• Support farmer and rancher soil health education and training through USDA conservation programs by providing an additional 10% cost-share for Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) contracts that build soil health when farmers complete approved training for the soil health practice(s) in question. (Regenerate America, 2022)
• Increase support for conservation technical assistance by setting aside 1 percent of total farm bill conservation program mandatory funding each year for a major new conservation technical assistance initiative to assist producers in mitigating and adapting to climate change and building soil health delivered by NRCS and by Technical Service Providers (TSPs) and prioritize assistance to underserved producers. (Regenerate America, 2022)
• Require that all relevant USDA conservation program staff (with a focus on NRCS, FSA and RMA staff) are trained, and encourage the training among relevant DOI and EPA staff with a focus on soil health and function. (Regenerate America, 2022)
• Specifically support the NRCS Soil Health Division (SHD) to hire more soil health experts in local and state NRCS offices. (Regenerate America, 2022)
• Research and extension provide technical resources to farmers and ranchers across the country and can be administered by entities including innovative colleges and institutions, land grant colleges’ extension services, and USDA programs, especially through Conservation Districts delivered primarily through annual appropriations to the NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) Program and also through Farm Bill conservation programs. Funding should be increased by at least 1 billion dollars. (NRDC, March 2022)
• Standardized testing protocols for Soil Organic Matter (SOM) need to be developed for NRCS programs. Current methods such as the Cornell Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health, Direct Microscopy Assessment/Count, Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) Tests, Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), Haney Test and others have limits as to what they can test and verify. New methods are needed to test for biological impacts on Soil Health. (USDA-NRCS, 2019)
• Increase support for conservation technical assistance by setting aside 1 percent of total farm bill conservation program mandatory funding each year for a major new conservation technical assistance initiative to assist producers in mitigating and adapting to climate change and building soil health delivered by NRCS and by Technical Service Providers (TSPs) and prioritize assistance to underserved producers. (Regenerate America, 2022)
• Require that all relevant USDA conservation program staff (with a focus on NRCS, FSA and RMA staff) are trained, and encourage the training among relevant DOI and EPA staff with a focus on soil health and function. (Regenerate America, 2022)
• Specifically support the NRCS Soil Health Division (SHD) to hire more soil health experts in local and state NRCS offices. (Regenerate America, 2022)
• Research and extension provide technical resources to farmers and ranchers across the country and can be administered by entities including innovative colleges and institutions, land grant colleges’ extension services, and USDA programs, especially through Conservation Districts delivered primarily through annual appropriations to the NRCS Conservation Technical Assistance (CTA) Program and also through Farm Bill conservation programs. Funding should be increased by at least 1 billion dollars. (NRDC, March 2022)
• Standardized testing protocols for Soil Organic Matter (SOM) need to be developed for NRCS programs. Current methods such as the Cornell Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Health, Direct Microscopy Assessment/Count, Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) Tests, Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF), Haney Test and others have limits as to what they can test and verify. New methods are needed to test for biological impacts on Soil Health. (USDA-NRCS, 2019)