US HB4865

Secretary of Agriculture must develop within 270 days a standardized methodology to directly measure soil carbon for research and conservation purposes, with required consultation of agricultural producers, soil carbon experts, and academic researchers

Establishes a voluntary soil carbon reporting system through the Natural Resources Conservation Service, providing technical assistance and guidance in multiple languages and formats to producers who choose to measure and report soil carbon data

Creates a Soil Carbon Inventory and Analysis Network requiring the Secretary to inventory, monitor, and analyze soil carbon changes on cropland, rangeland, pastureland, and wetlands every 5 years, with $17,500,000 authorized annually

Extends on-farm conservation innovation trial periods from 3 years to 5 years and adds soil health management systems and carbon measurement tools as eligible focus areas under existing USDA conservation programs

Requires development of predictive modeling tools to estimate impacts of different land management practices on atmospheric carbon, methane, nitrous oxide, and soil carbon sequestration, with $2,000,000 annually for methodology development and $500,000 annually for modeling tools