Bill > S1616

This bill amends multiple agricultural and conservation laws to promote precision agriculture, which is defined as managing crop and livestock production inputs (like seeds, fertilizers, and water) with advanced spatial and temporal tracking to improve efficiency and reduce environmental impact. The bill introduces detailed definitions for "precision agriculture" and "precision agriculture technology," which include technologies like GPS mapping, satellite imagery, yield monitors, sensors, data management software, and auto-steer systems. It expands rural development assistance to specifically include financing precision agriculture technology, and modifies several existing agricultural programs to incentivize adoption of these technologies. Key changes include allowing producers to receive additional payments (up to 90% of costs) for adopting precision agriculture practices, permitting producers to simultaneously receive conservation payments and loans for implementing these practices, and emphasizing the use of third-party providers in offering technical assistance for soil health planning and precision agriculture techniques. The overall goal is to help farmers reduce waste, improve environmental quality, and increase operational efficiency through advanced technological approaches.

Agriculture and Natural Resources

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1616/all-info