H.R. 4428

119 HR 4428 IH: Strong Farms, Strong Future Act
 U.S. House of Representatives
 2025-07-16
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 I  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  H. R. 4428  IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES   July 16, 2025   Ms. Underwood  (for herself and  Mr. Nunn of Iowa ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the  Committee on Agriculture    A BILL
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide additional payments for producers that, in participating in the conservation stewardship program, agree to adopt or improve, manage, and maintain perennial production systems, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Strong Farms, Strong Future Act  .
2.
Definitions
Section 1240I(2) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–21(2) ) is amended—
(1)
in subparagraph (A), by inserting  enhancements,  after  practices, ; and
(2)
in subparagraph (B)(v), by inserting  climate change and  after  mitigate against, .
3.
Stewardship contracts
(a)
Evaluation of contract offers
Section 1240K(b)(1)(A) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–23(b)(1)(A) ) is amended—
(1)
in clause (ii), by striking  ; and  and inserting a semicolon;
(2)
by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); and
(3)
by inserting after clause (ii) the following:
(iii)
other criteria consistent with an equal weighting of the factors described in clauses (i) and (ii), as determined by the Secretary, including criteria the Secretary determines are necessary to ensure that—
(I)
the program effectively targets improvements to soil health, increases in carbon sequestration, and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions; and
(II)
other national, State, and local priority resource concerns are effectively addressed; and
 .
(b)
Contract renewal
Section 1240K(e) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–23(e) ) is amended to read as follows:
(e)
Contract renewal
(1)
In general
The Secretary may provide the producer an opportunity to renew an existing contract in the first half of the fifth year of the contract period if the producer—
(A)
demonstrates compliance with the terms of the existing contract;
(B)
agrees to adopt and continue to integrate new or improved conservation activities across the agricultural operation, demonstrating continued improvement during the additional 5-year period, as determined by the Secretary; and
(C)
agrees, by the end of the contract period, to meet the stewardship threshold of at least 1 additional priority resource concern on the agricultural operation, if applicable.
(2)
Ranking and payments
In determining whether to renew an existing contract under paragraph (1), and in calculating payments for such existing contract, the Secretary shall consider the full conservation benefits across the entire agricultural operation on eligible land that is subject to such existing contract, including—
(A)
the number of priority resource concerns for which the producer is expected to meet or exceed the stewardship threshold by the end of the contract period of the existing contract; and
(B)
the active management and maintenance of ongoing conservation activities, including—
(i)
the conservation activities adopted during the contract period of the existing contract; and
(ii)
the new or improved conservation activities to be adopted if such existing contract is renewed.
(3)
Perennial production systems
The Secretary may automatically renew an existing contract under paragraph (1) if—
(A)
the conditions under paragraph (1) are met; and
(B)
the producer installed or improved a perennial production system, as such term is defined in section 1240L(d)(1), during the contract period of the existing contract.
 .
4.
Duties of the Secretary
(a)
Conservation stewardship payments
Section 1240L(c)(4) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(c)(4) ) is amended—
(1)
in subparagraph (A), by striking  and  at the end;
(2)
in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting  ; and ; and
(3)
by adding at the end the following:
(C)
adjust planned annual payments to account for inflation associated with planning, design, materials, installation, labor, management, maintenance, or training incurred by the producer over the life of the contract.
 .
(b)
Supplemental payments for resource-Conserving crop rotations, perennial production systems, and advanced grazing management
Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d) ) is amended—
(1)
in the subsection heading, by inserting
, perennial production systems   after
resource-conserving crop rotations  ;
(2)
in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following:
(D)
Perennial production system
The term  perennial production system  means a system of agricultural production that produces perennial species (including agroforestry products, perennial grains and oilseeds, perennial forages, and other perennial crops, as determined by the Secretary), including alley cropping, multifunctional riparian buffers, windbreaks, shelterbelts, forest farming, silvopasture, and other related practices, as determined by the Secretary.
 ;
(3)
in paragraph (2)—
(A)
in subparagraph (A), by striking  or  at the end;
(B)
in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at the end and inserting  ; or ; and
(C)
by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:
(C)
a perennial production system.
 ; and
(4)
in paragraph (3), by striking  or advanced grazing management  and inserting  , advanced grazing management, or a perennial production system .
(c)
Establishment of climate change mitigation bundles
Section 1240L of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24 ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(m)
Establishment of climate change mitigation bundles
(1)
Climate change mitigation bundle defined
In this subsection, the term  climate change mitigation bundle  means a grouping of conservation activities, determined by the Secretary and based on the best available science, to achieve substantial progress, when carried out together, toward—
(A)
providing a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions; or
(B)
increasing carbon sequestration and improving soil health.
(2)
Availability
In entering into a contract with a producer under the program, the Secretary shall make available State- or region-specific climate change mitigation bundles to such a producer, including climate change mitigation bundles for cropland, pastureland, rangeland, and forest land.
(3)
Flexibility
The Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable, design climate change mitigation bundles that allow a producer to select conservation activities that meet the requirements of paragraph (1)(A) in order to tailor a climate change mitigation bundle to the site-specific needs of such a producer.
(4)
Minimum bundles offered
The Secretary shall make available at least 1 climate change mitigation bundle for each of the following:
(A)
Perennial production systems, as defined in subsection (d)(1).
(B)
Soil health management systems, as defined in such subsection.
(C)
Advanced grazing management, as defined in such subsection.
(D)
Specialty crops.
(5)
Applicability to organic production
Climate change mitigation bundles made available under paragraph (2) shall be equally accessible to organic and conventional producers, or separate additional bundles designed for organic producers shall be offered.
(6)
Promotion
Each year, to the greatest extent practicable, the Secretary shall conduct targeted outreach and promotion regarding the availability of, and any changes to, climate change mitigation bundles to eligible producers.
 .
(d)
Report
(1)
General
Not later than 2 years after the date on which the Secretary of Agriculture makes available to producers the climate change mitigation bundles under section 1240L(m) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24 ) (as added by subsection (c)), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the activities carried out under such section.
(2)
Contents
The Secretary shall include in the report under paragraph (1)—
(A)
a summary of feedback from producers that have adopted climate change mitigation bundles pursuant to section 1240L(m), regarding—
(i)
barriers to adoption of such bundles;
(ii)
the makeup of such bundles;
(iii)
payment rates for such bundles;
(iv)
technical assistance relating to such bundles; and
(v)
other relevant information, as determined by the Secretary;
(B)
data on such producers disaggregated by gender, race, age, and congressional district;
(C)
an assessment of barriers, as identified by the Secretary, to the adoption of climate change mitigation bundles by producers;
(D)
recommendations on steps to increase the adoption of climate change mitigation bundles by producers, including recommendations for any statutory changes necessary to implement such steps;
(E)
average per acre estimates of greenhouse gases mitigated and carbon sequestered for each climate change mitigation bundle offered; and
(F)
a summary of the outreach and promotional activities conducted by the Secretary to promote the availability of climate change mitigation bundles.
(3)
Climate change mitigation bundle defined
In this subsection, the term  climate change mitigation bundle  has the meaning given such term in section 1240L(m)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 ( 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24 ) (as added by subsection (c)).