Winter Canola Study Act of 2025

This bill tells the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to study and develop options for including winter canola and winter rapeseed in crop insurance when farmers grow them in rotation or as a second (double) crop. The research must involve farmers and other stakeholders and look at how insurance availability and costs would work, plus any benefits to soil health, biodiversity, and farm profits when these crops are added to rotations. The bill also expands USDA research on “alternative” crops, specifically including winter canola and winter rapeseed, and sets funding for this research at $10 million each year from 2024 through 2029.

The bill explains why winter canola matters: its oil can be used to make biodiesel, renewable diesel, and jet fuel, which can cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% compared to regular fuels. It also aims to support clean fuels, jobs, and rural communities, without bringing new land into production. USDA must send Congress a report on the research within 13 months after the bill becomes law.

• Who is affected: Farmers who might grow winter canola/rapeseed, rural communities, and biofuel producers.
• What changes: USDA studies how to fit these crops into crop insurance for double- and rotational-cropping; USDA research on alternative crops is expanded and funded .
• When: Research funding for 2024–2029; a report to Congress is due 13 months after enactment.