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Strikes existing paragraph (3) of 7 U.S.C. 1508(o) and inserts a new paragraph (3) establishing native sod conversion certification requirements for receipt of benefits, correction obligations, and annual reporting to congressional agriculture committees through January 1, 2030.
Strikes subparagraph (C) of 7 U.S.C. 7333(a)(4) and inserts a new subparagraph (C) establishing native sod conversion certification requirements for receipt of benefits under the noninsured crop disaster assistance provisions, correction obligations, and annual reporting to congressional agriculture committees through January 1, 2030.
Requires producers who till native sod to certify the acreage to USDA using the FSA–578 acreage report form (or successor) plus one or more maps, and to correct those forms or maps as soon as they discover changes. Directs the Secretary to send annual reports to the House and Senate agriculture committees on certified tilled native sod acreage by county and State from January 1, 2026 through January 1, 2030. The certification requirement applies to eligibility for federal crop insurance and noninsured crop disaster assistance benefits.
Amend Section 508(o) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act by replacing paragraph (3) with a new native sod conversion certification provision. This new paragraph is titled "Native sod conversion certification."
As a condition on receipt of Federal crop insurance benefits under the subtitle, a producer who has tilled native sod acreage for production of an insurable crop (as described in paragraph (2)(A)) must certify that acreage to the Secretary using (i) an FSA acreage report form (FSA–578 or any successor form) and (ii) one or more maps.
Beginning on the date the producer submits the certification required above, the producer must submit any appropriate corrections to the form or map as soon as practicable after the producer discovers a change in tilled native sod acreage.
Not later than January 1, 2026, and each January 1 thereafter through January 1, 2030, the Secretary must submit to the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the House Committee on Agriculture a report describing the tilled native sod acreage that has been certified under the certification requirement, broken out by county and State as of the date of submission.
Amend Section 196(a)(4) of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 by replacing subparagraph (C) with a new native sod conversion certification provision for noninsured crop disaster assistance.
Who is affected and how:
Producers who till native sod: Directly affected—must complete and maintain an FSA–578 acreage report (or successor form) and one or more maps, and must promptly correct records when changes occur. This increases administrative and recordkeeping responsibilities and may require investment in mapping or surveying tools or services.
Owners and operators of commercial farms: Likely affected where native sod is tilled on commercial acreage; certification may influence farm management decisions about tilling native sod because it ties to benefit eligibility.
USDA and Federal agricultural program administrators: The Farm Service Agency (or successor) and any offices that manage Federal crop insurance or noninsured disaster assistance must accept certifications, implement correction processes, and compile the required annual reports for Congress. This creates additional data management and reporting workloads.
Recipients of federal crop insurance and noninsured disaster assistance: Their eligibility or benefit administration may be affected because certified tilled native sod acreage is tied to those programs; improper or missing certification could affect benefit access.
Congress (House and Senate Agriculture Committees): Receives new annual data by county and State on certified tilled native sod acreage for a defined period (2026–2030) that can inform oversight, policy, or program adjustments.
Overall impact:
Administrative: The bill increases reporting and recordkeeping burdens for producers and data-processing/reporting burdens for USDA. Costs are likely modest per producer but could be meaningful for small operators who lack mapping resources.
Policy and compliance: Tying certification to insurance and disaster assistance incentives stronger documentation and monitoring of native sod conversion. This could influence land use choices and improve federal tracking of native sod tillage.
Environmental and program oversight: The requirement produces a consistent, county- and State-level dataset for Congress about native sod tillage over the specified years, which could inform future conservation or programmatic actions.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S1926)
Introduced March 31, 2025 by John Thune · Last progress March 31, 2025
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S1926)
Introduced in Senate