S. 4627

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4627 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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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.''.
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