S. 1616 — PRECISE Act of 2025

This section amends Section 310B(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(a))— (1) by defining the terms “precision agriculture” and “precision agriculture technology” by cross-reference to section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)); and (2) by adding to the authorized purposes of assistance the expansion of precision agriculture practices, including by financing the acquisition of precision agriculture technology, to promote best practices, reduce costs, and improve the environment. (As background, Section 310B authorizes USDA to make grants to eligible entities, such as nonprofits and public bodies, to support rural economic development activities (e.g., business startups and technical assistance).)

This section establishes definitions of “precision agriculture”—managing, tracking, or reducing crop or livestock production inputs (including seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time) at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granularity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain environmental quality—and “precision agriculture technology”—any technology (including necessary equipment) that reduces or improves efficiency of such inputs, including global positioning system-based mapping, satellite imagery, yield monitors, sensors, data analytics, and variable rate technology—in Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 for purposes of conservation programs in subchapters I through VIII. It also adds headings to specified existing definitions and redesignates paragraphs (20) through (27) as paragraphs (22) through (29).

This section amends the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)—which provides technical assistance and cost-share payments to agricultural producers for conservation practices that address natural resource concerns on working lands—as follows: (1) expands the definition of conservation planning to include adoption of precision agriculture practices and acquisition of precision agriculture technology; (2) permits producers receiving EQIP payments for practices on eligible land to also receive conservation loans or guarantees under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1924) for the same practices on the same land, and requires the Secretary to provide written notice of this option to EQIP participants; (3) specifies that increased payments are available for state-determined high-priority practices; (4) authorizes the Secretary to increase payments for precision agriculture practices and technology to up to 90% of associated costs when implementing a conservation practice; and (5) includes precision agriculture practices and technology among eligible incentive practices under conservation incentive contracts.

This section revises supplemental payment provisions under the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP, a program that provides payments to agricultural and forest land producers for adopting and maintaining conservation practices). Specifically, it (1) replaces the exclusion in 16 U.S.C. 3839aa–24(c)(3) to bar payments for conservation stewardship activities with no cost incurred or income forgone by the producer; and (2) expands eligibility for supplemental payments under subsection (d) to include precision agriculture conservation activities (i.e., GPS-guided or data-driven technologies to optimize input use), in addition to resource-conserving crop rotations and advanced grazing management.

This section requires the Secretary to emphasize the use of third-party providers (i.e., commercial entities, nonprofits, state/local governments, or federal agencies with conservation expertise) in providing technical assistance for soil health planning under conservation programs, including planning related to cover crops, precision agriculture practices, comprehensive nutrient management planning, and other innovative plans.