Farm Bill Legislative Side-By-Side

The document compares current US law with the May 2024 House Agriculture Committee's proposed changes to the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Key proposed modifications include expanding the definition of precision conservation management planning to include the acquisition of technology, increasing payment limits for organic production transitions to $200,000 for 2025-2029, and adding carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reduction as criteria for state-determined high-priority practices. It also details existing funding from the 2018 Farm Bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, which allocated $8.45 billion for EQIP through 2026.

• The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers and non-industrial forest managers to address natural resource concerns and deliver environmental benefits, including soil health, water and air quality, and climate resilience.
• EQIP utilizes specific practices to sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including agroforestry, no-till farming, and cover crops. A $38 million EQIP Cover Crop Initiative was established in 2021 for producers in 11 states.
• Funding for EQIP was authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill with mandatory levels increasing from $1.75 billion in FY 2019 to $2.025 billion in FY 2023. Additionally, the Inflation Reduction Act allocated $8.45 billion for the program, with payments scheduled through FY 2026.
• The House version of the bill proposes expanding the definition of 'precision conservation management planning' to explicitly include the 'acquisition of precision agriculture technology' and the 'adoption of precision agriculture practices'.
• The House version proposes that states may designate practices for increased payments if they 'increase carbon sequestration or reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including emissions of methane and nitrous oxide'.
• The House version proposes that conservation incentive contracts may include the 'adoption of precision agriculture practices and the acquisition of precision agriculture technology'.
• The House version proposes expanding the definition of 'new or innovative conservation approach' for on-farm trials to include 'perennial production systems, including agroforestry and perennial forages and grain crops'.
• The House version proposes that the conservation practice database should include 'data that may be used to evaluate new and emerging technologies and recommendations for State and regional applications of such new and emerging technologies'.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2024). Farm Bill Legislative Side-By-Side. https://www.eesi.org/files/Side-by-Side-Farm-Bill-2024-Environmental-Quality-Incentives-Program-EQIP.pdf

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Farm Bill Legislative Side-By-Side. 2024. https://www.eesi.org/files/Side-by-Side-Farm-Bill-2024-Environmental-Quality-Incentives-Program-EQIP.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Farm Bill Legislative Side-By-Side |date=18 June 2024 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/Side-by-Side-Farm-Bill-2024-Environmental-Quality-Incentives-Program-EQIP.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2024farm, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Farm Bill Legislative Side-By-Side}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2024}, month = jun, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/Side-by-Side-Farm-Bill-2024-Environmental-Quality-Incentives-Program-EQIP.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }