that manure.

‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab- lish an alternative manure management program to award contracts to eligible producers to support carbon seques- tration and greenhouse gas emissions reductions by imple- menting covered management measures.
‘‘(c) SUBMISSION OF CONTRACT OFFERS.—To be eli- gible to participate in the alternative manure management program, an eligible producer shall submit to the Sec- retary a contract offer that details any management meas- ure to be used on the operation of the eligible producer.
‘‘(d) CLUSTER CONTRACT OFFERS.—The Secretary shall establish procedures under which— ‘‘(1) groups of eligible producers may submit a joint contract offer for a shared composting facility; and ‘‘(2) the Secretary shall allocate payments to each eligible producer associated with a joint con- tract described in paragraph (1).
‘‘(e) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.— ‘‘(1) EVALUATION CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall develop criteria for evaluating applications that will maximize— ‘‘(A) carbon sequestration; ‘‘(B) greenhouse gas emissions reductions; and ‘‘(C) the overall environmental and public health benefits.
‘‘(2) PRIORITY.—In awarding contracts under this section, the Secretary, using criteria developed under paragraph (1), shall give priority to contract offers that address air quality, water quality, or other public health concerns associated with dairy and livestock operations located near low-income or underserved communities.
‘‘(3) GROUPING OF APPLICATIONS.—The Sec- retary may group and evaluate contract offers rel- ative to other contract offers for similar farming op- erations.
‘‘(4) GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY.—In awarding contracts under this section, the Secretary shall en- sure geographical diversity.

‘‘(f) CONTRACT PROVISIONS.— ‘‘(1) TERM.—A contract awarded under this section shall have a term that does not exceed 3 years.
‘‘(2) COVERED MANAGEMENT MEASURES.— Each eligible producer requesting funding for a project under the alternative manure management program shall implement at least 1 of the following management measures: ‘‘(A) With respect to pasture-based man- agement— ‘‘(i) adopting pasture-based manage- ment; ‘‘(ii) converting a non-pasture dairy or livestock operation to pasture-based man- agement; ‘‘(iii) increasing the amount of time livestock spend at pasture at an existing pasture operation; or ‘‘(iv) improving pasture-based man- agement, including transitioning to man- agement-intensive rotational grazing (as defined in section 1240L(d)(1)).
‘‘(B) Adopting alternative manure treat- ment and storage practices, including— ‘‘(i) the installation of a compost-bed- ded pack barn that composts manure; ‘‘(ii) the installation of slatted floor pit storage manure collection that is cleaned out at least once a month; or ‘‘(iii) other similar practices, as deter- mined by the Secretary.
‘‘(C)(i) Adopting a solid separation system, installing a new solid separation system that has a significantly higher separation efficiency than any existing solid separation system, or developing or retrofitting a manure manage- ment system that primarily avoids wet handling infrastructure; and ‘‘(ii) in conjunction with 1 or more of the following management measures: ‘‘(I) Open solar drying or composting of manure onsite.
‘‘(II) Solar drying in an enclosed environment.

‘‘(III) Forced evaporation with natural-gas fueled dryers.

‘‘(IV) Storage of manure in unconfined piles or stacks.

‘‘(V) Composting in an enclosed vessel, with forced aeration and con- tinuous mixing.

‘‘(VI) Composting in piles with forced aeration without mixing.

‘‘(VII) Composting in intensive windrows with regular turning for mixing and aeration.

‘‘(VIII) Composting in passive windrows with infrequent turning for mixing and aeration.
‘‘(IX) Vermiculture or vermifiltration.

‘‘(X) Other similar activities, as determined by the Secretary.
‘‘(D) Adopting scrape technologies, in con- junction with 1 of the management measures described in subclauses (I) through (X) of sub- paragraph (C)(ii).
‘‘(3) DUTIES OF ELIGIBLE PRODUCERS UNDER CONTRACT.—To receive payments under the alter- native manure management program, an eligible producer shall— ‘‘(A) implement 1 or more management measures; ‘‘(B) supply information as required by the Secretary to determine compliance with the re- quirements of the alternative manure manage- ment program; and ‘‘(C) comply with such additional provi- sions as the Secretary determines are necessary to carry out the alternative manure manage- ment program.
‘‘(g) PAYMENTS TO ELIGIBLE PRODUCERS.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—During each of fiscal years 2024 through 2028, the Secretary shall provide pay- ments to eligible producers that enter into contracts with the Secretary under the alternative manure management program.
‘‘(2) AVAILABILITY OF PAYMENTS.—Payments provided to an eligible producer under this section may be used to implement 1 or more covered man- agement measures.
‘‘(3) PAYMENT AMOUNTS.—The Secretary may provide a payment to an eligible producer under the alternative manure management program for an amount that is up to 100 percent of the costs associ- ated with planning, design, materials, equipment, in- stallation, labor, management, maintenance, and training relating to implementing a covered manage- ment measure.
‘‘(4) LIMITATION ON PAYMENTS.—A person or legal entity (including a joint venture and a general partnership) may not receive, directly or indirectly, payments under the program that exceed $825,000 during any 5-year period.
‘‘(5) ADVANCED PAYMENTS.—The Secretary shall provide not less than 50 percent of the amount of total payments to an eligible producer in advance for all costs relating to— ‘‘(A) purchasing or contracting materials and equipment; or ‘‘(B) any technical assistance provided by the Secretary.
‘‘(h) MODIFICATION OR TERMINATION OF CON- 25 TRACTS.— ‘‘(1) VOLUNTARY MODIFICATION OR TERMI- NATION.—The Secretary may modify or terminate a contract entered into with an eligible producer under the alternative manure management program if— ‘‘(A) the producer agrees to the modifica- tion or termination; and ‘‘(B) the Secretary determines that the modification or termination is in the public in- terest.
‘‘(2) INVOLUNTARY TERMINATION.—The Sec- retary may terminate a contract under the alter- native manure management program if the Sec- retary determines that the eligible producer violated the contract.
‘‘(i) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.—The Secretary 16 shall— ‘‘(1) determine and publish factors for esti- mating the carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions reductions for each covered management measure described in subclauses (I) through (X) of subsection (f)(2)(C)(ii); ‘‘(2) assist an eligible producer in achieving the carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions re- duction, and other environmental and public health goals of the alternative manure management pro- gram plan by— ‘‘(A) providing payments for developing and implementing 1 or more covered manage- ment measures, as appropriate; and ‘‘(B) providing that eligible producer with information, technical assistance, and training to aid in implementation of the covered man- agement measures; and ‘‘(3) review the adequacy of existing conserva- tion practice standards for supporting the covered management measures and, if necessary— ‘‘(A) revise existing conservation practice standards; and ‘‘(B) develop new conservation practice standards.
‘‘(j) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—In providing tech- nical assistance under the alternative manure manage- ment program, the Secretary shall apply sections 1241(c) and 1242, except that the Secretary shall— ‘‘(1) apportion not more than 15 percent of the total funding available for the alternative manure management program for the provision of technical assistance; and ‘‘(2) enter into cooperative agreements with third-party providers with relevant expertise in the covered management measures to ensure adequate technical services are available to alternative manure management program applicants.
‘‘(k) FUNDING.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall use the funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out the alternative ma- nure management program (including the provision of technical assistance described in subsection (j)) using $1,500,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2024 through 2028.
‘‘(2) RESERVATIONS OF FUNDS.—The Sec- retary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, use a majority of the funds made available by paragraph (1) for contract offers from small and mid-sized dairy and livestock operations, including— ‘‘(A) beginning farmers or ranchers; ‘‘(B) limited resource farmers and ranch- ers; and ‘‘(C) socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.’’.
TITLE VI—ON-FARM RENEWABLE ENERGY SEC.

601.

RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM.

Section 9007 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest- ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C.
8107) is amended— (1) in subsection (a)— (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘and renewable energy develop- ment’’ and inserting ‘‘, renewable energy devel- opment, and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions’’; and (B) in paragraph (2), by adding ‘‘that re- duce greenhouse gas emissions’’ before the pe- riod at the end; (2) in subsection (b)— (A) in paragraph (2)— (i) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (ii) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (G); and (iii) by inserting after subparagraph (D) the following: ‘‘(E) a nonprofit corporation; ‘‘(F) an agricultural cooperative or pro- ducer group; and’’; (B) in paragraph (3)(D), by inserting be- fore the semicolon at the end the following: ‘‘, including greenhouse gas emissions reductions’’; and (C) in paragraph (4)— (i) in the matter preceding subpara- graph (A), by inserting ‘‘, agricultural processors,’’ after ‘‘agricultural pro- ducers’’; (ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (iii) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by strik- ing the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (iv) by adding at the end the fol- lowing: ‘‘(C) assisting in the development of feasi- bility studies and plans for implementing rec- ommendations provided under subparagraph (B).’’; (3) in subsection (c)— (A) in paragraph (1)(A)(i), by inserting ‘‘, agricultural processors,’’ after ‘‘agricultural producers’’; (B) in paragraph (2)—
Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00170 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 C:\USERS\MORSI\APPDATA\ROAMING\SOFTQUAD\XMETAL\11.0\GEN\C\PINGRE_014.X G:\M\18\PINGRE\PINGRE_014.XML 171 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) and (G) as subparagraphs (G) and (H), respectively; and (ii) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the following: ‘‘(F) carbon accounting assessments devel- oped under subsection (d) with respect to the renewable energy system to be installed or the energy efficiency upgrade to be undertaken;’’; (C) in paragraph (3)— (i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘The amount’’ and all that follows through ‘‘25 percent’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided in subparagraph (F), the amount of a grant under this subsection shall not exceed 50 percent’’; (ii) by redesignating subparagraphs (C) and (D) as subparagraphs (D) and (E), respectively; (iii) by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following: ‘‘(C) MAXIMUM PERCENTAGE OF LOAN GUARANTEE.—The portion of a loan that the Secretary may guarantee under this section shall be— ‘‘(i) in the case of a loan in the amount of not less than $1,000,000, 80 percent of the principal amount of the loan; and ‘‘(ii) in the case of a loan in an amount less than $1,000,000, 90 percent of the principal amount of the loan.’’; (iv) in subparagraph (E) (as so redes- ignated), by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (h)’’; and (v) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(F) UNDERSERVED PRODUCERS.—The amount of a grant provided under this sub- section to an agricultural producer who is a be- ginning farmer or rancher, a socially disadvan- taged farmer or rancher, or a veteran farmer or rancher (as those terms
 are defined in section 2501(a) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C.
2279(a))) shall not exceed 75 percent of the cost of the activity funded by the grant.’’; (D) in paragraph (4), by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(F) PRE-APPROVED TECHNOLOGIES.—In order to streamline the adoption of renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improve- ments, the Secretary shall develop a stream- lined application process for projects utilizing pre-approved products and technologies in- cluded on the list described in paragraph (5).’’; and (E) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(5) PRE-APPROVED LIST.—The Secretary shall, beginning in fiscal year 2024— ‘‘(A) develop a list of pre-approved tech- nologies and products for purposes of para- graph (4)(F); and ‘‘(B) update that list every 2 fiscal years.
‘‘(6) PRIORITY.—In making grants or loan guarantees under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to proposed projects that utilize tech- nologies— ‘‘(A) with a substantially low carbon foot- print; or ‘‘(B) that would result in significant net decreases of greenhouse gas emissions, as deter- mined by the Secretary using the carbon ac- counting assessments developed under sub- section (d).’’; (4) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), and (f) as subsections (f), (g), and (h), respectively; (5) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(d) CARBON ACCOUNTING.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Resil- ience Act of 2023, the Secretary, in collaboration with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, shall develop carbon accounting assessments for re- newable energy systems and energy efficiency up- grades (including technologies on the list described in subsection (c)(5)(A) and technologies described in subsection (h)(5)(A)) supported by assistance pro- vided under this section.
‘‘(2) METHODOLOGIES.—In developing the car- bon accounting assessments under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent prac- ticable, create accurate methodologies for assigning greenhouse gas emission values, including land use change.

‘‘(3) PROGRAM GUIDANCE.—The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, use the carbon accounting assessments developed under paragraph (1) as guides in carrying out this section.
‘‘(e) REGIONAL DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out regional demonstration projects that incentivize agricultural producers to reduce their carbon foot- print or overall carbon equivalent emissions to the maximum extent practicable through the use of en- ergy efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems.
‘‘(2) PUBLICIZATION.—The Secretary shall publicize the results of the regional demonstration projects carried out under paragraph (1).’’; (6) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated)— (A) in the subsection heading, by inserting ‘‘AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE’’ after ‘‘OUT- REACH’’; (B) by striking ‘‘The Secretary shall’’ and inserting ‘‘Using funds made available under subsection (h)(4), the Secretary shall’’; (C) by inserting ‘‘and technical assistance’’ after ‘‘outreach’’; and (D) by inserting ‘‘or provided, as applica- ble,’’ after ‘‘conducted’’; (7) in subsection (g) (as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘subsection (h)’’; and (8) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated)— (A) in paragraph (1), by striking subpara- graphs (A) through (E) and inserting the fol- lowing: ‘‘(A) $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2023; ‘‘(B) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; ‘‘(C) $200,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; ‘‘(D) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; and ‘‘(E) $400,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’; (B) in paragraph (2)(B), by striking ‘‘be- come available’’ and inserting ‘‘be used’’; and (C) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Of the funds made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not more than 8 percent for administrative expenses.
‘‘(5) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made available to carry out this section for a fiscal year, the Secretary may reserve— ‘‘(A) not more than 15 percent to provide grants under subsection (c) to support the adoption of underutilized but proven commer- cial technologies; and ‘‘(B) not more than 5 percent to carry out subsection (e).’’.
SEC.

602.

AGRIVOLTAIC SYSTEMS.

(a) DEFINITION OF AGRIVOLTAIC SYSTEM.—In this section, the term ‘‘agrivoltaic system’’ means a system under which solar energy production and agricultural pro- duction, including crop or animal production or apiculture, occurs in an integrated manner on the same piece of land.
(b) STUDY.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a study on agrivoltaic systems that shall include— (A) an assessment of the compatibility of different species of livestock with different agrivoltaic system designs, including— (i) the optimal height of and distance between solar panels for— (I) livestock grazing; and (II) shade for livestock; (ii) manure management consider- ations; (iii) fencing requirements; and (iv) other animal handling consider- ations; (B) an assessment of animal breeding re- search needs with respect to beneficial and com- patible characteristics and behaviors of different species of grazing animals in agrivoltaic sys- tems; (C) an assessment of the compatibility of different crop types with different agrivoltaic system designs, including— (i) the optimal height of and distance between solar panels for— (I) plant shading; and (II) farm equipment use; (ii) the impact on crop yield; and (iii) market opportunities to sell crops at a premium price; (D) an assessment of plant breeding re- search needs with respect to beneficial and com- patible characteristics of different crops, includ- ing specialty and perennial crops, in agrivoltaic systems; (E) a risk-benefit analysis of agrivoltaic systems in different regions of the United States, including a comparison between the total greenhouse gas impact of agrivoltaic sys-
179 tems and solar energy systems that displace ag- ricultural production; (F) an assessment of the types of agricul- tural land best suited and worst suited for agrivoltaic systems; (G) an assessment of how to best develop agrivoltaic systems on a national and local scale consistent with— (i) maintaining or increasing agricul- tural production; (ii) increasing agricultural resilience; (iii) retaining prime farmland; (iv) increasing economic opportunities in farming and rural communities; (v) reducing nonfarmer ownership of farmland; and (vi) enhancing biodiversity; (H) an assessment of the unique risk man- agement and crop insurance needs of agrivoltaic systems; (I) an assessment of how Federal procure- ment of agricultural products could help build a market for agricultural products from farms with agrivoltaic systems; and (J) an assessment of how Federal agricul- tural conservation programs, renewable energy programs, and investment tax credits can better support agrivoltaic systems.
(2) 5-YEAR PLAN.—Based on the study under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall develop a 5-year plan for using the research, extension, outreach, con- servation, and renewable energy activities of the De- partment of Agriculture to better support agrivoltaic systems that do not displace agricultural production.
(3) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag- riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report containing the results of the study conducted under paragraph (1).
(c) AGRIVOLTAIC SYSTEM RESEARCH AND DEM- 19 ONSTRATION.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Re- search Service and in coordination with the relevant research programs of the Department of Energy, shall establish and maintain a network of research and demonstration sites operated by the Agricultural Research Service to investigate and demonstrate agrivoltaic systems in multiple regions of the United States, including arid, semi-arid, and wet agricul- tural zones, that— (A) increase agricultural productivity and profitability; (B) enhance agricultural resilience and the capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change; (C) protect biodiversity; and (D) increase economic opportunities in farming and rural communities.
(2) COORDINATION.— In establishing and maintaining the network described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall collaborate with USDA Climate Hubs to share research findings and translate re- search findings into educational, outreach, and tech- nical assistance materials for agricultural producers.

(3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter.

SEC.

603.

AGSTAR PROGRAM.
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall maintain the program known as the ‘‘AgSTAR program’’ within the Department of Agriculture, under which the Secretary shall— (1) support the use of anaerobic digestion in the agricultural sector to reduce methane emissions from livestock waste; (2) conduct outreach, education, and training on anaerobic digestion of livestock waste; (3) provide technical and regulatory assistance on anaerobic digestion of livestock waste to stake- holders, including farmers and ranchers, on issues including— (A) permitting; (B) codigestion of multiple organic wastes in one digester; and (C) interconnection to physically link a di- gester to the electrical power grid; (4) promote centralized, multifarm digesters that use livestock waste from more than 1 farm or ranch; (5) collect and report data on anaerobic diges- tion of livestock waste; and (6) maintain a database of on-farm anaerobic digester projects in the United States.
(b) TRANSITION FROM EPA.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall take such steps as are necessary to provide for an orderly tran- sition for the activities carried out under the AgSTAR program by the Environmental Protection Agency to be carried out by the Secretary, in accord- ance with subsection (c).
(2) DEADLINE.—The Administrator of the En- vironmental Protection Agency shall finish carrying out paragraph (1) by not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, such that the Sec- retary has sole jurisdiction of the AgSTAR program by that date.
(c) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall carry out the AgSTAR program through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service— (1) in coordination with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal agencies as necessary; and (2) in partnership with the climate hubs, coop- erative extension services, and agencies of the De- partment of Agriculture.
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the AgSTAR program not more than $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
TITLE VII—FOOD LOSS AND WASTE Subtitle A—Food Date Labeling SEC.

701.

DEFINITIONS.

In this subtitle: (1) ADMINISTERING SECRETARIES.—The term ‘‘administering Secretaries’’ means— (A) the Secretary, with respect to any product that is— (i) under the jurisdiction of the Sec- retary; and (ii)(I) a poultry product (as defined in section 4 of the Poultry Products Inspec- tion Act (21 U.S.C.

453)); (II) a meat food product (as defined in section 1 of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.
601)); or (III) an egg product (as defined in section 4 of the Egg Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.
1033)); and (B) the Secretary of Health and Human Services, with respect to any product that is— (i) under the jurisdiction of the Sec- retary of Health and Human Services; and (ii) a food (as defined in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
321)).

(2) DISCARD DATE.—The term ‘‘discard date’’ means a date voluntarily printed on food packaging that signifies the end of the estimated period of shelf life under any stated storage conditions, after which the food labeler advises the product not be con- sumed.

(3) FOOD LABELER.—The term ‘‘food labeler’’ means the producer, manufacturer, distributor, or retailer that places a date label on food packaging of a product.
(4) QUALITY DATE.—The term ‘‘quality date’’ means a date voluntarily printed on food packaging that is intended to communicate to consumers the date after which— (A) the quality of the product may begin to deteriorate; but (B) the product remains apparently whole- some food (as defined in subsection (b) of the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act (42 U.S.C.

1791(b))).
1791(b))).

1 SEC.

702.

QUALITY DATES AND DISCARD DATES.


(a) QUALITY DATES.— (1) IN GENERAL.—If a food labeler includes a quality date on food packaging, the label shall use the uniform quality date label phrase under para- graph (2).
(2) UNIFORM PHRASE.—The uniform quality date label phrase under this paragraph shall be ‘‘BEST If Used By’’ or, if permissible under sub- section (c)(3), the standard abbreviation of ‘‘BB’’, unless and until the administering Secretaries, act- ing jointly, specify through rulemaking another uni- form phrase to be used for purposes of complying with paragraph (1).
(3) OPTION OF THE LABELER.—The decisions on whether to include a quality date on food pack- aging and which foods should be so labeled shall be at the discretion of the food labeler.

(b) DISCARD DATES.— (1) IN GENERAL.—If a food labeler includes a discard date on food packaging, the label shall use the uniform discard date label phrase under para- graph (2).
(2) UNIFORM PHRASE.—The uniform discard date label phrase under this paragraph shall be ‘‘USE By’’ or, if permissible under subsection 26 (c)(3), the standard abbreviation of ‘‘UB’’, unless and until the administering Secretaries, acting joint- ly, specify through rulemaking another uniform phrase to be used for purposes of complying with paragraph (1).
(3) OPTION OF THE LABELER.—The decisions on whether to include a discard date on food pack- aging and which foods should be so labeled shall be at the discretion of the food labeler.
10 (c) QUALITY DATE AND DISCARD DATE LABEL- 11 ING.— (1) IN GENERAL.—The quality date or discard date, as applicable, and immediately adjacent uni- form quality date label phrase or discard date label phrase— (A) shall be— (i) in single easy-to-read type style; and (ii) located in a conspicuous place on the package of the food; and (B) may be on the label or, at the discre- tion of the food labeler, elsewhere on the pack- age.
(2) DATE FORMAT.—Each quality date and dis- card date shall be stated in terms of day and month and, as appropriate, year.
(3) ABBREVIATIONS.—A food labeler may use a standard abbreviation of ‘‘BB’’ and ‘‘UB’’ for the quality date and discard date, respectively, only if the food packaging is too small to include the uni- form phrase described in subsection (a)(2) or (b)(2), as applicable.

(4) FREEZE BY.—A food labeler may add ‘‘or Freeze By’’ following a quality date or discard date uniform phrase.
(d) EDUCATION.—Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the administering Secre- taries, acting jointly, shall provide consumer education and outreach on the meaning of quality date and discard 17 date food labels.

18 (e) RULES OF CONSTRUCTION; PREEMPTION.— (1) INFANT FORMULA.—This title and the amendments made by this title shall not— (A) apply to infant formula (as defined in section 201 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
321)); and (B) affect the requirements relating to in- fant formula established under section 412 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.

350a) or other applicable provisions of law.


(2) SALE OR DONATION OF FOOD BASED ON DISCARD DATE.—Nothing in this title or an amend- ment made by this title prohibits any State or polit- ical subdivision of a State from establishing or con- tinuing in effect any requirement that prohibits the sale or donation of foods based on passage of the discard date.
(3) TIME TEMPERATURE INDICATOR LABELS.— Nothing in this title or an amendment made by this title prohibits or restricts the use of time-tempera- ture indicator labels or similar technology that is in addition to or in lieu of any uniform quality date label phrase under subsection (a)(2) or uniform dis- card date label phrase under subsection (b)(2).
(4) PREEMPTION.—No State or political sub- division of a State may establish or continue in ef- fect any requirement that— (A) relates to the inclusion in food labeling of a quality date or a discard date that is dif- ferent from or in addition to, or that is other- wise not identical with, the requirements of this Act and the amendments made by this Act; or (B) prohibits the sale or donation of foods based on passage of the quality date.
(5) ENFORCEMENT.—The administering Secre- taries, acting jointly and in coordination with the Federal Trade Commission, shall ensure that the uniform quality date label phrase and uniform dis- card date label phrase are standardized across all food products.
(6) SAVINGS.—Notwithstanding paragraph (4), nothing in this title, any amendment made by this title, or any standard or requirement imposed pursu- ant to this title preempts, displaces, or supplants any State or Federal common law rights or any State or Federal statute creating a remedy for civil relief, including a remedy for civil damage, or a pen- alty for criminal conduct.

SEC.

703.

MISBRANDING.

(a) FDA VIOLATIONS.—Section 403 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C.
343) is amend- ed by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(z) If it is food and its labeling is in violation of section 702 of the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023.’’.

(b) POULTRY PRODUCTS.—Section 4(h) of the Poul- try Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.
453(h)) is amend- 25 ed— (1) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; (2) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(13) if its labeling is in violation of section 702 of the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023.’’.
(c) MEAT PRODUCTS.—Section 1(n) of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.

601(n)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the end; (2) in paragraph (12), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(13) if its labeling is in violation of section 702 of the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023.’’.

(d) EGG PRODUCTS.—Section 7(b) of the Egg Prod- ucts Inspection Act (21 U.S.C.
1036(b)) is amended in the first sentence by inserting ‘‘or if its labeling is in viola- tion of section 702 of the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023’’ before the period at the end.

SEC.

704.

REGULATIONS.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the administering Secretaries, acting jointly, shall promulgate final regulations for carrying out this title and the amendments made by this title.
SEC.

705.

DELAYED APPLICABILITY.

This title and the amendments made by this title shall apply only with respect to food products that are la- beled on or after the date that is 2 years after the date of promulgation of final regulations under section 704.

Subtitle B—Other Provisions SEC.

711.

COMPOSTING AS CONSERVATION PRACTICE.

(a) CONSERVATION STANDARDS AND REQUIRE- MENTS.—Section 1241(j) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3841(j)) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraph (2) as para- graph (3); and (2) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(2) COMPOSTING AS CONSERVATION PRACTICE AND ACTIVITY.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall, by regulation, provide that composting is a con- servation practice and a conservation activity for the purposes of this title.
‘‘(B) DEFINITION OF COMPOSTING.— ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In this paragraph, the term ‘composting’ means— ‘‘(I) an activity (including an ac- tivity that does not require the use of a composting facility) to produce com- post from organic waste that is— ‘‘(aa) generated on a farm; or ‘‘(bb) brought to a farm from a nearby community and used to produce compost on that farm; and ‘‘(II) the use and active manage- ment of compost on a farm, in accord- ance with any applicable Federal, State, or local law, to improve water retention and soil health.
‘‘(ii) DETERMINATION OF NEARBY COMMUNITIES.—The Secretary, in con- sultation with the Administrator of the En- vironmental Protection Agency, shall issue regulations for determining whether a com- munity is nearby for purposes of clause (i)(I)(bb), which shall ensure that bringing organic waste from the community to the farm to produce compost results in a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.’’.
(b) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM.—Sec- tion 1240I(2)(B)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa–21(2)(B)(i)) is amended by inserting ‘‘and composting (as defined in section 1241(j)(2)(B))’’ after ‘‘agriculture drainage management systems’’.

(c) ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PRO- GRAM.—Section 1240A(6)(A)(ii) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.

3839aa–1(6)(A)(ii)) is amended by in- serting ‘‘, including composting (as defined in section 1241(j)(2)(B))’’ before the semicolon at the end.

(d) DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 1242(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3842(h)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(5) DEVELOPMENT OF COMPOSTING PRACTICE STANDARD.—In addition to conducting a review under this subsection of any composting facilities practice standard established before the date of en- actment of this paragraph, the Secretary shall de- velop and implement a composting practice standard under the process developed under paragraph (3).’’.

SEC.

712.

AMENDMENTS TO FEDERAL FOOD DONATION ACT.


(a) PURPOSE.—Section 2 of the Federal Food Dona- tion Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–247; 42 U.S.C.
1792 note) is amended by striking ‘‘encourage’’ and inserting ‘‘require’’.

(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 3 of the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–247; 42 U.S.C.
1792 note) is amended— (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol- lowing: ‘‘(3) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘executive agency’ has the meaning given the term in section 133 of title 41, United States Code.’’.

(c) REPORT ON FOOD WASTE BY CERTAIN FEDERAL CONTRACTORS.—Section 4 of the Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (42 U.S.C.
1792) is amended— (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the following: ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— ‘‘(1) REQUIREMENT.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Resil- ience Act of 2023, the Federal Acquisition Regula- tion issued in accordance with section 1121 of title 41, United States Code, shall be revised to provide that, except as provided in paragraph (2), all con- tracts greater than $10,000 for the provision, serv- ice, or sale of food in the United States, or for the lease or rental of Federal property to a private enti- ty for events at which food is provided in the United States, shall include a clause that— ‘‘(A) requires the donation of excess, ap- parently wholesome food to nonprofit organiza- tions that provide assistance to food-insecure people in the United States; ‘‘(B) states the terms and conditions de- scribed in subsection (b); and ‘‘(C) requires the submission of a report, annually if applicable— ‘‘(i) in a form and manner specified by the executive agency awarding the con- tract; and ‘‘(ii) that describes, for each month of performance of the contract during the pe- riod covered by the report, the weight of apparently wholesome food that was dis- posed of pursuant to the contract by— ‘‘(I) donation, organized by the name of the organization receiving the food; ‘‘(II) composting or other recy- cling; or ‘‘(III) discarding, organized by the reason that the food was dis- carded.
‘‘(2) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply to a contract with an executive agency that has issued a regulation in effect on the date of en- actment of the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023 that prohibits a donation described in paragraph (1)(A).’’; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(c) APPLICATION TO CONGRESS.— ‘‘(1) CONTRACTS.—This Act shall apply to the House of Representatives and the Senate, and to contracts entered into by the House of Representa- tives and the Senate, in the same manner and to the same extent as this Act applies to an executive agen- cy and to contracts entered into by an executive agency pursuant to this Act.
‘‘(2) ADMINISTRATION.—For purposes of car- rying out paragraph (1)— ‘‘(A) the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives shall be consid- ered to be the head of the House of Representa- tives; and ‘‘(B) the Secretary of the Senate shall be considered to be the head of the Senate.
‘‘(d) REPORTS.— ‘‘(1) REPORT TO OMB.—Not later than 30 days after the date on which an executive agency receives a report described in subsection (a)(1)(C), the execu- tive agency shall submit a copy of the report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
‘‘(2) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—The Director of the Office of Management and Budget shall submit to Congress an annual report aggregating the infor- mation in the reports received under paragraph (1) during the year covered by the report to Congress.’’.

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—The Federal Food Donation Act of 2008 (Public Law 110– 247; 122 Stat.

2314) is amended by adding at the end the following: 18 19 20 21 ‘‘SEC.

5.

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.


‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec- retary of Agriculture to carry out this Act $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2024 and each fiscal year thereafter.’’.

 SEC.

713.
713.

GRANTS FOR COMPOSTING AND ANAEROBIC DI- GESTION FOOD WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECTS.

(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle G of the Solid Waste Dis- posal Act (42 U.S.C.

6971 et seq.)

is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘SEC.

7011.

GRANTS FOR COMPOSTING AND ANAEROBIC DI- GESTION FOOD WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECTS.
10 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF STATE.—In this section, the 11 term ‘State’ means— ‘‘(1) each of the several States; ‘‘(2) the District of Columbia; ‘‘(3) each territory or possession of the United States; and ‘‘(4) each federally recognized Indian Tribe.

‘‘(b) GRANTS.—The Administrator shall establish a grant program to award grants to States eligible to receive the grants under subsection (c)(1) to construct large-scale composting or anaerobic digestion food waste-to-energy 21 projects.
22 23 24 ‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE STATES.— ‘‘(1) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, a State shall— ‘‘(A) have in effect a plan to limit the quantity of food waste that may be disposed of in landfills in the State; and ‘‘(B) provide to the Administrator— ‘‘(i) a written commitment that the State has read and agrees to comply with the Food Recovery Hierarchy of the Envi- ronmental Protection Agency, particularly as applied to apparently wholesome food (as defined in section 22(b) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.
1791(b))) that may be provided to or re- ceived by the State; and ‘‘(ii) a written end-product recycling plan that provides for the beneficial use of the material resulting from any anaerobic digestion food waste-to-energy operation with respect to which the grant is made, in a manner that meets all applicable Fed- eral, State, and local laws that protect human health and the environment.
‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—A grant under subsection (b) may not be used for an anaerobic digester that uses solely manure as undigested biomass.
‘‘(3) PREFERENCE.—The Administrator shall give preference to grants under subsection (b) for anaerobic digesters that use primarily nonedible food, crop waste, or nonedible food and crop waste as undigested biomass.
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $100,000,000 for each fiscal year.’’.

(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents for the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C.

6901 et seq.)

is amended by inserting after the item relating to section 12 7010 the following: ‘‘Sec.

7011.

Grants for composting and anaerobic digestion food waste-to-en- ergy projects.’’.

SEC.

714.

SCHOOL FOOD WASTE REDUCTION GRANT PRO- GRAM.


(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 18 of the Richard B. Rus- sell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C.
1769) is amended by inserting before subsection (b) the following: ‘‘(a) SCHOOL FOOD WASTE REDUCTION GRANT PRO- GRAM.— ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE LOCAL EDU- CATIONAL AGENCY.—In this subsection, the term ‘el- igible local educational agency’ means a local edu- cational agency that participates in the school lunch program under this Act or the school breakfast pro- gram established under section 4 of the Child Nutri- tion Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C.
1773).

‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall carry out a program to make grants, on a competi- tive basis, to eligible local educational agencies to carry out food waste measurement, prevention, and reduction projects.
‘‘(3) REGIONAL BALANCE.—In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, ensure— ‘‘(A) that a grant is awarded to an eligible local educational agency in each region served by the Administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service; and ‘‘(B) equitable treatment of rural, urban, and tribal communities.
‘‘(4) GRANTS.— ‘‘(A) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to re- ceive a grant under this subsection, an eligible local educational agency shall submit an appli- cation to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require.
‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to an eligible local educational agency that dem- onstrates in the application submitted under subparagraph (A) that the grant will be used— ‘‘(i) to carry out experiential edu- cation activities that encourage children enrolled in the eligible local educational agency to participate in food waste meas- urement and education; ‘‘(ii) to prioritize the best use of food in accordance with the Food Recovery Hi- erarchy published by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; ‘‘(iii) with respect to food waste pre- vention and reduction, to collaborate with other eligible local educational agencies, Indian Tribes, nongovernmental and com- munity-based organizations, and other community partners; ‘‘(iv) to establish a food waste meas- urement, prevention, and reduction project with long-term sustainability; and ‘‘(v) to evaluate the activities de- scribed in clauses (i) through (iv) and make evaluation plans.
‘‘(C) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible local educational agency that receives a grant under this subsection shall use the grant to carry out 1 or more of the following activities: ‘‘(i) Planning a food waste measure- ment, prevention, and reduction project.
‘‘(ii) Implementing a food waste meas- urement, prevention, and reduction project.

‘‘(iii) Providing training to support a food waste measurement, prevention, and reduction project.

‘‘(iv) Purchasing equipment to sup- port a food waste measurement, preven- tion, and reduction project.

‘‘(v) Offering food waste education to students enrolled in the eligible local edu- cational agency.
‘‘(D) COST-SHARING.— ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a grant provided under this subsection shall not exceed 75 percent of the total cost of the project for which the grant is provided.
‘‘(ii) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—An eligi- ble local educational agency that receives a grant under this subsection shall use non- Federal funds in the form of cash or in- kind contributions, including facilities, equipment, or services provided by State and local governments, nonprofit organiza- tions, and private sources, to pay for the remaining cost of the project for which the grant is provided.
‘‘(5) EVALUATION.— ‘‘(A) COOPERATION.—As a condition of re- ceiving a grant under this subsection, each eli- gible local educational agency shall agree to co- operate in an evaluation by the Secretary of the project carried out by the eligible local edu- cational agency as part of the evaluation con- ducted by the Secretary under subparagraph (B).
‘‘(B) PERIODIC EVALUATION.—Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Resilience Act of 2023, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall evaluate the grants made under this subsection, includ- ing— ‘‘(i) the amount of Federal funds used to award those grants; and ‘‘(ii) an evaluation of the outcomes of the projects carried out using those grants.
‘‘(C) REPORT.—The Secretary shall sub- mit to Congress as a report each evaluation car- ried out under subparagraph (B).’’.

(b) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Section 21(b) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C.

1769b–1(b)) is amended— (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and (3) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘(4) food waste measurement, prevention, and reduction.’’.

SEC.

715.
SEC.

715.

SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL MEDIA CAMPAIGNS TO DECREASE INCIDENCE OF FOOD WASTE.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support na- tional media campaigns to decrease the incidence of food waste.

21 22 23 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec- essary to carry out this section.
SEC.

716.

FOOD WASTE RESEARCH PROGRAM.


(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Food Loss and Waste Reduction Liaison of the Department of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Liaison’’) shall establish a partnership with 5 regional partner institutions, selected under subsection (c), to carry out a Food Waste Research Program (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Program’’).
(b) FOOD WASTE RESEARCH PROGRAM REQUIRE- MENTS.— (1) DUTIES.—In carrying out the Program, the Liaison, in partnership with the 5 regional partner institutions selected under subsection (c), shall— (A) plan, conduct, and arrange for public research, data, education, and recommendations within the areas of study specified in paragraph (2), as such areas relate to food waste reduction and food recovery issues nationwide, regionally, and locally; (B) carry out the activities of the Program within a variety of regions in the United States, which are identified and categorized by the Li- aison based on the specific food recovery and food waste reduction issues of such regions; (C) identify areas to increase efficiency in the allocation of resources and the coordination, cooperation, and consolidation of efforts as they relate to local, statewide, Tribal, regional, and Federal food recovery and food waste reduction efforts; (D) create a Program website, as described in paragraph (4), to disseminate information to the public; and (E) collaborate with other colleges, univer- sities, and nonprofit organizations in the re- gions selected by the Liaison that have dem- onstrated capability for research, information dissemination, and professional training in order to develop regional networks that are knowledgeable in food waste reduction issues.
(2) AREAS OF STUDY.—In carrying out the du- ties listed in paragraph (1), the Liaison and the re- gional partner institutions shall consider the fol- lowing areas of study: (A) Reducing the volume of surplus food produced.

(B) Utilizing excess food to feed individ- uals in need, including through the use of dona- tions of surplus food.

(C) Diverting food unusable for purposes described in subparagraph (B) to feed animals.
(D) Utilizing food waste to create renew- able energy sources.

(E) Composting food waste to create nutri- ent rich soil.
(F) Diminishing the deposits of food waste in landfills and reducing the incineration of food waste.

(3) USE OF FUNDS.— (A) IN GENERAL.—The Liaison may make funds available under this section to improve the capacities and facilities of the regional part- ner institutions to a level that meets the re- quirements of the role of a regional partner in- stitution.
(B) PLAN.—A regional partner institution may not receive any funding for any facility up- grade under subparagraph (A), unless— (i) the regional partner institution submits to the Liaison a plan detailing the type of facility construction or improve- ments to take place (including any land ac- quisition, engineering, design, and staffing and equipment needs, in addition to other information as required by the Liaison); and (ii) the Liaison approves such plan.
(C) NON-FEDERAL COST SHARE FOR FA- CILITY IMPROVEMENT.—A regional partner in- stitution shall be required to provide at least a 20 percent non-Federal cost share for facility improvement or construction projects pursued by a regional partner institution under subpara- graph (A).

(D) MATCHING FUNDS FOR OPERATING EXPENSES.—A regional partner institution shall be required to provide at least a 30 percent non-Federal cost share for all Program oper- ating expenses related to such regional partner institution.
(E) WAGE RATE REQUIREMENTS.—A con- struction activity carried out pursuant to this subsection shall meet Federal prevailing wage requirements as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of part A of subtitle II of title 40, United States Code (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Davis-Bacon Act’’).
(4) FOOD WASTE RESEARCH PROGRAM WEBSITE.—The Liaison shall establish a website that shall contain at least the following information: (A) Key findings and best practices.
(B) A list of collaborations and partner- ships carried out pursuant to this subsection.

(C) Annual reports and other pertinent in- formation on the duties of the Program.

(D) The location and contact information for regional partner institutions.

(E) Federal, State, local, and regionally specific public research, data, education, and policy recommendations that shall be updated in a timely manner with new information.

(F) Tools for tracking reduction efforts and measuring food waste production.
(c) SELECTION OF REGIONAL PARTNER INSTITU- TIONS.— (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Liai- son shall select 5 regional partner institutions to partner with to carry out the requirements of the Program under subsection (b).
(2) CRITERIA FOR REGIONAL PARTNER INSTI- TUTIONS.—In making a selection under paragraph (1), the Liaison shall select an institution of higher education that— (A) has a focus or expertise in at least one of the areas of study described in subsection (b)(2); (B) has the ability to plan, conduct, and arrange for public research, data, education, and recommendations related to food waste re- duction and the areas of study described in sub- section (b)(2); (C) can assist the Liaison in fulfilling the duties listed in subsection (b)(1); (D) can contribute the required non-Fed- eral funding to maintain a regional partner in- stitution center; and (E) satisfies any other criteria determined by the Liaison.
(3) ELIGIBLE SUB-AWARDEES.—A State, Trib- al, or local government, local educational agency, ag- ricultural or commodity organization, farmer, or other organization focused on food waste prevention may serve as an eligible sub-awardee of a regional partner institution if the entity meets the require- ments of subparagraphs (A) through (C) of para- graph (2).
(4) EMPLOYMENT STATUS.—Members of re- gional partner institutions shall not be considered Federal employees for any purpose.
(d) COLLABORATION WITH FEDERAL, REGIONAL, STATE, TRIBAL, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND ORGA- NIZATIONS.—The Liaison, in conjunction with the 5 re- gional partner institutions selected under subsection (c), shall collaborate and share best practices on regional, State, Tribal, and locally specific food waste and food 10 waste reduction issues with— (1) State and county governments; (2) Tribal governments; (3) units of local government; (4) local educational entities; (5) colleges and universities; (6) agricultural and commodity organizations; (7) farmers; and (8) organizations focused on food waste preven- tion.
(e) INFORMATION COLLECTION AND DISSEMINA- 21 TION.— 22 23 24 25 (1) REPORT OF REGIONAL PARTNER INSTITU- TIONS.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the regional partnership institutions shall submit to the Liaison a report containing the activities, partner- ships, collaborations, Federal policy recommenda- tions, previous and continuing budgets, findings, and any other applicable information carried out under the Program.
(2) LIAISON REPORT.—Not later than 15 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Liaison shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep- resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nu- trition, and Forestry of the Senate and publish on the Program website an annual report containing a compilation of the activities, partnerships, collabora- tions, Federal policy recommendations, previous and continuing budgets, findings, and any other applica- ble information relating to the Program.
(3) REVIEW OF REPORT.—The Liaison shall re- view the annual report from the regional partner in- stitutions to ensure that funds are being used effi- ciently according to the duties of the Program and that the Program is producing utilizable public re- search, data, education, and recommendations re- lated to food waste and food waste reduction issues.