HR5875-119

What This Bill Does

The COWS Act of 2025 amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to make composting and alternative manure management a more explicit part of USDA conservation programs. It defines composting practices as producing compost from on-farm or nearby community organic waste and actively managing compost on a farm to improve water retention and soil health. It defines alternative manure management practices as measures that reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions, reduce nitrate leaching when applicable, or improve carbon sequestration, including pasture-based management, compost-bedded pack barns, frequently cleaned slatted floor pit storage, solid separation, scrape and vacuum technologies, manure system retrofits, solar drying, composting, vermiculture, vermifiltration, forced evaporation, and solid storage. The bill adds these practices to EQIP-style conservation purposes, lets USDA pay up to 100 percent of planning, design, materials, equipment, installation, labor, management, maintenance, and training costs, and requires at least 50 percent advanced payments for materials, equipment, or technical assistance. USDA must prioritize applications that maximize carbon sequestration, greenhouse gas reductions, and environmental and public health benefits, while ensuring geographic diversity, scale diversity, support for small and medium dairy and livestock operations, and participation by producers with conservation track records. It also allows joint applications for shared composting facilities, directs most alternative manure contracts to small and mid-sized operations including beginning, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged producers, requires USDA emissions and carbon-estimation factors, allows payment-limit waivers when needed, and requires review and creation of composting practice standards within one year.

Who Benefits and How

Small and mid-sized dairy and livestock producers benefit because USDA must prioritize them for alternative manure management contracts. Beginning, limited-resource, and socially disadvantaged farmers benefit because the bill directs a majority of finalized contracts toward offers that include those producers. Producers adopting composting or dry manure systems benefit from up to 100 percent cost coverage and at least 50 percent advanced payments for materials, equipment, and technical assistance. Third-party technical assistance providers benefit because USDA may enter cooperative agreements for alternative manure management expertise. Nearby communities and watersheds benefit if the funded practices reduce methane, nitrous oxide, nitrate leaching, and water quality harms from wet manure systems.

Who Bears the Burden and How

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service staff must write criteria, calculate emissions and carbon factors, administer advanced payments, evaluate joint applications, and revise conservation practice standards. Livestock producers applying for payments must document baseline manure practices, project benefits, contract terms, and compliance with federal, State, and local laws. USDA must conduct a one-year review of composting facility and soil carbon amendment practice standards and implement a new on-farm compost production standard. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of higher payment rates and advanced payments for alternative manure management contracts.

Key Provisions

• Defines composting practice and alternative manure management practice under the Food Security Act conservation framework.
• Expands conservation program purposes to include composting practices, alternative manure management, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas reductions.
• Authorizes payments up to 100 percent of alternative manure management costs and requires at least 50 percent advanced payments for materials, equipment, or technical assistance.
• Requires USDA to prioritize alternative manure applications by carbon, emissions, environmental, public health, geographic, scale, and producer-diversity criteria.
• Authorizes joint producer applications for shared composting facilities and payment allocation among eligible producers.
• Directs USDA to publish emissions and carbon factors, provide technical assistance, use cooperative agreements, waive payment limits when needed, and create a new on-farm compost production standard.