Supporting the designation of December 5 of each year as "National Soil Health Day".

IV 118TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 210 Supporting the designation of December 5 of each year as ‘‘National Soil Health Day’’. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MARCH 8, 2023 Mr. KRISHNAMOORTHI submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Oversight and Accountability RESOLUTION Supporting the designation of December 5 of each year as ‘‘National Soil Health Day’’. Whereas soil is an essential natural resource, and farmers and professionals in the United States play a critical role in managing United States soil and water resources; Whereas the Natural Resources Conservation Service of the Department of Agriculture defines soil health as the con- tinued capacity of soil to function as a vital living eco- system that sustains plants, animals, and humans; Whereas the concept of soil health across the United States landscape is not new, but is only recently recognized as needed to prevent soil degradation and combat climate change; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR210.IH HR210 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HRES 210 IH Whereas the degradation of soil can be rapid, while the for- mation and regeneration processes can be very slow; Whereas the protection of United States soil is essential to the long-term prosperity and sustainability of the soil and water resources of the Nation; Whereas the 6 basic principles of soil health necessary for that protection are to— (1) minimize soil disturbance and external inputs, including reduced tillage; (2) maximize plant and microbial diversity; (3) maintain the presence of living roots; (4) keep the soil covered, including with cover crops and crop residue, to armor the soil; (5) integrate animals into land management, includ- ing grazing animals, birds, beneficial insects, or keystone species, such as earthworms; and (6) incorporate the context of local conditions in de- cision making, including, for example, soil type, topog- raphy, and time of year; Whereas soil health principles and its associated practices of no-till, cover crops, nutrient management plans, and longer crop rotations enhance the ability of farmers to meet the nonpoint source pollution goals for nitrate-nitro- gen and phosphorus; Whereas it is essential to reduce the amount of nutrients flowing off of farm fields and into United States water- sheds, and with these reduced nutrient losses from agri- culture lands, farmers will be able to meet desired out- comes as outlined by the Mississippi River Basin Hypoxia Task Force for the Gulf of Mexico; VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR210.IH HR210 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HRES 210 IH Whereas soil health principles provide for the reduction of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere through the sequestra- tion of carbon within the upper reaches of the soil profile, and this carbon mitigation improves the organic matter content in the soil and provides a stable biome for soil organisms, improves nutrient transfer from soil to root, and increases water infiltration and water-holding capac- ity; Whereas despite soil’s importance to human health, the envi- ronment, nutrition and food, feed, fiber, and fuel produc- tion, there is little public awareness of the importance of soil protection; and Whereas the United States should be actively raising aware- ness of the importance of soil health and promoting its stewardship to safeguard this resource for future genera- tions of United States citizens: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) supports the designation of ‘‘National Soil 2 Health Day’’; and 3 (2) calls upon this celebration and its related 4 activities to improve the awareness of United States 5 farmers and agribusiness toward the importance of 6 the air and water quality environment for all of the 7 citizens of the United States. 8 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:29 Mar 09, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR210.IH HR210 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS