I 
119TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7474 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and maintain a training 
program for Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel and third- 
party providers on the rapidly evolving methodologies, science, and prac-
tices of soil health management systems on agricultural land, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 10, 2026 
Ms. SALINAS (for herself, Ms. BONAMICI, and Ms. HOYLE of Oregon) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agri-
culture 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and 
maintain a training program for Natural Resources Con-
servation Service personnel and third-party providers on 
the rapidly evolving methodologies, science, and practices 
of soil health management systems on agricultural land, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Soil Conservation And 
Regeneration Education Act of 2026’’ or the ‘‘Soil CARE 
Act of 2026’’. 
SEC. 2. TRAINING FOR SOIL HEALTH IN NRCS PROGRAMS 
FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS. 
Section 1242 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 
U.S.C. 3842) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d), by inserting ‘‘of Agri-
culture’’ after ‘‘Department’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) TRAINING FOR SOIL HEALTH MANAGEMENT.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) SERVICE.—The term ‘Service’ means 
the Natural Resources Conservation Service. 
‘‘(B) SOIL BIOLOGY.—The term ‘soil biol-
ogy’ includes the collective biomass and activi-
ties of soil-dwelling organisms from an array of 
trophic levels. 
‘‘(C) SOIL
HEALTH
MANAGEMENT.—The 
term ‘soil health management’ means land man-
agement methods that are employed to increase 
and balance soil health, such as microbial bio-
mass and macrofauna, for the purpose of im-
proving biological functions, including forming 
and stabilizing soil structure, cycling nutrients, 
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controlling pests and disease, and degrading or 
detoxifying contaminants. 
‘‘(D) 
TRAINING
PROGRAM.—The 
term 
‘training program’ means the training program 
established under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT
OF
TRAINING
PRO-
GRAM.—Not later than 1 year after the date of en-
actment of this subsection, the Secretary shall estab-
lish a training program— 
‘‘(A) to provide education, resources, and 
technical support to Service personnel and 
third-party providers on the rapidly evolving 
methodologies, science, and practices for im-
proving soil health; and 
‘‘(B) to assist Service personnel and third- 
party providers in supporting agricultural pro-
ducers in understanding and implementing soil 
health management systems that regenerate 
farmland. 
‘‘(3) PROGRAM
DEVELOPMENT
AND
DELIV-
ERY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The training program 
shall— 
‘‘(i) be made available in each Service 
region twice every 2 years; and 
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‘‘(ii) include— 
‘‘(I) a nationally available online 
curriculum on soil health management 
systems that is— 
‘‘(aa) developed through co-
operative agreements with enti-
ties described in subparagraph 
(B); and 
‘‘(bb) delivered by the Serv-
ice; and 
‘‘(II) in-person training work-
shops on soil health management sys-
tems that regenerate farmland, that— 
‘‘(aa) 
include 
coverage 
across regions and geography 
types; 
‘‘(bb) are developed through 
cooperative agreements with enti-
ties described in subparagraph 
(B); and 
‘‘(cc) are delivered by the 
Service. 
‘‘(B) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The training pro-
gram shall be developed and delivered 
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through cooperative agreements with enti-
ties with soil health management systems 
expertise and experience working with and 
training producers, including— 
‘‘(I) farming consultants, includ-
ing producers and producer coopera-
tives; 
‘‘(II) 
nonprofit 
organizations 
serving organic, agroecological, and 
other regenerative producers; 
‘‘(III) conservation districts; 
‘‘(IV) land-grant colleges and 
universities (as defined in section 
1404 of the National Agricultural Re-
search, Extension, and Teaching Pol-
icy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)); 
‘‘(V) Long-Term Agroecosystem 
Research sites; and 
‘‘(VI) other entities with ade-
quate expertise in soil health manage-
ment systems, as determined by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(ii) 
INITIAL
AGREEMENTS.—Not 
later than 1 year after the date of enact-
ment of this subsection, the Secretary shall 
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enter into cooperative agreements under 
clause (i) for the initial development and 
delivery of the training program. 
‘‘(C) PARTICIPATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary 
shall encourage relevant Service personnel 
and third-party providers— 
‘‘(I) to complete the online cur-
riculum described in subparagraph 
(A)(ii)(I); and 
‘‘(II) to the extent practicable, to 
attend at least 1 in-person training 
workshop described in subparagraph 
(A)(ii)(II). 
‘‘(ii) 
RELEVANT
SERVICE
PER-
SONNEL.—For purposes of clause (i), rel-
evant Service personnel shall include, at a 
minimum, Service personnel involved in 
conservation planning activities with, and 
the delivery of technical assistance to, pro-
ducers, including field office staff of the 
Service. 
‘‘(iii) COMPLETION
SCHEDULES
FOR 
THIRD-PARTY PROVIDERS.— 
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‘‘(I) ESTABLISHMENT OF SCHED-
ULES.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish— 
‘‘(aa) a schedule for the 
completion by third-party pro-
viders of the online curriculum 
described 
in 
subparagraph 
(A)(ii)(I); and 
‘‘(bb) a schedule of in-per-
son training workshops that will 
be provided in accordance with 
subparagraph (A)(ii)(II). 
‘‘(II) USE OF SCHEDULES.—The 
Secretary shall encourage each third- 
party provider— 
‘‘(aa) to complete the online 
curriculum in accordance with 
the schedule established under 
subclause (I)(aa); and 
‘‘(bb) to the extent prac-
ticable, to attend at least 1 train-
ing workshop identified on the 
schedule established under sub-
clause (I)(bb). 
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‘‘(D) CONTINUING EDUCATION.—The Sec-
retary shall provide continuing education for 
relevant Service personnel and third-party pro-
viders, with a focus on the use of new conserva-
tion practice standards related to soil health. 
‘‘(E) MATERIALS FOR PRODUCERS.—The 
Secretary shall require relevant Service per-
sonnel and third-party providers to provide soil 
health education materials to producers through 
the programs and conservation activities of the 
Service, including materials relating to the top-
ics covered by the curriculum described in para-
graph (4). 
‘‘(4) CURRICULUM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The training program 
shall include the following minimum curriculum 
components: 
‘‘(i) A unit on the principles of soil 
health published by the Service, with a 
focus on biological function and regional 
context. 
‘‘(ii) A unit on— 
‘‘(I) the transition to agriculture 
management systems that build soil 
health, including operations, infra-
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structure, regulations, finance, and 
marketing needs; and 
‘‘(II) associated risks and oppor-
tunities, 
including 
reducing 
input 
costs by building on-farm and ranch 
fertility. 
‘‘(iii) A unit on organic production 
and soil health management. 
‘‘(iv) A unit on diversified production 
systems, including— 
‘‘(I) perennial cropping systems; 
‘‘(II) agroforestry or silvopasture 
systems; 
‘‘(III) livestock integration into 
cropping systems; and 
‘‘(IV) prescribed grazing. 
‘‘(v) A unit on the body of research on 
soil biology and agriculture that regen-
erates farmland, including potential im-
pacts on soil health, water quality and se-
curity, biodiversity, ecosystem function, re-
silience to extreme weather, carbon seques-
tration, and agricultural profitability. 
‘‘(vi) A unit on key conservation prac-
tices that maximize soil health and miti-
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gate climate impacts by implementing soil 
health principles. 
‘‘(vii) A unit on— 
‘‘(I) issues specific to Indian 
Tribes; and 
‘‘(II) traditional ecological knowl-
edge. 
‘‘(viii) A unit on— 
‘‘(I) the special needs of new, 
small scale, and underserved pro-
ducers; and 
‘‘(II) how best to meet those 
needs. 
‘‘(ix) A unit on approaches, tools, and 
skills to support farmers in performing soil 
health tests. 
‘‘(x) A unit on all conservation pro-
grams available to producers that improve 
soil health, reduce production inputs, and 
regenerate soil, farmland, and nearby eco-
systems. 
‘‘(B) UPDATES.—The Secretary shall re-
view and update the curriculum and all mate-
rials of the training program every 2 years 
based on the latest— 
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