S. 3820

119 S3820 IS: Soil Conservation And Regeneration Education Act of 2026
 U.S. Senate
 2026-02-10
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 3820  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   February 10, 2026   Mr. Merkley  (for himself,  Mr. Wyden , and  Mr. Welch ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry    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.
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  .
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.
 .