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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5875 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5875
To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other
programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2029, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 31, 2025
Mr. Costa (for himself, Mr. Valadao, Ms. Pingree, and Mr. Gray)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the reform and continuation of agricultural and other
programs of the Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2029, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Converting Our Waste Sustainably Act
of 2025'' or the ``COWS Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP) is a
successful program in California that supports the livestock
industry and is an example of what can be done nationally in
the United States through a variety of practices on responsible
manure management;
(2) the 195 existing projects under AMMP are contributing
towards the reduction of 1,600,000 metric tons of greenhouse
gases; and
(3) these practices enhance sustainability and nurture
continued environmental stewardship, ultimately leading to
enhanced local air quality and recycled manure for use as a
natural fertilizer or compost for healthier soil.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
(a) Composting Practice.--Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act
of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (27) as
paragraphs (4) through (28), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Composting practice.--The term `composting practice'
means an activity (including an activity that does not require
the use of a composting facility) to produce compost from
organic waste that is--
``(A) generated on a farm; or
``(B) brought to a farm from the nearby community;
and
``(C) the use and active management of compost on a
farm to improve water retention and soil health,
subject to the condition that such use shall be in
compliance with applicable Federal, State, and local
laws.''.
(b) Alternative Manure Management.--Section 1240A of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-1) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (10) as
paragraphs (2) through (11), respectively; and
(2) by inserting before paragraph (2), as so redesignated,
the following:
``(1) Alternative manure management practices.--The term
`alternative manure management practices' means management
measures that reduce baseline methane and nitrous oxide
emissions and, where applicable, reduce nitrate leaching into
groundwater or improve carbon sequestration, including--
``(A) converting to or improving pasture-based
management, including management-intensive rotational
grazing (as defined in section 1240L(d)(1));
``(B) compost-bedded pack barns that compost
manure, slatted floor pit storage that is cleaned out
at least once a month, or other similar practices as
determined by the Secretary; and
``(C) solid separation, scrape and vacuum
technologies, or other measures, including manure
management system retrofits, that primarily avoid wet
handling and storage infrastructure in conjunction
with--
``(i) open or enclosed solar drying;
``(ii) composting;
``(iii) vermiculture or vermifiltration;
``(iv) forced evaporation;
``(v) solid storage; or
``(vi) other similar methods as determined
by the Secretary.''.
(c) Practice.--Subparagraph (A) of section 1240A(7) of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-1(7)), as so redesignated by
subsection (a), is amended--
(1) in clause (ii), by inserting ``and composting
practices'' after ``practices'';
(2) in clause (vi), by striking the ``and'' at the end;
(3) by redesignating clause (vii) as clause (ix); and
(4) by inserting after clause (vi) the following:
``(vii) composting practices;
``(viii) alternative manure management
practices; and''.
(d) Inclusions.--Section 1240I(2)(B)(i) of the Food Security Act of
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-21(2)(B)(i)) is amended by inserting ``and
composting practices'' after ``drainage management systems''.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT AND ADMINISTRATION.
(a) Increased Payments for High-Priority Practices.--Section
1240B(d)(7) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-2(d)(7))
is amended--
(1) in the paragraph heading, by inserting ``state-
determined'' before ``high-priority''; and
(2) in subparagraph (A)--
(A) in clause (iii), by striking ``or'' at the end;
(B) in clause (iv), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; or''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(v) increases carbon sequestration or
reduces greenhouse gas emissions, including
emissions of methane and nitrous oxide.''.
(b) Livestock.--Section 1240B(f)(1) of the Food Security Act of
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-2(f)(1)) is amended by inserting ``and
alternative manure management'' after ``including grazing management''.
(c) Alternative Manure Management Practices.--Section 1240B of the
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-2) is amended--
(1) by redesignating subsections (h) through (j) as
subsection (i) through (k), respectively; and
(2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
``(h) Alternative Manure Management Practices.--
``(1) Payment amounts.--The Secretary may provide a payment
for an alternative manure management practice for an amount
that is up to 100 percent of the costs associated with
planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor,
management, maintenance, and training related to implementing a
covered management measure.
``(2) Advanced payments.--The Secretary shall provide at
least 50 percent of the amount of total payments for an
alternative manure management practice in advance for all costs
related to--
``(A) purchasing or contracting materials and
equipment; or
``(B) any technical assistance provided by the
Secretary.
``(3) Term.--A contract awarded under this section shall
have a term that does not exceed 3 years.''.
SEC. 5. PRIORITIZATION OF APPLICATIONS.
Section 1240C(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3839aa-3(b)) is amended--
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (4) as
subparagraphs (A) through (D), respectively, and by indenting
such subparagraphs 2 ems to the right;
(2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), as
redesignated by paragraph (1), by striking ``In evaluating
applications under this subchapter, the Secretary shall
prioritize applications--'' and inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--In evaluating applications under this
subchapter, the Secretary shall prioritize applications--'';
and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Alternative manure management applications.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall develop
criteria for evaluating and ranking alternative manure
management contract offers to prioritize applications
that will maximize--
``(i) carbon sequestration;
``(ii) greenhouse gas emissions reductions;
and
``(iii) the overall environmental and
public health benefits, including improved
water quality and quantity.
``(B) Additional criteria.--In awarding alternative
manure management applications, the Secretary shall
develop criteria to ensure--
``(i) geographical diversity;
``(ii) scale diversity, including support
for small and medium sized dairy and livestock
operations; and
``(iii) participation by operations with a
demonstrated track record of adopting
conservation measures and reducing greenhouse
gas emissions.
``(C) Cluster applications.--The Secretary shall
establish procedures under which--
``(i) a group of producers may submit a
joint application for a shared composting
facility; and
``(ii) the Secretary allocates payments to
each eligible producer associated with that
joint contract.
``(D) Serving certain producers.--To the maximum
extent practicable, the Secretary shall award the
majority of alternative manure contracts finalized each
fiscal year to offers from small and mid-sized dairy
and livestock operations, including--
``(i) beginning farmers or ranchers;
``(ii) limited resource farmers and
ranchers; and
``(iii) socially disadvantaged farmers and
ranchers.''.
SEC. 6. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.
Section 1240F of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-6)
is amended by--
(1) inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``To the extent
appropriate, the Secretary shall assist a producer in achieving
the conservation and environmental goals of a program plan by--
''; and
(2) inserting at the end the following:
``(b) Alternative Manure Management.--For alternative manure
management contracts, the Secretary shall--
``(1) determine and publish factors for estimating the
carbon sequestrations and greenhouse gas emissions reductions
for each alternative manure management practice;
``(2) identify eligible producers based on manure
management practices used at the time of application, including
the anaerobic decomposition of volatile solids stored in a
lagoon or other predominantly liquid anaerobic environment and
their ability to replace or complement that anaerobic system
with an alternative manure management practice; and
``(3) assist an eligible producer in achieving the carbon
sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions reduction, and other
environmental and public health goals of the alternative manure
management systems by--
``(A) providing payments for designing and
implementing one or more alternative manure management
practices;
``(B) providing that eligible producer with
information, technical assistance, and training to aid
in implementation of the alternative manure management
practices;
``(C) reviewing the adequacy of existing
conservation practice standards for supporting the
alternative manure management practices and, if
necessary--
``(i) revising existing conservation
practice standards; and
``(ii) developing new conservation practice
standards; and
``(D) entering into cooperative agreements with
third-party technical assistance providers with
relevant expertise in alternative manure management
systems to ensure adequate technical services are
available to alternative manure management
applicants.''.
SEC. 7. LIMITATION ON PAYMENTS.
Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-7)
is amended--
(1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``Not
including payments''; and
(2) by striking ``, regardless of the number of contracts
entered into under this subchapter by the person or legal
entity'' and inserting at the end the following:
``(b) Waiver Authority and Limitation.--The Secretary may--
``(1) waive the applicability of the limitations in section
1001D(b) or section 1240(G) for a payment made under an
alternative manure management contract if the Secretary
determines that the waiver is necessary to fulfill the
objectives of the project; and
``(2) impose a separate payment limitation for the contract
with respect to which the waiver applies.''.
SEC. 8. NEW OR INNOVATIVE CONSERVATION APPROACH.
Section 1240H(c)(1)(B)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3839aa-8(c)(1)(B)(i)) is amended--
(1) in subclause (VI), by striking ``and'' at the end; and
(2) by inserting at the end the following:
``(VIII) alternative manure
management practices; and''.
SEC. 9. DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
Section 1242(h) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3842(h)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(5) Development of composting practice standard.--Not
later than one year after the date of enactment of this
paragraph, the Secretary shall--
``(A) conduct a review of the composting facilities
practice standard and the soil carbon amendment
practice standard to determine their adequacy in
advancing alternative manure management and on-farm
composting generation and utilization; and
``(B) develop and implement a new conservation
practice standard for the on-farm production of
compost.''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
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