Sponsors (3)
The bill directs substantial federal support, standards, and technical assistance to help farmers adopt composting and alternative manure-management practices that can cut greenhouse gases and improve soil and water, but it substantially raises federal costs and administrative complexity and creates implementation and equity risks that must be managed.
Farmers (especially dairy/livestock producers) will face much lower upfront costs because the program expands eligibility and payments (including up to 100% coverage, advance payments, and waivered limits) to plan, design, and install composting and alternative manure management systems.
Rural communities and farms will likely see reduced greenhouse gas emissions, lower nutrient runoff, improved air and water quality, and better soil health because the bill promotes composting, alternative manure practices, and soil-carbon amendments.
Producers and regulators will have clearer measurement and program tools because the bill establishes published estimation factors, a federal on‑farm compost practice standard, and clarifies eligible climate-smart practices to improve transparency and consistent payment calculation.
Taxpayers nationwide may face materially higher federal costs because the bill expands eligible practices, allows payments up to 100% with large advance payments, and permits waivers and additional payments without identified offsets.
Administrative complexity and oversight risk will increase: new ranking and joint-contract procedures, advance payment guarantees, waiver discretion, third‑party assistance oversight, and a tight 1‑year standard deadline raise the chance of improper payments, delays, and rushed or low‑quality implementation.
Some farmers may face new compliance or retrofit costs to meet the on‑farm compost standard or other updated practice requirements (modifying facilities, operations, or replacing lagoons), shifting costs to producers despite program payments.
Based on analysis of 8 sections of legislative text.
Makes composting and alternative manure management eligible for USDA conservation payments, creates payment/waiver rules, prioritization criteria, and a required on‑farm composting standard.
Official title: Amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide payments for alternative manure management practices under the environmental quality incentives program, and for other purposes.
Introduced August 6, 2026 by Alejandro Padilla · Last progress August 6, 2026
Adds composting and alternative manure management as explicitly eligible conservation practices under an existing USDA program and creates new program rules, payments, and standards to support on‑farm compost production and manure strategies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration. It requires USDA to prioritize projects that deliver climate, water quality, and public‑health benefits and to provide up‑front payments, technical assistance, and a new conservation practice standard for on‑farm composting within one year. The bill changes eligibility, payment limits, application ranking, reporting and practice standards. It authorizes up to full cost coverage for planning, equipment, installation, management and training for alternative manure management contracts (with certain advance payment and contract‑term rules), creates flexibility for payment limits and waivers when needed, and directs USDA to develop tools to estimate carbon and greenhouse gas benefits for these practices.