What This Bill Does
This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to develop voluntary standards that help precision agriculture equipment work together better. Precision agriculture means using technology to manage farm inputs like seed, fertilizer and water more efficiently. The bill aims to make it easier for farmers to adopt these technologies and promote American leadership in setting agriculture technology standards.
Who It Affects
The Secretary of Agriculture, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Federal Communications Commission, private sector companies that make or provide agriculture technology, voluntary standards development organizations, agriculture producers, state and local governments, Congress (four specific committees).
Key Provisions
- The Secretary of Agriculture must develop voluntary, consensus-based standards and best practices for precision agriculture equipment that work together, working with trusted private sector partners and other agencies (Sec. 4(a)).
- The Secretary must consider cybersecurity threats, connectivity needs, artificial intelligence impacts and advanced wireless technology impacts when developing these standards (Sec. 4(b)).
- The Comptroller General of the United States must study whether the standards are voluntary, were developed with industry input, and have encouraged farmers to adopt precision agriculture (Sec. 5(a)).
- The Comptroller General must report findings to four Congressional committees (Sec. 5(b)).
What Changes
If this becomes law, the federal government will create new voluntary standards to help different precision agriculture technologies work together. Farmers would benefit from easier equipment integration. The government will monitor whether these standards actually increase technology adoption on farms.
Important Definitions
Precision agriculture: Managing farm production by tracking or reducing inputs like seed, fertilizer, chemicals and water at a detailed level to improve efficiency and reduce waste.
Precision agriculture equipment: Any equipment or technology that reduces inputs or improves efficiency in farming, including GPS systems, drones, soil sensors, data software, wireless networks and automated farm equipment.
Advanced wireless communications technology: Technology that helps create 5G networks, next-generation Wi-Fi or other future networks.
Trusted: When the Secretary determines a technology provider is not owned by, controlled by or influenced by a foreign adversary (a foreign government or group that threatens US national security).
Effective Date
Not specified in bill text
I
118TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION H. R. 1697
To enhance the participation of precision agriculture in the United States,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 22, 2023
Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina (for himself and Mr. MANN) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
A BILL
To enhance the participation of precision agriculture in the
United States, 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 ‘‘Promoting Precision
4
Agriculture Act of 2023’’.
5
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
6
In this Act:
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(1) ADVANCED
WIRELESS
COMMUNICATIONS
8
TECHNOLOGY.—The term ‘‘advanced wireless com-
9
munications technology’’ means advanced technology
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that contributes to mobile (5G or beyond) networks,
1
next-generation Wi-Fi networks, or other future net-
2
works using other technologies, regardless of wheth-
3
er the network is operating on an exclusive licensed,
4
shared licensed, or unlicensed frequency band.
5
(2) ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.—The term ‘‘ar-
6
tificial intelligence’’ has the meaning given the term
7
in section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National
8
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019
9
(Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061).
10
(3) FOREIGN ADVERSARY.—The term ‘‘foreign
11
adversary’’ means any foreign government or foreign
12
nongovernment person engaged in a long-term pat-
13
tern or serious instances of conduct significantly ad-
14
verse to the national security of the United States,
15
or security and safety of United States persons.
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(4) PRECISION AGRICULTURE.—The term ‘‘pre-
17
cision agriculture’’ means managing, tracking, or re-
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ducing crop or livestock production inputs, including
19
seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, time, and
20
such other inputs as the Secretary determines to be
21
appropriate, at a heightened level of spatial and tem-
22
poral granularity to improve efficiencies, reduce
23
waste, and maintain environmental quality.
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(5) PRECISION
AGRICULTURE
EQUIPMENT.—
1
The term ‘‘precision agriculture equipment’’ means
2
any equipment or technology that directly contrib-
3
utes to a reduction in, or improved efficiency of, in-
4
puts used in crop or livestock production, includ-
5
ing—
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(A) global positioning system-based or
7
geospatial mapping;
8
(B) satellite or aerial imagery;
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(C) yield monitors;
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(D) soil mapping;
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(E) sensors for gathering data on crop,
12
soil, and livestock conditions;
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(F) Internet of Things and technology that
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relies on edge and cloud computing;
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(G) data management software and ad-
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vanced analytics;
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(H) network connectivity products and so-
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lutions, including public and private wireless
19
networks;
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(I) global positioning system guidance,
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auto-steer systems, autonomous fleeting, and
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other machine-to-machine operations;
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(J) variable rate technology for applying
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inputs, such as section control; and
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(K) any other technology that leads to a
1
reduction in, or improves efficiency of, crop and
2
livestock production inputs, which may in-
3
clude—
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(i) seed;
5
(ii) feed;
6
(iii) fertilizer;
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(iv) chemicals;
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(v) water;
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(vi) time;
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(vii) fuel; and
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(viii) such other inputs as the Sec-
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retary determines to be appropriate.
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(6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means
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the Secretary of Agriculture.
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(7) TRUSTED.—The term ‘‘trusted’’ means,
16
with respect to a provider of advanced communica-
17
tions service or a supplier of communications equip-
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ment or service, that the Secretary has determined
19
that the provider or supplier is not owned by, con-
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trolled by, or subject to the influence of, a foreign
21
adversary.
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(8) VOLUNTARY
CONSENSUS
STANDARDS
DE-
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VELOPMENT ORGANIZATION.—The term ‘‘voluntary
24
consensus
standards
development
organization’’
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means an organization that develops standards in a
1
process that meets the principles for the develop-
2
ment of voluntary consensus standards (as defined
3
in the document of the Office of Management and
4
Budget entitled ‘‘Federal Participation in the Devel-
5
opment and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards
6
and in Conformity Assessment Activities’’ (OMB
7
Circular A–119)).
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SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
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The purposes of this Act are—
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(1) to enhance the participation of precision ag-
11
riculture in the United States; and
12
(2) to promote United States leadership in vol-
13
untary consensus standards development organiza-
14
tions that set standards for precision agriculture.
15
SEC. 4. INTERCONNECTIVITY STANDARDS FOR PRECISION
16
AGRICULTURE.
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(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the
18
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consulta-
19
tion with the Director of the National Institute of Stand-
20
ards and Technology and the Federal Communications
21
Commission, shall—
22
(1) develop voluntary, consensus-based, private
23
sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines,
24
and best practices for precision agriculture that will
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promote economies of scale and ease the burden of
1
the adoption of precision agriculture; and
2
(2) in carrying out paragraph (1)—
3
(A) coordinate with relevant public and
4
trusted private sector stakeholders and other
5
relevant industry organizations, including vol-
6
untary consensus standards development orga-
7
nizations; and
8
(B) consult with sector-specific agencies,
9
other appropriate agencies, and State and local
10
governments.
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(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Secretary, in carrying
12
out subsection (a), shall, in consultation with the Federal
13
Communications Commission and the Director of the Na-
14
tional Institute of Standards and Technology, consider—
15
(1) the evolving demands of precision agri-
16
culture;
17
(2) the connectivity needs of precision agri-
18
culture equipment;
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(3) the cybersecurity challenges facing precision
20
agriculture, including cybersecurity threats for agri-
21
culture producers and agriculture supply chains;
22
(4) the impact of advanced wireless communica-
23
tions technology on precision agriculture; and
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(5) the impact of artificial intelligence on preci-
1
sion agriculture.
2
SEC. 5. GAO ASSESSMENT OF PRECISION AGRICULTURE
3
STANDARDS.
4
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 1 year after the Sec-
5
retary develops standards under section 4, and every 2
6
years thereafter for the following 8 years, the Comptroller
7
General of the United States shall conduct a study that
8
assesses those standards, including the extent to which
9
those standards, as applicable—
10
(1) are voluntary;
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(2) were developed in coordination with relevant
12
industry organizations, including voluntary con-
13
sensus standards development organizations; and
14
(3) have successfully encouraged the adoption
15
of precision agriculture.
16
(b) REPORT.—The Comptroller General of the
17
United States shall submit to the Committee on Com-
18
merce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the
19
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
20
House of Representatives, the Committee on Agriculture
21
of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on
22
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a re-
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port that summarizes the findings of each study conducted
1
under subsection (a).
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