29
April
2024
|
22:44 PM
Europe/Amsterdam

AEM Leads Efforts to Advance Bipartisan Precision Agriculture Legislation

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 30, 2024) – The Association of Equipment Manufacturers today joined two dozen leading grower groups and agricultural organizations in sending a letter to members of the U.S. House and Senate Agriculture Committees calling for the inclusion of the bipartisan, bicameral Precision Agriculture Loan Program (PAL) Act and the Producing Responsible Energy and Conservation Incentives and Solutions for the Environment (PRECISE) Act in the next farm bill.  

“By giving more American farmers and ranchers access to precision agriculture equipment and technology, we can help them improve their efficiency, reduce their long-term costs and increase the nation’s food supply,” said Todd Stucke, President of Kubota Tractor Corp. and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Association of Equipment Manufacturers. “Securing passage of the PAL and PRECISE Acts will help ensure that food producers of all sizes can adopt and unlock the full potential of this amazing technology.” 

Precision agriculture leverages technologies to enhance sustainability through the more efficient use of land, water, fuel, fertilizer, and pesticides. Farmers who use precision agriculture technologies use less to grow more, reducing both cost and environmental impact. The letter points out that herbicide use could be further reduced by 15 percent and water use could decrease by 21 percent at full adoption of precision agriculture technologies. Technologies that enhance the efficient use of these inputs include GPS enabled devices such as autosteer and auto guidance, variable application rate technology telematic and fleet analytics, satellite mapping and imagery, yield monitors, and soil mapping. 

“The next farm bill is an opportunity for Congress to help farmers access the tools they need to monitor, manage, and maximize their operations while advancing climate-smart agriculture practices and protecting our environment,” said Kip Eideberg, Senior Vice President of Government and Industry Relations. “Because if we are serious about promoting climate-smart farming, then we need to make sure that USDA’s conservation-related programs help expand access to precision agriculture technologies.” 

The PAL Act would create a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide loan financing to farmers and ranchers interested in purchasing precision agriculture equipment, while the PRECISE Act would provide a suite of financial tools to help farmers and ranchers of all sizes increase their adoption of precision ag technologies through existing USDA conservation programs. 

The PRECISE ACT would also incentivize private sector financing of precision agriculture equipment through the Conservation Loan Guarantee Program and the Business and Industry Loan Guarantee Program and fund 100% of precision agriculture projects through joint participation of conservation cost-share programs and the Conservation Loan Program. 

“Precision agriculture allows growers to be more efficient with their inputs, which provides more profitability for the farmers and increases on-farm environmental benefits,” said Minnesota farmer and National Corn Growers Association President Harold Wolle. “That is why we encourage Congress to act to ease the difficulty growers face in accessing precision agriculture technology due to high up-front costs.”

The organizations that joined AEM in sending the letter are listed below: 

  • American Farm Bureau Federation  
  • American Seed Trade Association  
  • American Soybean Association  
  • AMVAC, a subsidiary of American Vanguard Corporation  
  • Association of Equipment Manufacturers  
  • California Specialty Crops Council  
  • Council of Producers and Distributors of Agrotechnology  
  • CropLife America  
  • Ducks Unlimited  
  • Hop Growers of America  
  • Illinois Corn Growers Association  
  • Lindsay Corporation  
  • National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants  
  • National Association of Wheat Growers  
  • National Council of Farmer Cooperatives  
  • National Corn Growers Association  
  • National Milk Producers Federation  
  • National Onion Association  
  • Netafim, Orbia Precision Agriculture  
  • Regrow  
  • The National Cotton Council  
  • USA Rice