Date:

Introduced February 10, 2021

Legislation:

HB 2310

Sponsors:

Representative Rui Xu

Agencies Involved:

Kansas Department of Agriculture

Kansas Department of Revenue

Rule Making Processes:

N/A

Description:

The bill amends existing statute concerning conservation districts to create the Kansas healthy soils fund and the Kansas healthy soils initiative.

Soil Health Definitions:

“Soil health” means the overall composition of soil, including the amount of organic matter in and water holding capacity of the soil, and the continued capacity of the soil to function as a vital living ecosystemthat sustains plants, animals and humans.

Stated Goals:

The bill adds soil health and restoration to the state’s conservation efforts.

Program Required Measurements:

N/A

Tools & Guidance:

N/A

Founding Source/s:

The Kansas healthy soil fund can receive appropriations from the legislature as well as gifts, grants or private contributions.

Funding Type/s:

Practices Eligible for Funding:

“Healthy soils practices” means agricultural practices that:
(1) Improve the health of soils, including through consideration of the water infiltration rate, water holding capacity, depth of topsoil horizons, organic carbon content, nutrient content, bulk density, biological activity, biological and microbiological diversity and minimizing bare ground in soils;
(2) follow the principles of keeping soil covered, minimizing soil disturbance and external inputs, maximizing biodiversity, maximizing the presence of living roots and integrating animals into land management, including grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects or keystone species, such as earthworms; and
(3) are achieved through conservation tillage or no-till, covercropping, planned grazing, integrated crop-livestock systems, integrated pest management, nutrient best management practices and those practices recommended by the United States department of agriculture natural resources conservation service field office technical guide that are supported  by the department of health and environment.

N/A