S. 3820: Soil CARE Act of 2026

119th Congress · introduced 2026-02-10 · Agriculture and Food · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

federal

What does this mean?

Official title

Soil CARE Act of 2026

Plain summary

Soil Conservation And Regeneration Education Act of 2026 or the Soil CARE Act of 2026 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a training program for soil health management in Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs. Under the bill, soil health management means land management methods used to increase and balance soil health, such as microbial biomass and macrofauna, for the purpose of improving biological functions, including forming and stabilizing soil structure, cycling nutrients, controlling pests and disease, and degrading or detoxifying contaminants. The training program must (1) provide education, resources, and technical support to NRCS personnel and third-party providers on the rapidly evolving methodologies, science, and practices for improving soil health; and (2) assist NRCS personnel and third-party providers in supporting agricultural producers in understanding and implementing soil health management systems that regenerate farmland. The training program must be available twice every two years in each NRCS region and include both an online curriculum and in-person training workshops. The training program must be developed and delivered through cooperative agreements with entities with soil health management systems expertise and experience working with and training producers. The bill includes minimum curriculum requirements for the training program, including specific units on soil health and diversified production systems. USDA must review and update the training program curriculum and materials every two years.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Soil CARE Act of 2026

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] · 2 cosponsors

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Words on this page, explained (1)

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Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-119s3820.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/119/s>

Record fed-us-cong119-s3820 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong119 · updated 2026-11-03 by psicol fed-bills