Bill Summary
The "Precision Agriculture Loan Act of 2025" seeks to amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to enhance support for precision agriculture practices and technologies. This legislation will make these practices eligible for funding under the existing conservation loan and loan guarantee program. Key provisions include:
1. **Title Change**: The program will now explicitly include "precision agriculture" alongside conservation in its title.
2. **Eligibility for Funding**: It allows producers to use loans for adopting precision agriculture practices and acquiring related technologies, facilitating participation in environmental programs.
3. **Administrative Improvements**: The Secretary of Agriculture is tasked with improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the program's administration, including potentially delegating authority to streamline processes.
4. **Extended Funding Period**: The expiration date for the program's funding is extended from 2023 to 2029.
Overall, this legislation aims to promote sustainable farming practices through the adoption of advanced agricultural technologies.
Possible Impacts
The "Precision Agriculture Loan Act of 2025" could impact people in several ways, including:
1. **Enhanced Financial Access for Farmers**: By making precision agriculture practices and technologies eligible for conservation loans and loan guarantees, farmers and producers may find it easier to access funding. This financial support could enable them to invest in advanced farming technologies such as GPS-guided equipment, data analytics tools, and soil sensors, leading to improved crop yields and economic viability.
2. **Environmental Benefits and Sustainability**: The legislation promotes the adoption of precision agriculture, which often involves techniques that increase efficiency and reduce waste. This could result in lower usage of water, fertilizers, and pesticides, leading to reduced environmental impact. Farmers who adopt these practices may also contribute to better soil health and biodiversity, which benefits the broader community and ecosystem.
3. **Increased Competitiveness in Agriculture**: The availability of loans for precision agriculture technologies could help smaller or less technologically advanced farms to modernize their operations. As a result, these farms may become more competitive in the market, potentially leading to a more diverse agricultural sector and preserving local farming operations in the face of larger agribusinesses. This could help maintain rural employment and sustain local economies.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1618 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1618
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make
precision agriculture practices and technologies eligible under the
conservation loan and loan guarantee program.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 6, 2025
Mrs. Fischer (for herself and Mr. Warnock) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make
precision agriculture practices and technologies eligible under the
conservation loan and loan guarantee program.
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 Act of
2025''.
SEC. 2. PRECISION AGRICULTURE AND CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN GUARANTEE
PROGRAM.
Section 304 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7
U.S.C. 1924) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``conservation''
and inserting ``precision agriculture and conservation'';
(2) in subsection (b)(3)--
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (F) and (G) as
subparagraphs (H) and (I), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (E) the
following:
``(F) the adoption of precision agriculture
practices;
``(G) the acquisition of precision agriculture
technologies;'';
(3) in subsection (d)--
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``1985.'' and
inserting ``1985 (16 U.S.C. 3812); and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(4) producers who use the loans to adopt precision
agriculture practices or acquire precision agriculture
technologies, including adoption or acquisition for the purpose
of participating in the environmental quality incentives
program under subchapter A of chapter 4 of subtitle D of title
XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa et
seq.).'';
(4) in subsection (f)--
(A) by striking ``The Secretary'' and inserting the
following:
``(1) Geographic diversity.--The Secretary''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(2) Efficiency and effectiveness for precision
agriculture.--The Secretary shall consider and implement
processes and techniques to improve the efficiency and
effectiveness of the administration of this section with
respect to the purposes of adopting precision agriculture
practices and acquiring precision agriculture technologies,
including--
``(A) delegating the authority to administer this
section to the Deputy Administrator for Farm Programs
of the Farm Service Agency; and
``(B) streamlining any necessary approvals with the
Natural Resources Conservation Service.''; and
(5) in subsection (h), by striking ``2023'' and inserting
``2029''.
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