Advancing Research on Agricultural Soil Health Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Smith, Tina [D-MN]
Introduced
Summary
Would create a federal system for a standardized soil carbon measurement and a national soil carbon inventory so farmers, researchers, and policymakers can measure, report, and analyze soil carbon consistently across the United States. The bill would also fund demonstration trials and a predictive modeling tool tied to direct measurements.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 5 benefits, 0 costs, 0 mixed.
Standard soil carbon measurement methods
If enacted, USDA would create a standard, science-based method to directly measure soil carbon within 270 days. NRCS would give technical help and guidance in multiple languages and in digital and paper form. The method must work where direct measurement is possible and account for lab calibration and measurement uncertainty. Congress is authorized to appropriate $2,000,000 per year to carry out this work.
Stronger on-farm soil carbon trials
If enacted, producers who join on-farm conservation trials would need to use soil health systems that maintain or increase soil carbon. Trials must include cost-effective tools to measure, monitor, report, and verify greenhouse gas emissions and carbon. The bill would extend trial periods from 3 years to 5 years. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program would also run on-farm demonstrations showing soil carbon practices.
More federal research on soil carbon
If enacted, AFRI grant topics would explicitly include measuring, monitoring, reporting, and verifying soil carbon sequestration and emissions. This would let universities and researchers propose soil carbon MRV projects for federal grant funding. The change expands research options but does not by itself create large new program funding.
National soil carbon inventory program
If enacted, USDA would create a Soil Carbon Inventory and Analysis Network to measure soil carbon on eligible public and private lands. Inventories would be done at least every 5 years using the standard method. USDA must get landowner permission, protect identifiable data, and publish aggregated results after each inventory. The program is authorized $17,500,000 per year and must send a 5-year regional plan to Congress within 1 year.
Soil carbon and greenhouse gas model
If enacted, USDA would build and maintain modeling tools to estimate how land practices affect soil carbon, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. Models must be grounded in direct field measurements, including inventory data, and be user-friendly and multilingual. USDA must review models at least annually and report to Congress within 2 years and every year after. The bill authorizes $500,000 per year for this work.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Smith, Tina [D-MN]
MN • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN]
IN • R
Sponsored 7/31/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov