Conservation innovation grants and payments

Out of the funds made available to carry out this subpart, the Secretary may pay the cost of competitive grants that are intended to stimulate innovative approaches to leveraging the Federal investment in environmental enhancement and protection, in conjunction with agricultural production or forest resource management, through the program. The Secretary may provide grants under this subsection to governmental and non-governmental organizations and persons, on a competitive basis, to carry out projects that— utilize edge-of-field and other monitoring practices on farms— The Secretary shall provide payments under this subsection to producers to implement practices to address air quality concerns from agricultural operations and to meet Federal, State, and local regulatory requirements. The funds shall be made available on the basis of air quality concerns in a State and shall be used to provide payments to producers that are cost effective and reflect innovative technologies. Of the funds made available to carry out this subpart, the Secretary shall carry out this subsection using $37,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2031. In this subsection: The term “eligible entity” means, as determined by the Secretary— The term “new or innovative conservation approach” means— new or innovative— Using $25,000,000 of the funds made available to carry out this subpart for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2031, the Secretary shall carry out on-farm conservation innovation trials, on eligible land of producers, to test new or innovative conservation approaches— In carrying out paragraph (2), the Secretary shall enter into agreements with producers (either directly or through eligible entities) on whose land an on-farm conservation innovation trial is being carried out to provide payments (including payments to compensate for foregone income, as appropriate to address the increased economic risk potentially associated with new or innovative conservation approaches) to the producers to assist with adopting and evaluating new or innovative conservation approaches to achieve conservation benefits. Adjusted gross income requirements under section 1308–3a(b)(1) of title 7 shall— An eligible entity participating in an on-farm conservation innovation trial under this subsection shall report annually to the Secretary on the amount of payments made to individual farm operations under this subsection. None of the funds made available to carry out this subsection may be used to pay for the administrative expenses of an eligible entity. An agreement entered into under subparagraph (A) shall be for a period determined by the Secretary that is— if appropriate, more than 3 years, including if such a period is appropriate to support— The scale of adoption of a new or innovative conservation approach under an on-farm conservation innovation trial under an agreement under paragraph (2) may include multiple scales on an operation, including whole farm, field-level, or sub-field scales. The Secretary shall provide technical assistance— The Secretary shall identify a diversity of geographic regions of the United States in which to establish on-farm conservation innovation trials under paragraph (2), taking into account factors such as soil type, cropping history, and water availability. Using funds made available to carry out this subsection, the Secretary shall carry out a soil health demonstration trial under which the Secretary coordinates with eligible entities— to provide incentives to producers to implement conservation practices that— Not later than September 30, 2019, and every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on the status of activities funded under this section, including— The Secretary shall use the data reported under paragraph (1) to establish and maintain a publicly available conservation practice database that provides— Information provided under subparagraph (A) shall be transformed into a statistical or aggregate form so as to not include any identifiable or personal information of individual producers.