FARM AI Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9686 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9686

 To increase access to artificial intelligence through programs of the
           Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 14, 2026

    Mr. Nunn of Iowa (for himself and Mr. Davis of North Carolina)
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
                              Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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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