Technology (Data Privacy · Agriculture)

This bill establishes a new Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production within the Department of Agriculture to support farming methods like hydroponics and controlled-environment agriculture. It creates a competitive grant program that provides funding to nonprofits, local governments, Tribal organizations, and schools to help urban farmers navigate regulations, access land, and improve food availability in underserved areas. Additionally, the legislation updates federal data collection requirements to include modern farming technologies and allocates specific funding amounts to support these initiatives from 2026 through 2030.

This bill creates a voluntary data collection system for farmers to share field-level information on conservation practices and farming methods. It requires the USDA to build a secure data center collecting anonymized farm data on soil health, crop yields, and ecosystem impacts - voluntarily provided by producers - to analyze how practices affect productivity and environmental outcomes. The data will be used to improve USDA programs and provide farmers with internet-based tools showing how specific practices boost yields and sustainability. Strong privacy safeguards prevent disclosure of individual producer data, ensuring compliance with existing privacy laws. The bill does not mandate data sharing or require farmers to adopt new practices.