What This Bill Does
This bill creates financial incentives to help farmers and ranchers adopt precision agriculture practices and technology. It modifies existing loan programs and conservation programs to include precision agriculture as an eligible use for funds and to allow higher payment rates for farmers who use these practices.
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Who It Affects
- Farmers and ranchers applying for federal loans or conservation payments
- Farm Service Agency (the federal agency that makes agricultural loans)
- Natural Resources Conservation Service (a federal conservation agency)
- Rural entities seeking development assistance
- Producers participating in environmental conservation programs
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Key Provisions
- Precision agriculture practices and technology are added as eligible purposes for conservation loans and loan guarantees, with the government covering up to 90 percent of the loan cost for precision agriculture technology purchases (Sec. 2)
- The bill requires the Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service to coordinate when making or guaranteeing loans (Sec. 2)
- Farmers receiving payments through an environmental program can also receive loans to cover costs for the same practices on the same land, and must be notified in writing of this option (Sec. 5)
- The Secretary can increase payments for precision agriculture adoption to as much as 90 percent of the costs associated with adopting these practices and acquiring the technology (Sec. 5)
- Precision agriculture is added as an eligible activity for supplemental payments under conservation programs (Sec. 6)
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What Changes
If this bill becomes law, the bill text shows that precision agriculture becomes a new approved use for federal farm loans and conservation payments. Farmers can now borrow money or receive payments specifically to adopt precision agriculture practices or buy precision agriculture technology. The government will cover a higher percentage of these costs compared to other farm expenses. Two federal agencies must now work together when approving these loans.
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Important Definitions
The bill defines two key terms from section 1201 of the Food Security Act of 1985:
**Precision agriculture** means managing, tracking or reducing what farmers use to grow crops or raise livestock (including seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water and time) at a highly detailed level to improve efficiency, reduce waste and protect the environment.
**Precision agriculture technology** means any equipment or technology that directly reduces or improves how efficiently farmers use production inputs. Examples include GPS mapping technology, satellite or aerial images, soil sensors, yield monitors, internet-connected farm equipment, data software, GPS guidance systems for equipment, and variable rate technology that adjusts how much fertilizer or seed the equipment applies in different field areas.
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Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1459
To leverage incentives for the adoption of precision agriculture technology,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 8, 2023
Mrs. HINSON (for herself, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. FINSTAD, and Ms. CRAIG) intro-
duced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agri-
culture
A BILL
To leverage incentives for the adoption of precision
agriculture technology, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
1
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
3
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Producing Responsible
4
Energy and Conservation Incentives and Solutions for the
5
Environment Act’’ or the ‘‘PRECISE Act’’.
6
SEC. 2. CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN GUARANTEE PRO-
7
GRAM.
8
Section 304 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
9
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1924) is amended—
10
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•HR 1459 IH
(1) in subsection (b)—
1
(A) in paragraph (3), by redesignating
2
subparagraphs (F) and (G) as subparagraphs
3
(G) and (H), respectively, and inserting after
4
subparagraph (E) the following:
5
‘‘(F) the adoption of precision agriculture
6
practices, and the acquisition of precision agri-
7
culture technology;’’; and
8
(B) by adding at the end the following:
9
‘‘(4) PRECISION AGRICULTURE; PRECISION AG-
10
RICULTURE TECHNOLOGY.—The terms ‘precision ag-
11
riculture’ and ‘precision agriculture technology’ have
12
the meanings given those terms in section 1201 of
13
the Food Security Act of 1985.’’;
14
(2) in subsection (d)—
15
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘and’’;
16
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking the pe-
17
riod and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
18
(C) by adding at the end the following:
19
‘‘(4) producers who use the loans to adopt pre-
20
cision agriculture practices or acquire precision agri-
21
culture technology, including adoption or acquisition
22
for the purpose of participating in the environmental
23
quality incentives program under subchapter A of
24
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•HR 1459 IH
chapter 4 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Se-
1
curity Act of 1985.’’;
2
(3) in subsection (e), by striking paragraph (2)
3
and inserting the following:
4
‘‘(2) 90 percent of the principal amount of the
5
loan in the case of—
6
‘‘(A) a producer that is a qualified socially
7
disadvantaged farmer or rancher or a beginning
8
farmer or rancher; or
9
‘‘(B) loans that are used for the purchase
10
of precision agriculture technology.’’; and
11
(4) in subsection (f)—
12
(A) by striking ‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE PRO-
13
VISIONS.—The Secretary’’ and inserting the fol-
14
lowing:
15
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.—
16
‘‘(1)
GEOGRAPHIC
DIVERSITY.—The
Sec-
17
retary’’; and
18
(B) by adding after and below the end the
19
following:
20
‘‘(2) COORDINATION WITH NRCS.—In making
21
or guaranteeing loans under this section, the Sec-
22
retary shall ensure that there is coordination be-
23
tween the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Re-
24
sources Conservation Service.’’.
25
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•HR 1459 IH
SEC. 3. ASSISTANCE TO RURAL ENTITIES.
1
Section 310B(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
2
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(a)) is amended—
3
(1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the
4
following:
5
‘‘(C) PRECISION AGRICULTURE; PRECISION
6
AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY.—The terms ‘pre-
7
cision agriculture’ and ‘precision agriculture
8
technology’ have the meanings given those
9
terms in section 1201 of the Food Security Act
10
of 1985.’’; and
11
(2) in paragraph (2)—
12
(A) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of sub-
13
paragraph (C);
14
(B) by striking the period at the end of
15
subparagraph (D) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
16
(C) by adding at the end the following:
17
‘‘(E) expanding the adoption of precision
18
agriculture practices, including by financing the
19
acquisition of precision agriculture technology,
20
in order to promote best practices, reduce costs,
21
and improve the environment.’’.
22
SEC. 4. FOOD SECURITY ACT OF 1985 DEFINITIONS.
23
Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985
24
(16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended—
25
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•HR 1459 IH
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (20) through
1
(27) as paragraphs (22) through (29), respectively;
2
and
3
(2) by inserting after paragraph (19) the fol-
4
lowing:
5
‘‘(20) PRECISION
AGRICULTURE.—The term
6
‘precision agriculture’ means managing, tracking, or
7
reducing crop or livestock production inputs, includ-
8
ing seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time,
9
at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granu-
10
larity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and
11
maintain environmental quality.
12
‘‘(21)
PRECISION
AGRICULTURE
TECH-
13
NOLOGY.—The term ‘precision agriculture tech-
14
nology’ means any technology (including equipment
15
that is necessary for the deployment of such tech-
16
nology) that directly contributes to a reduction in, or
17
improved efficiency of, inputs used in crop or live-
18
stock production, including—
19
‘‘(A) Global Positioning System-based or
20
geospatial mapping technology;
21
‘‘(B) satellite or aerial imagery technology;
22
‘‘(C) yield monitors;
23
‘‘(D) soil mapping technology;
24
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•HR 1459 IH
‘‘(E) sensors for gathering data on crop,
1
soil, or livestock conditions;
2
‘‘(F) Internet of Things and telematics
3
technologies;
4
‘‘(G) data management software and ad-
5
vanced analytics;
6
‘‘(H) network connectivity products and
7
solutions;
8
‘‘(I) Global Positioning System guidance or
9
auto-steer systems;
10
‘‘(J) variable rate technology for applying
11
inputs, such as section control; and
12
‘‘(K) any other technology, as determined
13
by the Secretary, that directly contributes to a
14
reduction in, or improved efficiency of, crop or
15
livestock production inputs, which may include
16
seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and
17
time.’’.
18
SEC. 5. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM.
19
(a) DEFINITIONS.—Section 1240A(6)(B)(v) of the
20
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–
21
1(6)(B)(v)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(including the adop-
22
tion of precision agriculture practices and the acquisition
23
of precision agriculture technology)’’ after ‘‘planning’’.
24
(b) PAYMENTS.—
25
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•HR 1459 IH
(1) OTHER
PAYMENTS.—Section 1240B(d)(6)
1
of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
2
3839aa–2(d)(6)) is amended—
3
(A) by striking ‘‘A producer shall’’ and in-
4
serting the following:
5
‘‘(A) PAYMENTS UNDER THIS SUBTITLE.—
6
A producer shall’’; and
7
(B) by adding at the end the following:
8
‘‘(B) CONSERVATION
LOAN
AND
LOAN
9
GUARANTEE PROGRAM PAYMENTS.—
10
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A producer receiv-
11
ing payments for practices on eligible land
12
under the program may also receive a loan
13
or loan guarantee under section 304 of the
14
Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop-
15
ment Act to cover costs for the same prac-
16
tices on the same land.
17
‘‘(ii) NOTICE
TO
PRODUCER.—The
18
Secretary shall inform a producer partici-
19
pating in the program in writing of the
20
availability of a loan or loan guarantee
21
under section 304 of the Consolidated
22
Farm and Rural Development Act as it re-
23
lates to costs of implementing practices
24
under this program.’’.
25
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•HR 1459 IH
(2) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR HIGH-PRIORITY
1
PRACTICES.—Section 1240B(d)(7) of the Food Se-
2
curity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)(7)) is
3
amended, in the paragraph heading, by inserting
4
‘‘STATE-DETERMINED’’ before ‘‘HIGH-PRIORITY’’.
5
(3) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR PRECISION AG-
6
RICULTURE.—Section 1240B(d) of the Food Secu-
7
rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(d)) is amend-
8
ed by adding at the end the following:
9
‘‘(8) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR PRECISION AG-
10
RICULTURE.—Notwithstanding paragraph (2), the
11
Secretary may increase the amount that would oth-
12
erwise be provided for a practice under this sub-
13
section to not more than 90 percent of the costs as-
14
sociated with adopting precision agriculture practices
15
and acquiring precision agriculture technology.’’.
16
(c) CONSERVATION INCENTIVE CONTRACTS.—Sec-
17
tion 1240B(j)(2)(A)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985
18
(16 U.S.C. 3839aa–2(j)(3)(A)(i)) is amended by inserting
19
‘‘(which may include the adoption of precision agriculture
20
practices and the acquisition of precision agriculture tech-
21
nology)’’ after ‘‘incentive practices’’.
22
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•HR 1459 IH
SEC. 6. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM.
1
(a) CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PAYMENTS.—Sec-
2
tion 1240L(c)(3) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
3
U.S.C. 3839aa–24(c)(3)) is amended to read as follows:
4
‘‘(3) EXCLUSION.—A payment to a producer
5
under this subsection shall not be provided for con-
6
servation activities for which there is no cost in-
7
curred or income forgone by the producer.’’.
8
(b) SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS
FOR RESOURCE-
9
CONSERVING CROP ROTATIONS AND ADVANCED GRAZING
10
MANAGEMENT.—Section 1240L(d) of the Food Security
11
Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(d)) is amended—
12
(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ‘‘AND
13
ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT’’ and inserting
14
‘‘, ADVANCED GRAZING MANAGEMENT, AND PRECI-
15
SION AGRICULTURE’’;
16
(2) in paragraph (2)—
17
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘;
18
or’’ and inserting a semicolon;
19
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the
20
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and
21
(C) by adding at the end the following:
22
‘‘(C) precision agriculture.’’; and
23
(3) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘or advanced
24
grazing management’’ and inserting ‘‘, advanced
25
grazing management, or precision agriculture’’.
26
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•HR 1459 IH
SEC. 7. DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.
1
Section 1242(f) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
2
U.S.C. 3842(f)) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
3
lowing:
4
‘‘(6) SOIL HEALTH PLANNING.—The Secretary
5
shall emphasize the use of third-party providers in
6
providing technical assistance for soil health plan-
7
ning, including planning related to the use of cover
8
crops, precision conservation management, com-
9
prehensive nutrient management planning, and other
10
innovative plans.’’.
11
Æ
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