[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7474 Introduced in House (IH)]
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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 practices 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)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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 practices of soil health management systems on
agricultural land, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Soil Conservation And Regeneration
Education Act of 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 Agriculture''
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 biology'
includes the collective biomass and activities of soil-
dwelling organisms from an array of trophic levels.
``(C) Soil health management.--The term `soil
health management' means land management methods that
are employed to increase and balance soil health, such
as microbial biomass and macrofauna, for the purpose of
improving biological functions, including forming and
stabilizing soil structure, cycling nutrients,
controlling pests and disease, and degrading or
detoxifying contaminants.
``(D) Training program.--The term `training
program' means the training program established under
paragraph (2).
``(2) Establishment of training program.--Not later than 1
year after the date of enactment of this subsection, the
Secretary shall establish 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 improving soil health; and
``(B) to assist Service personnel and third-party
providers in supporting agricultural producers in
understanding and implementing soil health management
systems that regenerate farmland.
``(3) Program development and delivery.--
``(A) In general.--The training program shall--
``(i) be made available in each Service
region twice every 2 years; and
``(ii) include--
``(I) a nationally available online
curriculum on soil health management
systems that is--
``(aa) developed through
cooperative agreements with
entities described in
subparagraph (B); and
``(bb) delivered by the
Service; and
``(II) in-person training workshops
on soil health management systems that
regenerate farmland, that--
``(aa) include coverage
across regions and geography
types;
``(bb) are developed
through cooperative agreements
with entities described in
subparagraph (B); and
``(cc) are delivered by the
Service.
``(B) Cooperative agreements.--
``(i) In general.--The training program
shall be developed and delivered through
cooperative agreements with entities with soil
health management systems expertise and
experience working with and training producers,
including--
``(I) farming consultants,
including producers and producer
cooperatives;
``(II) nonprofit organizations
serving organic, agroecological, and
other regenerative producers;
``(III) conservation districts;
``(IV) land-grant colleges and
universities (as defined in section
1404 of the National Agricultural
Research, Extension, and Teaching
Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103));
``(V) Long-Term Agroecosystem
Research sites; and
``(VI) other entities with adequate
expertise in soil health management
systems, as determined by the
Secretary.
``(ii) Initial agreements.--Not later than
1 year after the date of enactment of this
subsection, the Secretary shall enter into
cooperative agreements under clause (i) for the
initial development and delivery of the
training program.
``(C) Participation.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary shall
encourage relevant Service personnel and third-
party providers--
``(I) to complete the online
curriculum described in subparagraph
(A)(ii)(I); and
``(II) to the extent practicable,
to attend at least 1 in-person training
workshop described in subparagraph
(A)(ii)(II).
``(ii) Relevant service personnel.--For
purposes of clause (i), relevant Service
personnel shall include, at a minimum, Service
personnel involved in conservation planning
activities with, and the delivery of technical
assistance to, producers, including field
office staff of the Service.
``(iii) Completion schedules for third-
party providers.--
``(I) Establishment of schedules.--
The Secretary shall establish--
``(aa) a schedule for the
completion by third-party
providers of the online
curriculum described in
subparagraph (A)(ii)(I); and
``(bb) a schedule of in-
person training workshops that
will be provided in accordance
with subparagraph (A)(ii)(II).
``(II) Use of schedules.--The
Secretary shall encourage each third-
party provider--
``(aa) to complete the
online curriculum in accordance
with the schedule established
under subclause (I)(aa); and
``(bb) to the extent
practicable, to attend at least
1 training workshop identified
on the schedule established
under subclause (I)(bb).
``(D) Continuing education.--The Secretary shall
provide continuing education for relevant Service
personnel and third-party providers, with a focus on
the use of new conservation practice standards related
to soil health.
``(E) Materials for producers.--The Secretary shall
require relevant Service personnel 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 topics covered by the curriculum described in
paragraph (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,
infrastructure, regulations, finance,
and marketing needs; and
``(II) associated risks and
opportunities, including reducing input
costs by building on-farm and ranch
fertility.
``(iii) A unit on organic production and
soil health 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 regenerates
farmland, including potential impacts on soil
health, water quality and security,
biodiversity, ecosystem function, resilience to
extreme weather, carbon sequestration, and
agricultural profitability.
``(vi) A unit on key conservation practices
that maximize soil health and mitigate climate
impacts by implementing soil health principles.
``(vii) A unit on--
``(I) issues specific to Indian
Tribes; and
``(II) traditional ecological
knowledge.
``(viii) A unit on--
``(I) the special needs of new,
small scale, and underserved producers;
and
``(II) how best to meet those
needs.
``(ix) A unit on approaches, tools, and
skills to support farmers in performing soil
health tests.
``(x) A unit on all conservation programs
available to producers that improve soil
health, reduce production inputs, and
regenerate soil, farmland, and nearby
ecosystems.
``(B) Updates.--The Secretary shall review and
update the curriculum and all materials of the training
program every 2 years based on the latest--
``(i) soil health management innovations;
and
``(ii) scientific and technological
advancements.
``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this
subsection $10,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2027
through 2032.''.
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