Farm bill quietly expands manure-management subsidies with discretionary payment waivers
S. 5309 — COWS Act of 2026 · Filed by Alex Padilla (D-CA) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Aug 6, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) under the Food Security Act to create a new category of payments for farmers who adopt alternative manure management practices—such as composting, rotational grazing, solid separation, and solar drying—that reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions, improve water quality, or increase carbon sequestration. Farmers can receive up to 100% of implementation costs, with at least 50% paid upfront, under contracts lasting up to 3 years. The bill prioritizes small and medium-sized dairy and livestock operations, beginning farmers, and socially disadvantaged farmers.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a voluntary federal payment program for farmers adopting specific manure management and composting practices. It is a subsidy expansion within an existing conservation program, not a regulatory mandate or market-based mechanism.
What the text implies
- The bill allows the Secretary to waive existing payment limitations (section 1001D and 1240G) for alternative manure management contracts if deemed necessary to fulfill project objectives—a discretionary authority that could expand total payments beyond statutory caps for participating farmers.
- Cluster applications enabling joint composting facilities create a new administrative pathway for producer groups to collectively contract and receive payments, potentially concentrating benefits among organized producer coalitions.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
dairy farmers; livestock farmers; small and medium-sized agricultural operations