Davis Introduces Legislation to Encourage Cover Crop Use to Increase Farm Productivity, Sequester Carbon, and Reduce Net Emissions

Press Release

Last week, U.S. Representative Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) introduced H.R. 2508, the Naturally Offsetting Emissions by Managing and Implementing Tillage Strategies (NO EMITS) Act. The legislation provides incentives for producers to adopt soil health cropping systems, such as cover crops, in order to increase farm productivity and optimize agriculture's ability to sequester carbon and reduce net emissions. H.R. 2508 is part of a slate of pro-innovation agriculture bills addressing climate change from Republican members of the House Committee on Agriculture.

"We can combat the negative effects of climate change without enacting job-killing energy policies or massive new government programs," said Rep. Davis. "That's why I'm proud to introduce the NO EMITS Act, which encourages farmers to adopt practices that promote good soil health, like the use of cover crops. These practices will help reduce our carbon footprint while also increasing land productivity. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress to identify and implement innovative solutions to reduce net emissions."

"Illinois Farm Bureau endorses Rep. Davis' bill and thanks him for his leadership in providing farmers useful tools and resources to address the challenges of a changing climate," said Richard Guebert, Jr., grain farmer and Illinois Farm Bureau president. The bill will provide financial and technical assistance to farmers transitioning to soil health cropping systems that will allow them to sequester more carbon further reducing agriculture's carbon footprint, Guebert said.

A leader on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee, Rep. Davis has been extraordinarily responsive to the needs of farmers in the 13th District and across our state. Rep. Davis' bill also gives farmers flexibility in how they choose to receive technical assistance. Rep. Davis' NO EMITS Act also includes $100 million to states for soil health programs, Guebert said.

"Soil health is critical to a healthy crop yield and a healthy environment. American farmers have voluntarily adopted practices to bolster soil health for decades, and the NO EMITS Act will continue to build on these conservation successes," said Glenn "GT' Thompson, Republican Leader of the Agriculture Committee. "I'm pleased to have Congressman Davis leading this effort to advocate for natural solutions for climate change."

U.S. farmers have long recognized the benefits of managing soil health and many have voluntarily adopted practices to do so. For decades, they have proactively and voluntarily planted more cover crops, implemented diverse crop rotations, and used more conservation tillage methods.

Soil health is an important piece of the puzzle for sequestering carbon and storing it in the soil. Soil health also has other critical benefits including improved water quality, erosion prevention, and flood prevention. Since 2012, sustainable soil use and resource conservation efforts increased by 34 million acres, or 17 percent.

Carbon sequestration in soil increases the amount of organic matter. Higher soil organic matter, which is about 60 percent carbon, means healthier soils that produce higher yields. Carbon-rich soils also support a larger population of soil microorganisms, which in turn, support many processes beneficial to plant growth, such as water retention, soil resilience, and pathogen resistance.

Continuing to build on the conservation success of American farmers will reap additional emissions benefits and increase U.S. farming's competitive advantage globally.

Specifically, Rep. Davis's NO EMITS Act:

Establishes a Soil Health Transition Incentive Program that provides payments and technical assistance to producers who are transitioning their farms to soil health cropping systems.
Provides longer term contracts (5-7 years) to help mitigate risk during transition to soil health cropping systems.
Allows the producer to choose individualized technical assistance through USDA, TSPs, commercial entities, non-profits, or state or local governments.
Doubles funding for the Conservation Innovation Trials from $25,000,000 to $50,000,000.
Establishes a State Assistance for Soil Health Programs and provides $100,000,000 a year out of Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) funding for matching grants to States or tribes for state soil health programs.
Carves out 1 percent of the overall conservation title funding to provide technical assistance to producers to mitigate and adapt to the changing climate.
You can find a summary and section-by-section an analysis of Rep. Davis's legislation here. You can find more information on other legislation from House Committee on Agriculture Republicans on addressing climate change here.

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