The Saving Our Interconnected Lives (SOIL) Act amends federal farm conservation programs to increase financial incentives for farmers and landowners who adopt practices benefiting both soil health and wildlife habitat. The bill raises payment rates to 90 percent of project costs for specific conservation practices—such as planting trees and shrubs, creating wetland buffers, installing riparian forests, and implementing cover crops—under two existing USDA programs: the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program. The legislation affects agricultural producers across the country by making these dual-benefit practices more financially attractive and by prioritizing such projects in the competitive application process for conservation funding. No new funding levels are specified in the bill text, though it directs the Secretary of Agriculture to prioritize and evaluate applications that address both soil and wildlife habitat concerns. The changes take effect upon enactment with no specific timeline mentioned.
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