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Promoting Precision Agriculture Act of 2023
12/23/2023, 8:15 AM
Summary of Bill HR 1697
The bill seeks to establish a task force within the Department of Agriculture that will be responsible for coordinating federal efforts to promote precision agriculture. This task force will work with stakeholders in the agriculture industry to develop best practices and guidelines for the use of precision agriculture technologies.
Additionally, the bill includes provisions for the establishment of a grant program to provide funding for research and development of precision agriculture technologies. This program aims to support the adoption of these technologies by farmers and ranchers, ultimately leading to increased efficiency and sustainability in the agriculture sector. Overall, the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act of 2023 aims to support the adoption of cutting-edge technologies in the agriculture industry, with the goal of improving productivity, sustainability, and profitability for farmers and ranchers across the country.
Congressional Summary of HR 1697
Promoting Precision Agriculture Act of 2023
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop voluntary standards for precision agriculture (i.e., managing, tracking, or reducing crop or livestock production inputs, including seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granularity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain environmental quality).
USDA, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), must develop voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led interconnectivity standards and best practices for precision agriculture to promote economies of scale and ease the burden of adoption. USDA must (1) coordinate with relevant public and trusted private sector stakeholders and relevant industry organizations, and (2) consult with sector-specific agencies and state and local governments.
Further, in developing the standards, USDA must, in consultation with NIST and the FCC, consider
- the connectivity needs of precision agriculture equipment,
- cybersecurity challenges facing precision agriculture, and
- the impact of artificial intelligence on this area.
The Government Accountability Office must periodically assess and report on the standards.
