June 2, 2026
Mr. Schiff introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to reauthorize the specialty crop research initiative and establish a specialty crop mechanization and automation research and development program, 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 Advancing Automation Research and Development in Agriculture Act
.
Sec. 2. Specialty crop research initiative
(a) In general
Section 412 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7632) is amended—
(1)
in subsection (f)(3), by striking subsection (d) and (j),
and inserting subsections (d), (j), and (k),
;
(2)
in subsection (g)—
(A)
in paragraph (3), by adding at the end the following:
(C) Waiver
The Secretary may waive the matching funds requirement under subparagraph (A).; and
(B)
in paragraph (4), by striking the Initiative
and inserting this section
;
(3)
by redesignating subsections (j) and (k) as subsections (k) and (l), respectively;
(4)
by inserting after subsection (i) the following:
(j) Specialty crop mechanization and automation research and development program
(1) Establishment and purpose
The Secretary shall establish a competitive research and extension grant program to increase the competitiveness of specialty crops in the United States through the advancement and acceleration of mechanization and automation, under which the Secretary awards competitive grants to eligible entities—
(A)
to create or improve cost-effective mechanization, automation, and other innovations and technologies—
(i)
to reduce the manual labor requirements of a specialty crop grower;
(ii)
to improve specialty crop farmworker safety and health or working conditions; and
(iii)
to increase the efficiency of specialty crop—
(I)
production;
(II)
resource management;
(III)
harvesting;
(IV)
processing;
(V)
postharvest technologies; or
(VI)
packaging;
(B)
to increase the adoption of specialty crop mechanization, automation, and other innovations and technologies by—
(i)
emphasizing adoption drivers, which may include connectivity, autonomy, reliability, durability, in-field validation, and cost-effectiveness; or
(ii)
investing in and developing human capital to increase the capacity of the specialty crop sector to work with new technologies; or
(C)
to accelerate specialty crop mechanization and automation through—
(i)
prototype development;
(ii)
in-field trial testing;
(iii)
ongoing industry engagement; or
(iv)
rapid commercialization.
(2) Priority
In awarding grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to proposals for projects that—
(A)
address the training or retraining of farmworkers (including to maintain adequate worker safety) to operate, repair, program, or otherwise maintain mechanization and automation solutions involved in the project; and
(B)
include explicit mechanisms to communicate the results of the project to producers and the public.
(3) Applicability
Subsections (a), (c) through (g), (i), and (l) shall apply to the program established under this subsection.;
(5)
in subsection (k) (as so redesignated), in paragraph (5), by striking In addition to the amounts reserved under subsection (k)(1)(C), there
and inserting There
; and
(6)
in subsection (l) (as so redesignated)—
(A)
in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D) and inserting the following:
(C) Reservation
For each of fiscal years 2026 through 2031, the Secretary shall reserve not less than $30,000,000 of the funds made available under subparagraph (B) to carry out the program established under subsection (j).
(D) Reallocation
Notwithstanding paragraph (4), any funds reserved under subparagraph (C) that remain unobligated at the end of the fiscal year following the fiscal year in which such funds are first made available shall be reallocated to carry out the Initiative.;
(B)
in paragraph (2)—
(i)
in the paragraph heading, by striking for fiscal years 2014 through 2023
;
(ii)
by striking In addition
and inserting the following:
(A) In general
In addition; and
(iii)
in subparagraph (A) (as so designated), by striking 2023
and inserting 2031
;
(C)
by redesignating paragraph (3) as subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) and indenting appropriately; and
(D)
by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively.
(b) Technical and conforming amendments
(1)
Section 1408A of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3123a) is amended—
(A)
in subsection (a)(2)(A), by striking (j)(3)
and inserting (k)(3)
;
(B)
in subsection (c)(5), by striking specialty crop research initiative
and inserting programs
; and
(C)
in subsection (g), in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking (j)
and inserting (k)
.
(2)
Section 251(f)(1)(D)(x) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6971(f)(1)(D)(x)) is amended by striking specialty crop research initiative under section 412 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998
and inserting programs under section 412 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7632)
.
(3)
Section 12605(c) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 7632 note; Public Law 115–334) is amended—
(A)
by striking 412(j)
and inserting 412(k)
; and
(B)
by striking 7632(j))
and inserting 7632(k))
.