Agriculture Resilience Act of 2025

Increased Research Investment: The bill seeks to triple Federal investment in public food and agriculture research by 2030 and quadruple it by 2040 to focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation (Sec. 101(c)(1)).

Soil Health and Productivity: By increasing soil carbon stocks and expanding the adoption of soil health systems, the bill aims to restore soil health and productivity, which can improve food security (Sec. 101(c)(2)(A)).

Support for Producers through Risk Management: The establishment of regional hubs will provide farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners with science-based, practical information and assistance to help them adapt to a changing climate (Sec. 202(a)).

Risk-Reduction Based Discounts: Producers using risk-reduction farming practices, such as cover crops or resource-conserving crop rotations, may receive premium discounts through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (Sec. 301(b)).

Economic Support for Transitions: The bill provides for various financial incentives and payments to assist producers in transitioning to organic production or implementing perennial production systems (Sec. 303(c)(6)(A); Sec. 303(d)(2)(C)).

Empowerment of Rural Communities: The action plan is designed to provide benefits for rural communities, small businesses, and consumers while creating quality jobs (Sec. 102(b)(2)).

Support for Agroforestry: The bill establishes regional agroforestry centers and grant programs to support projects like demonstration farms, which can help improve soil health and carbon sequestration (Section (e)).

Enhanced Farm Viability: New grants are provided to help entities develop business plans, marketing strategies, and enterprise development for local and regional food products (Section 401 (f)(3)).

Improved Organic Certification: The cost-share amount for the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program is increased from $750 to $1,500 (Section 402 (a)).

Protection of Vital Farmland: The bill defines and protects farmland of national significance to minimize its conversion to nonagricultural uses (Section 403 (b)(1)).

New Economic Opportunities for Livestock Producers: The establishment of "animal raising claims" is intended to facilitate marketing and create new economic opportunities for producers using specific production practices (Section s 298B (a)).

Increased Meat Processing Resilience: A new grant program is created to increase the processing capacity and resiliency of the small meat and poultry processing sector (Section 502 (b)(1)).

Support for Grazing Management: The bill provides support for producers transitioning to managed grazing-based systems to improve soil health and grazing resilience (Section 503 (a)).

Food Waste Reduction and Clarity: Standardizing "quality date" and "discard date" phrases on food packaging is intended to provide clarity on food shelf life (Section 702 (a)-(b)).

Reduced Food Waste in Schools: The School Food Waste Reduction Grant Program provides funds for local educational agencies to carry out measurement, prevention, and reduction projects (Section 714 (a)).

Efficiency and Accountability: The Liaison will review annual reports to ensure that funds are being used efficiently according to the duties of the Program (Section 1(A)(B)(i)). This oversight helps ensure resources are used as intended.

Public Knowledge and Research: The review process ensures the Program produces usable public research, data, education, and recommendations related to food waste and reduction (Section 1(A)(B)(ii)).

Transparency: The Liaison is required to publish an annual report on the Program website, providing the public with information on activities, partnerships, and budgets (Section 1(2)).

Restrictions on Land Conversion: The bill aims to significantly reduce the rate of agricultural land being converted to development and prohibits the conversion of agricultural land to development by 2040 (Sec. 101(c)(3)).

Mandatory Changes to Livestock Management: The livestock sector is required to implement advanced grazing management and reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to feeding ruminants (Sec. 101(c)(4)).

Constraints on Waste Management: The bill mandates the immediate cessation of building any new or expanded waste lagoons for confined animal feeding operations (Sec. 101(c)(4)(D)(i)).

Potential Revenue Reductions: While providing incentives, the bill acknowledges that producers may face economic risk or loss of revenue when transitioning to new or innovative conservation approaches (Sec. 303(d)(2)(B); Sec. 1240L-2(d)(2)(B)).

Administrative Burdens for Producers: Producers using "animal raising claims" must submit specific documentation, including written descriptions of controls and product tracing mechanisms (Section 298B (d)).

Penalties for Mislabeling: Individuals found to have knowingly sold or labeled products with incorrect animal raising claims can be assessed civil penalties of up to $10,000 (Section 298B (f)(1)).

Legal Penalties for False Statements: Making false or fraudulent statements regarding animal raising claims can lead to penalties under federal law (Section 298B (f)(2)).

Financial Obligations for Grassland Contracts: Under the Grassland 30 contract, if a term or condition is violated, the Secretary may require the owner to refund all or part of any payments received (Section 504 (6)(B)).

Potential Restrictions on Land Use: The bill establishes a process to minimize the conversion of significant farmland to nonagricultural uses, which may impact land management decisions (Section 403 (c)(1)).

Administrative Burden: Regional partner institutions are required to submit annual reports detailing their activities, partnerships, collaborations, budgets, and findings (Section 1(A)). This creates a recurring reporting obligation for these institutions.