Official text as published. Use Ctrl+F / Cmd+F to search within the document.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4627 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4627
To increase access to artificial intelligence through programs of the
Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 21, 2026
Mr. Budd (for himself, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Banks, Ms. Cortez Masto, Mr.
Rounds, and Ms. Blunt Rochester) introduced the following bill; which
was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To increase access to artificial intelligence through programs of the
Department of Agriculture, 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 ``Fostering Agricultural Research and
Modernization through Artificial Intelligence Act of 2026'' or the
``FARM AI Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) artificial intelligence has the potential--
(A) to improve farm productivity and security;
(B) to enhance decision-making in crop and animal
systems management;
(C) to develop precision technologies for the
agriculture industry;
(D) to reduce resource use;
(E) to expand economic opportunities for small,
medium, and family-run farms; and
(F) to allow United States farmers to outcompete
international competitors;
(2) rural communities, agribusinesses, farmers, and the
food supply chain benefit from technical assistance, education,
and outreach to adopt artificial intelligence technologies; and
(3) Federal guidance and coordination are needed to
accelerate the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence
in agriculture.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, to
support technology development, adoption, and workforce training, the
Secretary of Agriculture should increase access to artificial
intelligence through--
(1) the programs and outreach efforts of the Department of
Agriculture; and
(2) collaboration with the National Institute of Standards
and Technology.
SEC. 3. INCLUSION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AS PRIORITY AREA IN
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION
PROGRAMS.
(a) AFRI.--Subsection (b)(2) of the Competitive, Special, and
Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U.S.C. 3157(b)(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (E)--
(A) in clause (iv), by striking ``and'' at the end;
(B) in clause (v), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(vi) research, development, and
implementation of artificial intelligence to
enhance precision agriculture, farm management,
crop production, resource management,
cybersecurity, and weather monitoring.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(G) Workforce development and technical
training.--Workforce development and technical
training, including--
``(i) implementation of computing systems
and artificial intelligence;
``(ii) precision agriculture adoption and
usage; and
``(iii) machine maintenance.''.
(b) AgARDA.--Section 1473H(b) of the National Agricultural
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C.
3319k(b)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (2)--
(A) in subparagraph (B)--
(i) by inserting ``and deployment'' after
``development''; and
(ii) by inserting ``artificial intelligence
systems,'' after ``research tools,''; and
(B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting ``artificial
intelligence systems,'' after ``research tools,''; and
(2) in paragraph (5)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or'' at the
end;
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period at
the end and inserting ``; or''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) develop artificial intelligence solutions for
farmers or ranchers.''.
(c) Cooperative Extension.--Section 2 of the Act of May 18, 1914
(38 Stat. 373, chapter 79; 7 U.S.C. 342), is amended by inserting
``including artificial intelligence systems and data-driven
agricultural management tools, and providing outreach and education to
producers and rural communities on the adoption and use of such
technologies,'' after ``practices or technologies in agriculture,''.
(d) Grants and Fellowships for Food and Agricultural Sciences
Education.--Section 1417 of the National Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3152) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(7) to design and implement workforce development and
technical training programs for rural communities to teach--
``(A) the implementation of computing systems and
artificial intelligence;
``(B) precision agriculture adoption and usage; and
``(C) machine maintenance.''; and
(2) in subsection (c)--
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and'' at the
end;
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) applications for teaching enhancement projects that
focus on workforce development and technical assistance
education programs to develop and implement artificial
intelligence systems and precision agriculture technologies.''.
SEC. 4. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AGRICULTURE ADVISOR.
(a) In General.--Subtitle C of the Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6941 et seq.) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``SEC. 237. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AGRICULTURE ADVISOR.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Advisor.--The term `Advisor' means the Artificial
Intelligence Agriculture Advisor described in subsection (b).
``(2) State.--The term `State' means--
``(A) each of the several States of the United
States;
``(B) the District of Columbia; and
``(C) any territory of the United States.
``(b) Advisor.--The Secretary shall designate a senior official
from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to serve as the
Artificial Intelligence Agriculture Advisor.
``(c) Duties.--The Advisor shall--
``(1) encourage and promote, in each State, the adoption
and use of artificial intelligence and digital agriculture
technologies, including--
``(A) technical assistance and outreach;
``(B) workforce training and education;
``(C) adoption of precision agriculture tools;
``(D) data-driven farm management practices;
``(E) animal system management practices;
``(F) support for small farm enterprises in using
artificial intelligence; and
``(G) any other activity relating to artificial
intelligence in agriculture, as determined by the
Secretary; and
``(2) in collaboration with the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, develop and implement national
artificial intelligence standards for the agriculture sector.
``(d) Means of Achieving.--In carrying out subsection (c), the
Advisor shall--
``(1) coordinate with the agencies and officials of the
Department;
``(2) advise the Secretary on issues relating to artificial
intelligence in agriculture;
``(3) ensure that the programs of the Department are
updated to address best practices in artificial intelligence
adoption;
``(4) conduct outreach to stakeholders and coordinate
external partnerships to share best practices and offer
technical assistance to agricultural producers;
``(5) facilitate interagency program coordination and
develop tools for promoting artificial intelligence adoption;
``(6) coordinate networks of agricultural producers using
artificial intelligence; and
``(7) collaborate with the National Institute of Standards
and Technology and other Federal agencies, as needed.''.
(b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 296(b) of the Department of
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(11) The authority of the Secretary to carry out section
237.''.
<all>