Legislation would make agriculture technology accessible to more Georgia farmers and improve their profit margins

Washington, D.C. — This week, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a member of the Senate Agriculture committee, and Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) reintroduced their bipartisan Promoting Precision Agriculture Act, legislation that would facilitate the further adoption of precision agriculture technologies for farmers and ranchers. The bill would encourage the government to work with the private sector to develop voluntary interconnectivity standards and prioritize the cybersecurity needed to support innovation in the agriculture industry. Precision agriculture technology helps farmers harvest the highest quality crop and cut down on wasted water, seed, and fertilizer. By making precision agriculture technology more accessible to Georgia farmers, the Senator’s legislative efforts are helping improve producers’ razor-thin profit margins.

“Technology is an integral part of farming in the 21st century to increase crop yield and reduce waste, which would increase savings and net income,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “It only makes sense that these technologies should work seamlessly together – just as you can easily text an Android from an iPhone. I’m glad to continue working with Leader Thune on this bipartisan legislation. We’re going to fight to get this done.”

“Farmers and ranchers are always looking for ways to improve their operations, especially in states like South Dakota where agriculture is the backbone of our economy,” said Majority Leader Thune. “Precision agriculture harnesses the power of technology to provide real-time data that helps producers become even more efficient and productive. I’m proud that South Dakota is leading the way with this next-generation technology, and I will continue to work to ensure that producers around our country have the resources they need to reap the benefits.”

The Promoting Precision Agriculture Act would:

• Direct the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in consultation with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), to support the development of voluntary, consensus-based, industry-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices for precision agriculture to encourage the adoption of precision agriculture technology.

• Support the evolving demands of precision agriculture by requiring the USDA, NIST, and FCC to consider the impacts next-generation technologies will have on precision agriculture.

• Prioritize the cybersecurity needs of precision agriculture. As advanced precision agriculture technologies become more readily available, the agriculture industry has increasingly become vulnerable to cybersecurity threats.

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