HR 4865119th CongressIn Committee

Advancing Research on Agricultural Soil Health Act of 2025

Introduced: Aug 1, 2025

Sponsor: Rep. Sorensen, Eric [D-IL-17] (D-Illinois)

Agriculture & FoodEnvironment & Climate

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

The Advancing Research on Agricultural Soil Health Act of 2025 would empower the Department of Agriculture to build a comprehensive, standardized, and publicly usable framework for measuring, monitoring, reporting, and verifying soil carbon sequestration and related soil-health metrics. It requires the Secretary of Agriculture to (1) develop a standardized soil carbon measurement methodology within 270 days, (2) enable voluntary soil carbon reporting by producers with technical assistance, (3) expand research funding to explicitly include soil carbon measurement and verification under key USDA programs, (4) create a nationwide Soil Carbon Inventory and Analysis Network to regularly inventory and analyze soil carbon on eligible lands, and (5) develop predictive models/tools to forecast how different farming practices affect atmospheric greenhouse gases and soil carbon. It would also extend on-farm trials and demonstration projects to emphasize soil carbon sequestration. The bill would authorize substantial annual funding for these efforts and require periodic reporting to Congress. Overall, the bill aims to improve the science, transparency, and accountability around soil carbon as a climate and soil-health management tool.

Key Points

1Standardized soil carbon measurement method
2- Within 270 days of enactment, the Secretary must develop a standardized, directly-measurable method for soil carbon suitable for research and conservation, review existing methods, and consult producers (including socially disadvantaged producers), soil carbon experts, nonprofits, academics, and other stakeholders. The method should be broadly usable, specify appropriate soil depth, report a standard set of metrics, be interoperable with USDA data, account for calibration and uncertainty, and support voluntary reporting.
3Voluntary soil carbon reporting program
4- The Secretary, via NRCS, will provide technical assistance and guidance (in multiple languages and formats) to producers for voluntary measurement, monitoring, and reporting of soil carbon using the new methodology. Guidance applies to producers funded by specified conservation programs and any other producers who opt to report.
5Programs and funding to support measurement/tools
6- The bill amends several USDA programs to incorporate soil carbon measurement and verification objectives and adds new emphasis on soil carbon tools. It also authorizes appropriations: $2 million per fiscal year for the standard methodology and related activities, plus additional funding tied to the expanded programs (see SCIAN and modeling sections).
7Soil Carbon Inventory and Analysis Network (SCIAN)
8- Establishes a national program to inventory, monitor, and analyze soil carbon changes on eligible land (cropland, rangeland, pasture, wetlands). It defines sample-site selection, inventory cadence (every 5 years), and required data on site characteristics. It requires consent of landowners, protections for private property rights, and privacy safeguards to prevent disclosure of identifiable information. Data can be shared with researchers in a limited, de-identified form. The Secretary must publish public, aggregated data and reports after each inventory, including trends, impacts of land-management practices, weather variability, and baselines.
9On-farm trials and SARE/SARE-like demonstrations
10- Expands on-farm conservation innovation trials to explicitly include soil-health management systems that maintain or increase soil carbon and to provide cost-effective tools for measuring and verifying greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration. It also directs the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program to conduct on-farm soil-carbon sequestration demonstration projects.
11Predictive models for soil carbon and greenhouse gases
12- Requires the development and maintenance of modeling tools to predict the effects of different land-management practices on atmospheric carbon, methane, nitrous oxide, and soil carbon sequestration. Tools must be anchored to direct measurements, account for soil type, land use, crop, geography, climate, operation size, existing conservation practices, and other factors; must be user-friendly and multilingual; and must be regularly reviewed and updated as needed. The Secretary must report on progress and model performance to Congress, including uncertainties and potential updates.
13Funding and reporting
14- Section 5 (SCIAN) authorizes $17.5 million per year for the inventory program, in addition to existing program funding. Section 2 authorizes $2 million per year to develop and maintain the standard methodology and related voluntary reporting. Section 6 authorizes $0.5 million per year for the predictive-modeling program. A strategic plan and ongoing Congress reporting are required.

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- U.S. agricultural producers and landowners, including socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, who may participate in voluntary soil carbon measurement, reporting, and demonstrations; and recipients of conservation grants and related USDA programs.Secondary group/area affected- Agricultural researchers, land-grant universities, private measurement tool developers, environmental and climate policy analysts, and federal agency partners (e.g., NRCS, ARS, DOE, EPA, Forest Service).Additional impacts- Broad policy and research implications: improved data on soil carbon sequestration could influence climate-related reporting, conservation program design, and potential future carbon-market frameworks. The SCIAN could yield a long-running, standardized data resource for soil-health analytics, but it also raises privacy and data-use considerations requiring strong protections for landowners. The proposed modeling tools would support scenario analysis for different farming practices and help quantify trade-offs between soil health, productivity, and greenhouse gas outcomes. The framework emphasizes stakeholder consultation and interoperability, aiming to align measurement across programs and agencies, although implementation will require careful management of privacy, data sharing, and diverse stakeholder needs.

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