Bill Summary
The "Precision Agriculture Loan Program Act of 2025" aims to enhance agricultural efficiency and sustainability by establishing a loan program specifically for precision agriculture. This program, an amendment to the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, will provide financial assistance to farmers and livestock producers for purchasing advanced precision agriculture equipment.
Key components of the legislation include:
1. **Definition of Precision Agriculture**: The Act defines precision agriculture as the management and optimization of agricultural inputs (like seeds, fertilizers, and water) with advanced technology to improve productivity and minimize waste.
2. **Loan Program Establishment**: The Secretary of Agriculture will create the loan program to support the purchase of technologies such as GPS mapping, soil sensors, and data management software that enhance farming efficiency.
3. **Eligibility Criteria**: Farmers must have a satisfactory credit history, demonstrate the ability to repay the loan, and specifically use the funds for acquiring precision agriculture equipment.
4. **Loan Details**: The loans can be up to $500,000 with a maximum term of 12 years, requiring borrowers to provide security, typically a lien on the purchased equipment.
5. **Reporting Requirements**: The Secretary is mandated to report annually on the program's impact, including the demographics of loan recipients and the environmental benefits achieved through the financed technologies.
6. **Funding Authorization**: The legislation authorizes appropriations necessary to implement the program.
Overall, this initiative seeks to promote modern agricultural practices that are environmentally friendly and economically viable for producers.
Possible Impacts
The "Precision Agriculture Loan Program Act of 2025" could affect people in several ways, including:
1. **Access to Advanced Technology for Farmers**: The legislation provides financial support in the form of loans specifically for purchasing precision agriculture equipment. This can enable small and medium-sized farmers, who might otherwise be unable to afford such technology, to access advanced tools that enhance crop and livestock production. Improved efficiency can lead to increased yields, better resource management, and potentially higher income for these producers.
2. **Environmental Benefits**: By encouraging the adoption of precision agriculture practices, the legislation may lead to reductions in the use of inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. This can result in improved environmental quality by minimizing runoff and reducing pollution of water sources. As farmers adopt these technologies, the overall sustainability of agricultural practices may improve, benefiting local communities and ecosystems.
3. **Data and Reporting Transparency**: The legislation requires the Secretary to prepare and submit annual reports detailing various aspects of the loan program, including demographic information about recipient producers and the environmental benefits achieved. This transparency can help inform policymakers and stakeholders about who is benefiting from the program and how effectively it is achieving its goals. Additionally, it could lead to better-targeted support for underrepresented groups in agriculture, fostering inclusivity in the sector.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3211 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3211
To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to establish a
precision agriculture loan program, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 6, 2025
Mr. Feenstra (for himself and Mr. Panetta) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to establish a
precision agriculture loan program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Precision Agriculture Loan Program
Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. PRECISION AGRICULTURE LOAN PROGRAM.
Subtitle F of title I of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of
2008 is amended by inserting after section 1614 (7 U.S.C. 8789) the
following:
``SEC. 1614A. PRECISION AGRICULTURE LOAN PROGRAM.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Precision agriculture.--The term `precision
agriculture' means 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.
``(2) Precision agriculture equipment.--The term `precision
agriculture equipment' means any equipment or technology that
directly contributes to a reduction in, or improved efficiency
of, inputs used in crop or livestock production, including--
``(A) Global Positioning System-based or geospatial
mapping;
``(B) satellite or aerial imagery;
``(C) yield monitors;
``(D) soil mapping;
``(E) sensors for gathering data on crop, soil, or
livestock conditions;
``(F) Internet of Things and telematics
technologies;
``(G) data management software and advanced
analytics;
``(H) network connectivity products and solutions;
``(I) Global Positioning System guidance or auto-
steer systems;
``(J) variable rate technology for applying inputs,
such as section control; and
``(K) any other technology, as determined by the
Secretary, that leads to a reduction in, or improves
efficiency of, crop and livestock production inputs,
which may include seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals,
water, and time.
``(b) Program.--As soon as practicable after the date of enactment
of this section, the Secretary shall establish a precision agriculture
loan program to encourage the adoption of precision agriculture by
providing funds to producers engaged in livestock or crop production
for the purchase of precision agriculture equipment.
``(c) Administration.--The precision agriculture loan program under
this section shall be administered by the Secretary, acting through the
Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs of the Farm Service Agency.
``(d) Eligible Producers.--A precision agriculture loan under this
section shall be made available to any producer described in subsection
(b) that, as determined by the Secretary--
``(1) has a satisfactory credit history;
``(2) will use the loan funds to purchase precision
agriculture equipment; and
``(3) demonstrates an ability to repay the loan.
``(e) Term of Loans.--A precision agriculture loan under this
section shall have a maximum term of 12 years.
``(f) Loan Amount.--The maximum aggregate loan amount of a
precision agriculture loan under this section shall be $500,000.
``(g) Loan Security.--Approval of a precision agriculture loan
under this section shall require the borrower to provide loan security
to the Secretary, in the form of--
``(1) a lien on the precision agriculture equipment being
purchased; or
``(2) such other security as is acceptable to the
Secretary.
``(h) Reporting.--
``(1) Definition of recipient producer.--In this
subsection, the term `recipient producer' means an eligible
producer described in subsection (d) that received a precision
agriculture loan under this section during the fiscal year
covered by the applicable report prepared under paragraph (2).
``(2) Preparation of report.--For each fiscal year, the
Secretary shall prepare a report that includes--
``(A) aggregate data based on a review of each
outstanding loan made by the Secretary under this
section; and
``(B) a description of--
``(i) for the United States and for each
State and county (or equivalent jurisdiction)
in the United States--
``(I) the age of each recipient
producer;
``(II) the duration during which
each recipient producer has engaged in
agricultural production;
``(III) the size of the farm or
ranch of each recipient producer;
``(IV) the total amount provided as
loans under this section for each
category of equipment or technology
described in subparagraphs (A) through
(K) of subsection (a)(2) during the
fiscal year covered by the report; and
``(V) the estimated input reduced
or environmental benefits received per
category of equipment or technology
described in those subparagraphs with
respect to which a loan was provided
under this section during the fiscal
year covered by the report or any prior
fiscal year, including the estimated
input reduced or environmental benefits
received per category--
``(aa) during the fiscal
year covered by the report with
respect to--
``(AA) loans
provided under this
section during that
fiscal year; and
``(BB) loans
provided under this
section during that
fiscal year or any
prior fiscal year; and
``(bb) in the aggregate
with respect to all loans
provided under this section
during or prior to the fiscal
year covered by the report;
``(VI) the race, ethnicity, and
gender of each recipient producer;
``(VII) the 1 or more agricultural
commodities or types of enterprise for
which each loan provided under this
section during the fiscal year was
provided;
``(VIII) the amount of each loan
provided under this section during the
fiscal year; and
``(IX) the default rate of the
loans made under this section during--
``(aa) the fiscal year
covered by the report;
``(bb) each preceding
fiscal year; and
``(cc) in the aggregate
with respect to all loans
provided under this section
during or prior to the fiscal
year covered by the report; and
``(ii) for each State and county (or
equivalent jurisdiction) in the United States,
the number of outstanding loans made under this
section, according to the loan size cohort.
``(3) Submission of report.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, submit
the report described in paragraph (2) to--
``(i) the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate;
``(ii) the Committee on Appropriations of
the Senate;
``(iii) the Committee on Agriculture of the
House of Representatives; and
``(iv) the Committee on Appropriations of
the House of Representatives; and
``(B) not later than 90 days after the date on
which the report is submitted under subparagraph (A),
make the report publicly available.
``(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out
this section.''.
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