PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Mar 10, 2025
Promoting Precision Agriculture Act
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop voluntary standards for precision agriculture (i.e., managing, tracking, or reducing crop or livestock production inputs, including seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granularity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain environmental quality).
USDA, in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), must develop voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices for precision agriculture to promote economies of scale and ease the burden of adoption. USDA must (1) coordinate with relevant public and trusted private sector stakeholders and relevant industry organizations, and (2) consult with sector-specific agencies and state and local governments.
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Further, in developing the standards, USDA must, in consultation with NIST and the FCC, consider the
connectivity needs of precision agriculture equipment,
cybersecurity challenges facing precision agriculture, and
impact of artificial intelligence on this area.
The Government Accountability Office must periodically assess and report to Congress on the standards.
People & committees
Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] · D–NC
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1045)
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
Source last updated: May 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.1985 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.1985 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.1985 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.1985 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.
PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2025-03-10 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed Promoting Precision Agriculture Act would require the Agriculture Secretary to develop voluntary standards to help farming technologies connect and work together. It concerns equipment and software that help crop and livestock producers use resources more efficiently. The standards would be developed with industry and government input within two years of enactment. The Comptroller General would then periodically assess the standards, including whether they encouraged adoption of precision agriculture.
This Act may be cited as the Promoting Precision Agriculture Act.
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture.
The term precision agriculture equipment means any equipment or technology that directly contributes to a reduction in, or improved efficiency of, inputs used in crop or livestock production
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Communications Commission, shall— (1) develop voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices for precision agriculture
(A) coordinate with relevant public and trusted private sector stakeholders and other relevant industry organizations, including voluntary consensus standards development organizations;
Not later than 1 year after the Secretary develops standards under section 4, and every 2 years thereafter for the following 8 years, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study that assesses those standards
have successfully encouraged the adoption of precision agriculture.
The bill's stated goals are to expand participation in precision agriculture and promote U.S. leadership in organizations that develop voluntary standards for it. These are proposed goals, not demonstrated results.
The purposes of this Act are— (1) to enhance the participation of precision agriculture in the United States; and (2) to promote United States leadership in voluntary consensus standards development organizations that set standards for precision agriculture.
The bill defines precision agriculture as managing, tracking, or reducing farming resources at more detailed levels of location and time, with the aim of improving efficiency, reducing waste, and maintaining environmental quality. Those resources include seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time; the Agriculture Secretary could recognize others.
The term precision agriculture means managing, tracking, or reducing crop or livestock production inputs, including seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, time, and such other inputs as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granularity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain environmental quality.
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture.
Covered equipment would include mapping and imagery tools, yield monitors, sensors, data software, wireless networks, automated machinery, and technology that varies how resources are applied. Equipment or technology must directly contribute to reduced resource use or improved efficiency. The Secretary could recognize additional technologies meeting that condition.
The term precision agriculture equipment means any equipment or technology that directly contributes to a reduction in, or improved efficiency of, inputs used in crop or livestock production
(A) global positioning system-based or geospatial mapping; (B) satellite or aerial imagery; (C) yield monitors; (D) soil mapping; (E) sensors for gathering data on crop, soil, and livestock conditions; (F) Internet of Things and technology that relies on edge and cloud computing; (G) data management software and advanced analytics; (H) network connectivity products and solutions, including public and private wireless networks; (I) global positioning system guidance, auto-steer systems, autonomous fleeting, and other machine-to-machine operations; (J) variable rate technology for applying inputs, such as section control;
(K) any other technology, as determined by the Secretary, that directly contributes to a reduction in, or improved efficiency of, the use of crop or livestock production inputs
Within two years after enactment, the Agriculture Secretary would have to develop voluntary standards, guidelines, and best practices for connecting precision agriculture technologies, intended to promote economies of scale and ease adoption. The process would be based on consensus and led by the private sector, with the Secretary consulting the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Communications Commission. The text calls for voluntary standards rather than compulsory adoption by producers.
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Communications Commission, shall— (1) develop voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices for precision agriculture that will promote economies of scale and ease the burden of the adoption of precision agriculture
The Secretary would have to coordinate with relevant public stakeholders, trusted private sector stakeholders, and other relevant industry organizations, including voluntary consensus standards development organizations. The Secretary would also have to consult sector-specific and other appropriate agencies and state and local governments.
(A) coordinate with relevant public and trusted private sector stakeholders and other relevant industry organizations, including voluntary consensus standards development organizations; and (B) consult with sector-specific agencies, other appropriate agencies, and State and local governments.
For providers of advanced communications service and suppliers of communications equipment or service, “trusted” would mean that the Secretary has determined they are not owned by, controlled by, or subject to the influence of a foreign adversary. A foreign adversary is a foreign government or foreign nongovernment person engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to U.S. national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons. The definition does not name particular countries or companies.
The term trusted means, with respect to a provider of advanced communications service or a supplier of communications equipment or service, that the Secretary has determined that the provider or supplier is not owned by, controlled by, or subject to the influence of, a foreign adversary.
The term foreign adversary means any foreign government or foreign nongovernment person engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States, or security and safety of United States persons.
In developing the standards, the Secretary would have to consider evolving precision agriculture needs, equipment connectivity, cybersecurity threats to producers and supply chains, and the impacts of advanced wireless technology and artificial intelligence. The Secretary would consider these matters in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Advanced wireless technology includes technology contributing to 5G or later mobile networks, next-generation Wi-Fi, and other future networks, whether operating in exclusively licensed, shared licensed, or unlicensed frequency bands.
The Secretary, in carrying out subsection (a), shall, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, consider— (1) the evolving demands of precision agriculture; (2) the connectivity needs of precision agriculture equipment; (3) the cybersecurity challenges facing precision agriculture, including cybersecurity threats for agriculture producers and agriculture supply chains; (4) the impact of advanced wireless communications technology on precision agriculture; and (5) the impact of artificial intelligence on precision agriculture.
The term advanced wireless communications technology means advanced technology that contributes to mobile (5G or beyond) networks, next-generation Wi-Fi networks, or other future networks using other technologies, regardless of whether the network is operating on an exclusive licensed, shared licensed, or unlicensed frequency band.
The bill adopts the artificial-intelligence definition from section 238(g) of the fiscal year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act. It defines a voluntary consensus standards development organization by whether its standards process meets the principles referenced in OMB Circular A–119. Neither referenced source is reproduced in the supplied materials, so the detailed definition and principles cannot be determined from this source set.
The term artificial intelligence has the meaning given the term in section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061).
The term voluntary consensus standards development organization means an organization that develops standards in a process that meets the principles for the development of voluntary consensus standards (as defined in the document of the Office of Management and Budget entitled Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities (OMB Circular A–119)).
The Comptroller General would have to assess the standards within one year after their development and every two years thereafter for the following eight years. As applicable, the studies would examine whether the standards are voluntary, were developed in coordination with relevant industry organizations, and successfully encouraged adoption. The eight-year limit applies to the recurring study schedule.
Not later than 1 year after the Secretary develops standards under section 4, and every 2 years thereafter for the following 8 years, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study that assesses those standards, including the extent to which those standards, as applicable— (1) are voluntary; (2) were developed in coordination with relevant industry organizations, including voluntary consensus standards development organizations; and (3) have successfully encouraged the adoption of precision agriculture.
The Comptroller General would have to submit a report summarizing each study's findings to four congressional committees: Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation; House Science, Space, and Technology; House Agriculture; and Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
The Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that summarizes the findings of each study conducted under subsection (a).
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated May 14, 2025, records introduction and referral to the House Agriculture Committee on March 10, 2025, followed by referral to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development on March 28, 2025. It does not establish what happened after that snapshot.
Source snapshot updated 2025-05-14T14:32:20Z. 2025-03-28: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development. 2025-03-10: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture. 2025-03-10: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2025-03-10. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, preferential treatment, or exception warranting a finding was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion is limited to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: May 14, 2025. How PlainBill uses AI