Healthy Soils Healthy Climate Act of 2023

This bill creates new federal incentives for farmers to adopt soil health practices that increase soil organic carbon, directly affecting agricultural producers. It authorizes $100 million annually for payments to farmers who use practices like cover cropping and crop rotation, with priority given to small, rural, and socially disadvantaged farmers. The bill requires USDA to establish standardized protocols for measuring soil carbon levels before and after practice adoption, and mandates biennial studies and reports to Congress on soil health outcomes and data collection challenges. These provisions aim to improve soil health while building data for carbon markets, without setting new emission targets or regulations.