Sen Fischer Reintroduces Precision Ag Package

Sen Deb Fischer (R-NE), a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, reintroduced her Precision Ag Package—three pieces of legislation that will help America’s producers harness the full potential of precision agriculture. 

• The Producing Responsible Energy and Conservation Incentives and Solutions for the Environment Act would provide a suite of financial tools to help farmers and ranchers increase their adoption of precision agriculture technologies through existing U.S. Department of Agriculture conservation programs. Sen Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) co-led the introduction of the legislation.
• The Linking Access to Spur Technology for Agriculture Connectivity in Rural Environments Act would create a new Last Acre Program at the USDA Office of Rural Development aiming to expand network connectivity across farmland and ranchland. Existing Rural Development programs support “last mile” broadband deployment, which connects broadband networks to single-point rural locations, like households or businesses. However, USDA lacks a program focused on extending connectivity across rural acreage, reaching the “last acre.” This last acre connectivity is fundamental for farmers and ranchers looking to use precision agriculture technologies in their operations. Sen Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) co-led the introduction of the legislation.
• The Precision Agriculture Loan Act would create a program within USDA to provide loan financing to farmers and ranchers interested in purchasing precision agriculture equipment. Sen Raphael Warnock (D-GA) co-led the introduction of the legislation.