H.R. 5875

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5875 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5875

To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other 
programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2029, and 
for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

October 31, 2025

Mr. Costa (for himself, Mr. Valadao, Ms. Pingree, and Mr. Gray) 
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other 
programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2029, 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 ``Converting Our Waste Sustainably Act 
of 2025'' or the ``COWS Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) is a 
successful program in California that supports the livestock 
industry and is an example of what can be done nationally in 
the United States through a variety of practices on responsible 
manure management;
(2) the 195 existing projects under AMMP are contributing 
towards the reduction of 1,600,000 metric tons of greenhouse 
gases; and
(3) these practices enhance sustainability and nurture 
continued environmental stewardship, ultimately leading to 
enhanced local air quality and recycled manure for use as a 
natural fertilizer or compost for healthier soil.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

(a) Composting Practice.--Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act 
of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (27) as 
paragraphs (4) through (28), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Composting practice.--The term `composting practice' 
means an activity (including an activity that does not require 
the use of a composting facility) to produce compost from 
organic waste that is--
``(A) generated on a farm; or
``(B) brought to a farm from the nearby community; 
and
``(C) the use and active management of compost on a 
farm to improve water retention and soil health, 
subject to the condition that such use shall be in 
compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local 
laws.''.
(b) Alternative Manure Management.--Section 1240A of the Food 
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-1) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (10) as 
paragraphs (2) through (11), respectively; and
(2) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so redesignated, 
the following:
``(1) Alternative manure management practices.--The term 
`alternative manure management practices' means management 
measures that reduce baseline methane and nitrous oxide 
emissions and, where applicable, reduce nitrate leaching into 
groundwater or improve carbon sequestration, including--
``(A) converting to or improving pasture-based 
management, including management-intensive rotational 
grazing (as defined in section 1240L(d)(1));
``(B) compost-bedded pack barns that compost 
manure, slatted floor pit storage that is cleaned out 
at least once a month, or other similar practices as 
determined by the Secretary; and
``(C) solid separation, scrape and vacuum 
technologies, or other measures, including manure 
management system retrofits, that primarily avoid wet 
handling and storage infrastructure in conjunction 
with--
``(i) open or enclosed solar drying;
``(ii) composting;
``(iii) vermiculture or vermifiltration;
``(iv) forced evaporation;
``(v) solid storage; or
``(vi) other similar methods as determined 
by the Secretary.''.
(c) Practice.--Subparagraph (A) of section 1240A(7) of the Food 
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-1(7)), as so redesignated by 
subsection (a), is amended--
(1) in clause (ii), by inserting ``and composting 
practices'' after ``practices'';
(2) in clause (vi), by striking the ``and'' at the end;
(3) by redesignating clause (vii) as clause (ix); and
(4) by inserting after clause (vi) the following:
``(vii) composting practices;
``(viii) alternative manure management 
practices; and''.
(d) Inclusions.--Section 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 practices'' after ``drainage management systems''.

SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.

(a) Increased Payments for High-Priority Practices.--Section 
1240B(d)(7) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-2(d)(7)) 
is amended--
(1) in the paragraph heading, by inserting ``state-
determined'' before ``high-priority''; and
(2) in subparagraph (A)--
(A) in clause (iii), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(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, including 
emissions of methane and nitrous oxide.''.
(b) Livestock.--Section 1240B(f)(1) of the Food Security Act of 
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-2(f)(1)) is amended by inserting ``and 
alternative manure management'' after ``including grazing management''.
(c) Alternative Manure Management Practices.--Section 1240B of the 
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-2) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (h) through (j) as 
subsection (i) through (k), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
``(h) Alternative Manure Management Practices.--
``(1) Payment amounts.--The Secretary may provide a payment 
for an alternative manure management practice for an amount 
that is up to 100 percent of the costs associated with 
planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor, 
management, maintenance, and training related to implementing a 
covered management measure.
``(2) Advanced payments.--The Secretary shall provide at 
least 50 percent of the amount of total payments for an 
alternative manure management practice in advance for all costs 
related to--
``(A) purchasing or contracting materials and 
equipment; or
``(B) any technical assistance provided by the 
Secretary.
``(3) Term.--A contract awarded under this section shall 
have a term that does not exceed 3 years.''.

SEC. 5. PRIORITIZATION OF APPLICATIONS.

Section 1240C(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3839aa-3(b)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (4) as 
subparagraphs (A) through (D), respectively, and by indenting 
such subparagraphs 2 ems to the right;
(2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), as 
redesignated by paragraph (1), by striking ``In evaluating 
applications under this subchapter, the Secretary shall 
prioritize applications--'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--In evaluating applications under this 
subchapter, the Secretary shall prioritize applications--''; 
and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Alternative manure management applications.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall develop 
criteria for evaluating and ranking alternative manure 
management contract offers to prioritize applications 
that will maximize--
``(i) carbon sequestration;
``(ii) greenhouse gas emissions reductions; 
and
``(iii) the overall environmental and 
public health benefits, including improved 
water quality and quantity.
``(B) Additional criteria.--In awarding alternative 
manure management applications, the Secretary shall 
develop criteria to ensure--
``(i) geographical diversity;
``(ii) scale diversity, including support 
for small and medium sized dairy and livestock 
operations; and
``(iii) participation by operations with a 
demonstrated track record of adopting 
conservation measures and reducing greenhouse 
gas emissions.
``(C) Cluster applications.--The Secretary shall 
establish procedures under which--
``(i) a group of producers may submit a 
joint application for a shared composting 
facility; and
``(ii) the Secretary allocates payments to 
each eligible producer associated with that 
joint contract.
``(D) Serving certain producers.--To the maximum 
extent practicable, the Secretary shall award the 
majority of alternative manure contracts finalized each 
fiscal year to offers from small and mid-sized dairy 
and livestock operations, including--
``(i) beginning farmers or ranchers;
``(ii) limited resource farmers and 
ranchers; and
``(iii) socially disadvantaged farmers and 
ranchers.''.

SEC. 6. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.

Section 1240F of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-6) 
is amended by--
(1) inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``To the extent 
appropriate, the Secretary shall assist a producer in achieving 
the conservation and environmental goals of a program plan by--
''; and
(2) inserting at the end the following:
``(b) Alternative Manure Management.--For alternative manure 
management contracts, the Secretary shall--
``(1) determine and publish factors for estimating the 
carbon sequestrations and greenhouse gas emissions reductions 
for each alternative manure management practice;
``(2) identify eligible producers based on manure 
management practices used at the time of application, including 
the anaerobic decomposition of volatile solids stored in a 
lagoon or other predominantly liquid anaerobic environment and 
their ability to replace or complement that anaerobic system 
with an alternative manure management practice; and
``(3) assist an eligible producer in achieving the carbon 
sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and other 
environmental and public health goals of the alternative manure 
management systems by--
``(A) providing payments for designing and 
implementing one or more alternative manure management 
practices;
``(B) providing that eligible producer with 
information, technical assistance, and training to aid 
in implementation of the alternative manure management 
practices;
``(C) reviewing the adequacy of existing 
conservation practice standards for supporting the 
alternative manure management practices and, if 
necessary--
``(i) revising existing conservation 
practice standards; and
``(ii) developing new conservation practice 
standards; and
``(D) entering into cooperative agreements with 
third-party technical assistance providers with 
relevant expertise in alternative manure management 
systems to ensure adequate technical services are 
available to alternative manure management 
applicants.''.

SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON PAYMENTS.

Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-7) 
is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``Not 
including payments''; and
(2) by striking ``, regardless of the number of contracts 
entered into under this subchapter by the person or legal 
entity'' and inserting at the end the following:
``(b) Waiver Authority and Limitation.--The Secretary may--
``(1) waive the applicability of the limitations in section 
1001D(b) or section 1240(G) for a payment made under an 
alternative manure management contract if the Secretary 
determines that the waiver is necessary to fulfill the 
objectives of the project; and
``(2) impose a separate payment limitation for the contract 
with respect to which the waiver applies.''.

SEC. 8. NEW OR INNOVATIVE CONSERVATION APPROACH.

Section 1240H(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 
U.S.C. 3839aa-8(c)(1)(B)(i)) is amended--
(1) in subclause (VI), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
(2) by inserting at the end the following:
``(VIII) alternative manure 
management practices; and''.

SEC. 9. 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.--Not 
later than one year after the date of enactment of this 
paragraph, the Secretary shall--
``(A) conduct a review of the composting facilities 
practice standard and the soil carbon amendment 
practice standard to determine their adequacy in 
advancing alternative manure management and on-farm 
composting generation and utilization; and
``(B) develop and implement a new conservation 
practice standard for the on-farm production of 
compost.''.
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