Skip to main content
S 2989 115th Congress Senate Agriculture and Food Agricultural conservation and pollution Agricultural marketing and promotion Agricultural practices and innovations Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit Farmland Food supply, safety, and labeling Higher education Livestock Soil pollution

COVER Act

Introduced: June 5, 2018 Introduced by: Bennet, Michael F. Democratic · Colorado See on congress.gov
Sign in to write a letter Sign in to watch
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jun 5, 2018
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Jun 5, 2018
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Conservation for Very Erodible Row Cropland Act of 2018 or the COVER Act

This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to modify Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs to authorize additional assistance for farm practices related to soil health and carbon storage.

The bill modifies the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to require USDA to provide payments under the program for practices that:

  • improve soil health,
  • enhance the ability of a farmer to absorb and recover from shocks and stresses to production,
  • increase the storage of carbon on agricultural land, and
  • achieve other conservation outcomes determined by USDA.

The bill modifies the Conservation Innovation Grants program to establish a pilot program to provide payments to encourage: (1) the measurement of outcomes relating to the planting of a regionally appropriate cover crop, and (2) opportunities to increase farm income. In carrying out the program, USDA must prioritize certain projects with third-party partners such as academic entities, carbon offset protocol developers, livestock producers, and food manufacturers.

What's happening now June 5, 2018

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1