Congress·In Committee·H.R. 4865

Congress pushes USDA to standardize soil carbon measurement and build a nationwide tracking network

Advancing Research on Agricultural Soil Health Act of 2025

8 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Part of: Congress Proposes National Soil Carbon Measurement and Tracking Standards

⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

USDA would have 270 days after enactment to create one standard way to directly measure soil carbon, so results can be compared.
Farmers and ranchers could choose to report soil carbon measurements to USDA, with help and guidance offered in multiple languages and formats.
The bill expands and extends farm research and on-farm trials to test soil health practices, including tools that track greenhouse gases and soil carbon.
USDA would build a nationwide soil carbon sampling network and publish aggregated (non-identifying) results every 5 years; landowner permission is required.
USDA would also create a user-friendly prediction tool to estimate how farm practices change soil carbon and other gases, with regular updates and reports to Congress.

AgricultureClimate ChangeEnvironmentData Privacy

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(2)

Small Business Owner

Neutral

Farmer Rancher

Neutral

Positive Impacts(3)

Student

Helps

Retiree

Helps

Homeowner

Helps

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Aug 1, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Aug 1, 2025

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Within 270 days after the bill becomes law

USDA develops a standardized way to directly measure soil carbon

Soil carbon tests used for USDA research/conservation can become more consistent across locations and labs, making results easier to compare over time.

After the standardized measurement method is released

USDA starts offering technical help for voluntary soil carbon measuring and reporting

Farmers and ranchers who want to track soil carbon can get USDA guidance (including non-digital and multi-language options) on how to do it using the standard method.

Within 1 year after the bill becomes law

USDA issues a strategic plan for the nationwide soil carbon inventory network

The plan should spell out how soil sampling sites are chosen, the schedule for the first 5-year cycle, and how many samples will be taken—important for landowners and researchers watching rollout.

After the strategic plan is completed

USDA selects soil carbon sampling sites and requests landowner permission

If your land is considered for a sample site, USDA must ask first; saying no cannot be used to block your other USDA benefits.

Built over time after the bill becomes law; reviewed at least yearly

USDA develops and maintains a user-friendly tool to estimate soil carbon and greenhouse gas changes from farm practices

Farmers, ranchers, and researchers may be able to plug in practices (like cover crops or grazing changes) and see estimated impacts plus the uncertainty range.

Within 2 years after the bill becomes law, then annually

USDA sends a progress report to Congress on the modeling tool, then does it every year

Regular reporting can pressure USDA to improve accuracy and explain limits, which matters if the tool is used for conservation decisions or carbon claims.