Precision Agriculture Loan Act of 2025
Precision Agriculture Loan Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Precision Agriculture Loan Act of 2025 - Summary **What It Does:** This bill would expand an existing federal loan program to help farmers and ranchers adopt precision agriculture technologies and practices. Precision agriculture uses tools like GPS systems, sensors, and data analytics to optimize farming efficiency, reduce waste, and improve sustainability. The bill would add these technologies to the list of eligible expenses farmers can use government-backed loans to finance, and it would extend the Conservation Loan Program through 2029. **Who It Affects:** The bill primarily affects farmers and ranchers seeking to modernize their operations, as well as agricultural lenders who participate in the loan guarantee program.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency (FSA) would also be impacted, as it administers the program. **Current Status:** The bill was introduced by Senator Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska) and is currently in committee review. It has not yet been voted on or passed by either chamber of Congress.
CRS Official Summary
Precision Agriculture Loan Act of 2025This bill incorporates support for precision agriculture practices and technologies into the Conservation Loan Program and reauthorizes the program through FY2029.Under current law, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) may make or guarantee qualified conservation loans to farmers and ranchers for the implementation of conservation practices approved by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Currently, the program guarantees conservation loans from approved FSA lenders.Specifically, the bill adds the adoption of precision agriculture practices and technologies to the program’s priority list and the list of conservation activities that may be addressed with loan funds. This allows the Conservation Loan Program to make or guarantee qualified conservation loans to farmers and ranchers for the adoption of these practices and technologies.Further, the FSA must improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the program’s administrative procedures related to the adoption of these practices and the acquisition of these technologies. This includes streamlining any necessary approvals with the NRCS.Precision agriculture is a general term describing various crop and livestock management tools and practices that leverage technology (e.g., GPS) to optimize production and sustainability. Precision agriculture technology includes any technology and equipment that directly contributes to a reduction in, or improved efficiency of, inputs used in crop or livestock production (e.g., seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, and water).
Latest Action
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.