H.R. 7474

[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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