Sec. 101. National goals

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The purpose of the goals established under this title is to prevent climate change from exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above preindustrial levels through a national greenhouse gas emission reduction effort. The national goals for the agricultural sector shall be to achieve— not less than a 50-percent reduction in net greenhouse gas emissions, as compared to those levels during calendar year 2010, by not later than December 31, 2030; and net zero emissions by not later than December 31, 2040.

To achieve the national goals described in subsection (b), there are established the following subgoals: The total Federal investment in public food and agriculture research and extension should— at a minimum, as compared to that total Federal investment for fiscal year 2023— triple by not later than December 31, 2030; and quadruple by not later than December 31, 2040; and strongly focus on climate change adaptation and mitigation, soil health and carbon sequestration, nutrient and manure management to curb nitrous oxide and methane emissions, agroforestry, advanced grazing management and crop-livestock integration, perennial production systems, on-farm and food system energy efficiency and renewable energy production, farmland preservation and viability, food waste reduction, and any other related areas, as determined by the Secretary.

The United States should— immediately become a member of the Partners Forum and the Consortium of the 4 per 1000 Initiative, hosted by the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research, with the aim of increasing total soil carbon stocks by 0.4 percent annually to reduce carbon in the atmosphere, restore soil health and productivity, and thereby improve food security; sufficiently expand adoption of soil health systems and practices (including diverse crop rotations, cover cropping, and conservation tillage), perennial crop and grass-based livestock production systems, agroforestry, composting, advanced nutrient budgeting and biologically based nutrient management, advanced grazing management (including silvopasture and management-intensive rotational grazing), and integrated crop-livestock systems— to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from agricultural soils, as compared to those levels during calendar year 2023— by 25 percent by not later than December 31, 2030; and by 75 percent by not later than December 31, 2040; to increase soil carbon stocks by 0.4 percent annually on at least 50 percent of agricultural land by not later than December 31, 2030; and to meet or exceed the threshold described in clause

(ii)on all agricultural land by not later than December 31, 2040; expand implementation of regionally appropriate cover crops and other continual living cover so that— at least 50 percent of cropland acres include 1 or more cover crops or other continual living cover in the rotations of the cropland acres by not later than December 31, 2030; at least 75 percent of cropland acres include 1 or more cover crops or other continual living cover in the rotations of the cropland acres by not later than December 31, 2040; cropland acres are covered by crops (including forages and hay crops), cover crops, or residue for an average of 75 percent of each calendar year by not later than December 31, 2030; and cropland acres are covered by crops (including forages and hay crops), cover crops, or residue for an average of 85 percent of each calendar year by not later than December 31, 2040; and encourage conversion of at least— 15 percent of annual grain crop acres, as in use on the date of enactment of this Act, to agroforestry, perennial grazing, perennial grain crops, or other perennial production systems by not later than December 31, 2030; and 30 percent of annual grain crop acres, as in use on the date of enactment of this Act, to agroforestry, perennial grazing, perennial grain crops, or other perennial production systems by not later than December 31, 2040. The rate of conversion of agricultural land to development, and the rate of conversion of grassland to cropping, should be reduced by at least 80 percent, as compared to those rates for calendar year 2023 by not later than December 31, 2030. There should be no conversion of agricultural land to development, or grassland to cropping, by December 31, 2040. The livestock sector should— establish advanced grazing management, including management-intensive rotational grazing, on at least— 50 percent of all grazing land by not later than December 31, 2030; and 100 percent of all grazing land by not later than December 31, 2040; reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to feeding of ruminants by at least— 1/3 by not later than December 31, 2030; and 1/2 by not later than December 31, 2040; and accomplish the reductions described in clause

(i)by— reducing nongrazing feeding of ruminants; growing feed grains and forages with soil health and nutrient management practices that minimize net greenhouse gas emissions from cropland; and designing livestock feed mixtures and supplements to mitigate enteric methane emissions; re-integrate livestock and crop production systems at farm, local, and regional levels to facilitate environmentally sound management and field application of manure and reduce the need for long-term manure storage by increasing acreage on individual farms under crop-livestock integrated management by at least— 100 percent as compared to calendar year 2017 levels by not later than December 31, 2030; and 300 percent as compared to calendar year 2017 levels by not later than December 31, 2040; and reduce greenhouse gas emissions resulting from manure management by— immediately ceasing building any new or expanded waste lagoons for confined animal feeding operations; and converting— by not later than December 31, 2030, at least 1/3 of wet manure handling and storage to non-digester dairy or livestock methane management methods (as defined in section 1240T(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985); and by not later than December 31, 2040, at least 2/3 of wet manure handling and storage to non-digester dairy or livestock methane management methods (as so defined). The agricultural sector should— implement energy audits and energy efficiency improvements on at least— 50 percent of farms by not later than December 31, 2030; and 100 percent of farms by not later than December 31, 2040; expand on-farm clean renewable energy production to a level that is at least— double the 2017 level by not later than December 31, 2030; and triple the 2017 level by not later than December 31, 2040; and install and manage on-farm renewable energy infrastructure in a manner that does not— compromise the climate resilience and greenhouse gas mitigation goals of this Act; or adversely impact farmland, soil, and water resources, or food production. Consistent with the Food Waste Challenge launched by the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency in June 2013, and the national food loss and waste goal announced in September 2015, the food and agricultural sector should commit to— at least a 50-percent reduction in food loss and waste by not later than December 31, 2030; at least a 75-percent reduction in food loss and waste by not later than December 31, 2040; and in a manner consistent with the Food Recovery Hierarchy established by the Environmental Protection Agency, diverting from landfills through composting and other means at least— 50 percent of unavoidable food waste and food processing byproducts by not later than December 31, 2030; and 90 percent of unavoidable food waste and food processing byproducts by not later than December 31, 2040.