I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4865 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct research relating to meas-
urement, monitoring, reporting, and verification of soil carbon sequestra-
tion, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 1, 2025 
Mr. SORENSEN (for himself and Mr. LAWLER) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct research 
relating to measurement, monitoring, reporting, and 
verification of soil carbon sequestration, 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. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Advancing Research 
on Agricultural Soil Health Act of 2025’’. 
SEC. 2. STANDARD SOIL CARBON MEASUREMENT METHOD-
OLOGY. 
(a) METHODOLOGY.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 270 days 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Agriculture (in this Act referred to as the 
‘‘Secretary’’) shall develop a standardized method-
ology to directly measure soil carbon for research 
and conservation purposes. 
(2) REVIEW.—In developing the methodology 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall conduct a 
review of widely used existing methodologies for di-
rect soil carbon measurement. 
(3) CONSULTATION.—In developing the meth-
odology under paragraph (1) and conducting the re-
view under paragraph (2), the Secretary shall con-
sult with— 
(A) agricultural producers, including so-
cially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers (as 
defined in section 355(e) of the Consolidated 
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
2003(e))); 
(B) soil carbon experts; 
(C) nonprofit organizations; 
(D) academic researchers; and 
(E) other stakeholders who reflect the 
operational, geographic, and socioeconomic di-
versity of United States agricultural operations. 
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(4) REQUIREMENTS.—The methodology devel-
oped under paragraph (1) shall, to the maximum ex-
tent practicable— 
(A) be usable at any location at which soil 
carbon can be directly measured; 
(B) require measurement to a standard 
soil depth appropriate for the sample site, de-
termined using the best available science; 
(C) measure the soil organic carbon con-
centration and any other soil health variables, 
as determined by the Secretary in consultation 
with stakeholders described in paragraph (3), to 
produce a standard set of reporting metrics; 
(D) produce data that is interoperable with 
other data collected by the Department of Agri-
culture; 
(E) account for calibration differences in 
soil analysis between testing facilities; 
(F) account for differences in uncertainty 
between different measurement tools; and 
(G) be usable for voluntary reporting of 
soil carbon data under subsection (b). 
(b) VOLUNTARY SOIL CARBON REPORTING.— 
(1) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Chief of the Natural Resources 
Conservation Service, shall provide to producers 
described in paragraph (2) technical assistance, 
including guidance, for voluntarily measuring, 
monitoring, and reporting to the Secretary soil 
carbon data using the methodology developed 
under subsection (a). 
(B) GUIDANCE.—Guidance provided under 
subparagraph (A) shall be, at a minimum— 
(i) available in multiple languages; 
and 
(ii) available to producers described in 
paragraph (2) in both digital and analog 
formats. 
(2) APPLICABILITY.—The guidance developed 
under paragraph (1) shall be applicable to— 
(A) producers that are recipients of grants 
under programs described in paragraph (3) to 
voluntarily measure, monitor, and report to the 
Secretary soil carbon outcomes under those pro-
grams; and 
(B) any other producer that elects to vol-
untarily report to the Secretary direct measure-
ments of soil carbon. 
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(3) PROGRAMS DESCRIBED.—The programs re-
ferred to in paragraph (2)(A) include— 
(A) conservation innovation grants under 
section 1240H of the Food Security Act of 
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8); 
(B) the sustainable agriculture research 
and education program under subtitle B of title 
XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 
and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.); 
(C) the organic agriculture research and 
extension initiative established under section 
1672B of that Act (7 U.S.C. 5925b); 
(D) grants under the Agriculture and Food 
Research Initiative under section 2(b) of the 
Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research 
Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)); and 
(E) such other programs as the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate. 
(c) UPDATES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall update 
the methodology developed under subsection (a)(1) 
and the guidance issued under subsection (b)(1)(B) 
as needed to reflect the best-available science. 
(2) INTEROPERABILITY.—In making any up-
dates under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall en-
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sure that information collected with the updated 
methodology remains interoperable with previously 
collected measurements. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$2,000,000 for each fiscal year. 
SEC. 3. DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MEASUREMENT TOOLS 
UNDER AFRI. 
Subsection (b)(2)(D) of the Competitive, Special, and 
Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(2)(D)) 
is amended— 
(1) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(2) in clause (viii), by striking the period at the 
end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ix) measuring, monitoring, report-
ing, and verifying soil carbon sequestration 
and emissions.’’. 
SEC. 4. SOIL HEALTH AND CARBON DEMONSTRATION 
TRIALS. 
(a) 
ON-FARM
CONSERVATION
INNOVATION 
TRIALS.—Section 1240H(c) of the Food Security Act of 
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–8(c)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i), by striking sub-
clause (III) and inserting the following: 
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‘‘(III) soil health management 
systems, including— 
‘‘(aa) systems to maintain or 
increase soil carbon levels; and 
‘‘(bb) cost-effective tools to 
measure, monitor, report, and 
verify greenhouse gas emissions 
and carbon sequestration;’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3)(D), by striking ‘‘3 years’’ 
each place it appears and inserting ‘‘5 years’’. 
(b) SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE RESEARCH
AND 
EDUCATION PROGRAM.—Section 1621(e) of the Food, Ag-
riculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 
5811(e)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) SOIL
CARBON
SEQUESTRATION
DEM-
ONSTRATION PROJECTS.—In carrying out this sec-
tion, the Secretary shall conduct on-farm demonstra-
tion projects for soil carbon sequestration.’’. 
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SEC. 5. SOIL CARBON INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS NET-
WORK. 
Chapter 5 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Secu-
rity Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after section 
1240M (16 U.S.C. 3839bb) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 1240N. SOIL CARBON INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS NET-
WORK. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) CONSERVATION
ACTIVITIES.—The term 
‘conservation activities’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 1240I. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE LAND.—The term ‘eligible land’ 
means public and private cropland, rangeland, 
pastureland, and wetlands in the United States. 
‘‘(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ means 
the program established under subsection (b)(1). 
‘‘(4) REGIONAL
RESOURCE
AREA.—The term 
‘regional resource area’ means a contiguous area of 
eligible land that has similar resource characteris-
tics. 
‘‘(5) RESOURCE CHARACTERISTICS.—The term 
‘resource characteristics’ means— 
‘‘(A) geographic, long-term weather pat-
tern, natural resource, and soil type character-
istics; and 
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‘‘(B) any other characteristics that the 
Secretary determines to be appropriate for the 
purpose of carrying out the program. 
‘‘(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary, acting jointly through the Chief of the 
Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Ad-
ministrator of the Agricultural Research Service. 
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a program to inventory, monitor, and analyze 
soil carbon changes on eligible land in the United 
States. 
‘‘(2) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program 
are— 
‘‘(A) to analyze soil properties, including 
soil organic carbon, across space, time, and 
depth; 
‘‘(B) to analyze the impacts of land man-
agement strategies, including conservation ac-
tivities, on soil carbon sequestration; and 
‘‘(C) to inform any tools of the Secretary 
designed to predict the impacts of different land 
management practices, including implementing 
conservation activities, on soil carbon and asso-
ciated environmental outcomes, such as resil-
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ience to extreme weather, reduced farm inputs, 
or other environment impacts, as determined by 
the Secretary, across the United States. 
‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the pro-
gram, the Secretary shall consult with the Director 
of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 
the Chief of the Forest Service, the Chief Data Offi-
cer, the Administrator of the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency, the Secretary of Energy, and the head 
of any other department or agency that the Sec-
retary determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(c) SAMPLING.— 
‘‘(1) SAMPLE SITES.—The Secretary shall select 
sample sites under the program by taking into con-
sideration— 
‘‘(A) the accessibility of sites; 
‘‘(B) the ease of collecting repeated meas-
urements over time; and 
‘‘(C) such other factors as the Secretary 
determines to be appropriate. 
‘‘(2) PREFERENCE.—In selecting sample sites 
under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give pref-
erence to sites that have been used for soil testing 
previously. 
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‘‘(3) NUMBER
OF
SAMPLE
SITES.—The Sec-
retary shall select sufficient sample sites under para-
graph (1) to analyze changes in soil carbon across 
regional resource areas, as determined by the Sec-
retary, over time, taking into account the geo-
graphical size and heterogeneity of each regional re-
source area. 
‘‘(d) SOIL CARBON INVENTORY.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Every 5 years, the Sec-
retary shall prepare an inventory of soil carbon 
stocks on eligible land, under which the Secretary 
shall collect measurements at each sample site se-
lected under subsection (c). 
‘‘(2) METHODOLOGY.—The Secretary shall en-
sure that the methodology developed under section 
3(a) of the Advancing Research on Agricultural Soil 
Health Act of 2025 is used for purposes of con-
ducting measurements at each sample site under the 
program. 
‘‘(3) MINIMUM
NUMBER
OF
SAMPLES.—The 
Secretary shall measure a sufficient number of sam-
ples to analyze changes in soil carbon at each sample 
site selected under subsection (c) for each inventory 
under paragraph (1). 
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‘‘(4) CHARACTERISTICS.—In preparing the in-
ventory under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
document the following characteristics for each sam-
ple site selected under subsection (c): 
‘‘(A) Soil type and texture. 
‘‘(B) Land use history, including conserva-
tion activities. 
‘‘(C) Environmental characteristics, such 
as temperature and precipitation. 
‘‘(D) Other characteristics, as determined 
by the Secretary. 
‘‘(e) INDIVIDUAL PROTECTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) PROTECTION
OF
PRIVATE
PROPERTY 
RIGHTS.—Before selecting a sample site under sub-
section (c) or conducting any measurement under 
subsection (d)(1), the Secretary shall obtain author-
ization from the owner of the eligible land. 
‘‘(2) 
VOLUNTARINESS
REQUIREMENT.—The 
Secretary may not require authorization under para-
graph (1) or any other participation in any activity 
under this section as a condition on receipt of any 
benefit under a program administered by the Sec-
retary. 
‘‘(3) DATA PRIVACY PROTECTION.—In carrying 
out the program, the Secretary shall ensure that 
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data is collected and analyzed while respecting rel-
evant privacy safeguards and does not include any 
identifiable, proprietary, or personal information of 
individual land owners or operators. 
‘‘(f) SOIL CHARACTERISTICS INVENTORY.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Survey and analysis infor-
mation collected under the program shall be main-
tained in a soil characteristics inventory operated by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) PARTNERSHIPS.—The inventory described 
in paragraph (1) may be operated in partnership 
with 1 or more of the following entities, if the entity 
complies with paragraph (4): 
‘‘(A) An 1862 Institution (as defined in 
section 2 of the Agricultural Research, Exten-
sion, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 
U.S.C. 7601)). 
‘‘(B) An 1890 Institution (as defined in 
that section). 
‘‘(C) A 1994 Institution (as defined in sec-
tion 532 of the Equity in Educational Land- 
Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; 
Public Law 103–382)). 
‘‘(D) Institutions of higher education with 
expertise in predictive modeling, large-scale 
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data collection, soil carbon research, or agricul-
tural conservation management practices. 
‘‘(E) Federal research centers. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATIONS.—An entity described in 
any of subparagraphs (A) through (E) of paragraph 
(2) seeking to enter into a partnership to manage 
the inventory described in paragraph (1) shall sub-
mit to the Secretary an application at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(4) REQUIREMENTS.—The inventory described 
in paragraph (1) shall— 
‘‘(A) use the industry standard protocols 
to protect identifiable, proprietary, or personal 
information of individual land owners or opera-
tors; 
‘‘(B) ensure that individual producer infor-
mation is not sold through the inventory; and 
‘‘(C) comply with all applicable privacy re-
quirements, including— 
‘‘(i) section 1770 of the Food Security 
Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276); 
‘‘(ii) section 1619 of the Food, Con-
servation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 8791); 
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