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Creates a USDA program to collect, store, analyze, and share data about conservation and production practices to help farms and ranches improve productivity, soil health, and ecosystem services. The Department of Agriculture must build a secure data center with privacy protections, make aggregated research publicly available, offer producer-facing tools and technical assistance, and report to Congress annually; participation by producers is voluntary and existing privacy laws remain in force.
Adds a new section (1248) titled “Data on conservation and other production practices” to Subtitle E of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841 et seq.).
Purpose: collect, analyze, and provide data to (1) understand how covered conservation and other production practices affect productivity and profitability, (2) support measurement of ecosystem services from working land, and (3) improve Department program implementation to optimize productivity, profitability, and ecological benefits. (Subsection (a))
Defines “covered conservation practice” as a conservation practice or enhancement designed to protect soil health, productivity, or wildlife habitat while maintaining or enhancing crop yields, as determined by the Secretary. (Subsection (b)(1))
Defines “Department” to mean the Department of Agriculture. (Subsection (b)(2))
Defines “other production practice” to include practices used to produce crops or livestock such as pest control, nutrient management, manure management, water and irrigation management, seed/feed/nutrition, and crop residue management. (Subsection (b)(3))
Who is affected and how:
Farmers and Ranchers: Most directly affected. They stand to benefit from better information, decision tools, and technical assistance that can improve yields, soil health, and environmental outcomes. Participation is voluntary, reducing risk of mandated data disclosure, but producers may be asked to share data to access certain tools or insights.
Owners and operators of commercial farms: Will gain access to aggregated research and producer-facing tools that can inform management choices and investments in conservation practices.
USDA and other federal research staff: Responsible for designing, building, and running the secure data center, carrying out analyses, ensuring privacy protections, and delivering technical assistance and reports to Congress; this requires internal capacity and likely funding decisions.
Scientific research sector and extension services: Will gain new aggregated datasets and analyses to support research, outreach, and innovation in conservation agriculture and ecosystem services measurement.
Agricultural data and analytics providers (private sector): May be partners, vendors, or competitors; they may provide tools, analytics, or integration services and could see new demand for services that work with USDA data outputs.
Potential benefits:
Potential risks and challenges:
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced May 12, 2025 by Amy Klobuchar · Last progress May 12, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Introduced in Senate