March 11, 2026
Mr. Ossoff (for himself, Mrs. Moody, Mr. Warnock, and Mr. Scott of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to establish research and extension grant priorities, 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 Land Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2026
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Sec. 2. Research and extension priorities
Section 1672(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(21) Advanced mechanized harvester technologies research and extension
(A) In general
Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of developing and evaluating technologies to mechanize agricultural processes.
(B) Emphasis
In awarding grants under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may place emphasis on mechanizing the process for harvesting specialty crops.
(22) Agricultural application of artificial intelligence research and extension
(A) In general
Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of developing and evaluating agricultural uses of artificial intelligence.
(B) Emphasis
In awarding grants under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may place emphasis on uses of artificial intelligence that improve specialty crop production.
(23) Invasive species research and extension
Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of supporting research projects at land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to develop and apply methods to manage and eradicate invasive species of plants and animals, including through methods of biocontrol.
(24) Aquaculture research and extension
Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of supporting research projects at land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to develop and apply aquaculture methods, including through the propagation and rearing of economically and ecologically valuable aquatic and marine species.