This bill aims to help farms and rural communities deal with climate change while keeping food systems strong. It tells USDA to create and carry out a plan to reach net‑zero farm emissions by 2040, expand research and farmer support, and update conservation programs to boost soil health, cut greenhouse gases, and protect farmland and grassland. It also tackles food waste and supports cleaner energy in rural areas, including moving the AgSTAR methane reduction program from EPA to USDA to better cut emissions from livestock waste .

What this means on the ground: farmers could get more technical help and payments to try climate‑smart practices, like advanced grazing, agroforestry, and soil‑building methods. States and Tribes could receive grants (2026–2030) to create soil health plans. Conservation programs add new focuses on carbon storage and offer longer‑term options, like “Grassland 30” contracts. There’s new support to reduce food waste, including grants for composting or food‑waste‑to‑energy projects, and steps to standardize date labels on food. Rural energy programs are updated to favor low‑carbon projects and make financing easier for producers, with higher help for underserved farmers. Meat processing resilience grants aim to strengthen smaller plants, and animal‑raising label claims face new verification and penalties for misuse after three years. The bill also orders a study of “agrivoltaics” (growing crops or grazing under solar panels) to guide best practices. Overall, it increases funding and technical assistance to help producers adapt, cut emissions, and stay profitable .

• Net‑zero plan and annual progress reports by USDA; expands research hubs and long‑term farm research to improve resilience and share data with producers .
• More support to test and adopt on‑farm innovations, with payments that cover costs and lost income during trials; added help for beginning and socially disadvantaged producers .
• Soil health grants to States/Tribes (2026–2030); added funding for conservation programs and stewardship contracts; CRP cap increases to 32 million acres by 2030, plus new 30‑year grassland contracts .
• Food waste actions: composting and anaerobic digestion grants to States with landfill‑reduction plans; new support for food donation programs and standardized date labels .
• Rural energy updates: easier loans and grants for low‑carbon projects, a preapproved technology list, and up to 75% grants for underserved producers .
• Meat system resilience: up to $500,000 grants to build capacity and protect worker and customer safety; new rules and penalties for animal‑raising label claims start three years after enactment .

Key points

• Who is affected: Farmers, ranchers, small meat and poultry processors, State and Tribal agriculture departments, rural businesses, schools and communities working on food waste, and underserved producers .
• What changes: More grants, technical help, and payments for climate‑smart practices; stronger soil and grassland protections; updated energy financing; food waste reduction programs; stricter label claim verification; research on farming under solar panels .
• When: Many grants and funding boosts begin 2025–2030; soil health State/Tribal grants run 2026–2030; CRP acreage expands through 2030; label‑claim rules take effect three years after enactment .