The Converting Our Waste Sustainably (COWS) Act of 2025 reforms agricultural conservation programs through fiscal year 2029, with a focus on helping livestock and dairy farms manage manure more sustainably. The bill expands the Department of Agriculture's conservation programs to include composting practices and alternative manure management techniques—such as rotational grazing, compost-bedded barns, and manure drying systems—that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve soil and water quality. Farmers can receive payments covering up to 100 percent of implementation costs, with at least 50 percent paid upfront, and contracts lasting up to three years. The bill prioritizes funding for small and mid-sized operations, beginning farmers, and socially disadvantaged farmers, while allowing groups of producers to share composting facilities through joint applications. The Department must develop standards for measuring carbon sequestration and emissions reductions, provide technical assistance, and within one year establish new composting practice standards to support on-farm compost production and use.
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