This bill would create a new federal program to provide grants for research and development into automation and mechanization technologies for specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The goal is to help farmers increase efficiency, reduce manual labor, and boost the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in the United States.
Latest Action
Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill would create a new federal program to provide grants for research and development into automation and mechanization technologies for specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, and flowers. The goal is to help farmers increase efficiency, reduce manual labor, and boost the competitiveness of specialty crops grown in the United States.
Last updated: 12/30/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><b>Advancing Automation Research and Development in Agriculture Act</b></p> <p>This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish within USDA a stand-alone 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. <i>Specialty crops</i> are fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, and horticulture and nursery crops (including floriculture).</p> <p>The bill provides specified funds for FY2024 and each succeeding year to carry out the program.</p> <p>The grant program includes projects that</p> <ul> <li> create or improve cost-effective technologies to reduce a specialty crop grower's manual labor requirements and increase the efficiency of crop production, resource management, harvesting, processing, post-harvest technologies, and packaging; </li> <li> increase adoption of mechanization and automation technologies; and </li> <li>accelerate automation and mechanization through prototype development, in-field trial testing, ongoing industry engagement, and rapid commercialization. </li> </ul> <p>Entities eligible for the grant program are federal agencies, national laboratories, colleges and universities, research institutions and organizations, private organizations and corporations, state agricultural experiment stations, individuals, and organizations representing specialty crop growers.</p> <ul> <blockquote> <blockquote> </blockquote> </blockquote> </ul>
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Establishes a new USDA grant program to fund research and development into automation and mechanization technologies for specialty crop production
Aims to help farmers reduce manual labor, increase efficiency, and improve the competitiveness of U.S.-grown specialty crops
Eligible recipients include federal agencies, universities, research institutions, private companies, and specialty crop grower organizations
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
If passed, this bill would provide significant funding and support for the development of new agricultural technologies that could benefit specialty crop farmers across the country. It could lead to the creation of cost-effective automation solutions, increased adoption of labor-saving machinery, and ultimately more efficient and productive specialty crop operations.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Agriculture and Food
Related Subjects
Agricultural education
Agricultural equipment and machinery
Agricultural practices and innovations
Agricultural research
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Fruit and vegetables
Public-private cooperation
State and local government operations
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
4173, 119th Congress (2025). "Preventing Pretrial Gun Purchases Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-4173
