Land Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2023

Summary

Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to allow research and extension grants to be made for developing and evaluating agricultural applications of AI, with an emphasis on the use of AI to improve specialty crop production.

Amends the 1990 Act to include new research and extension priorities.

A BILL

To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to include additional priorities as research and extension initiatives, 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 “Land Grant Research Prioritization Act of 2023”.

Amends to prioritize research on mechanized harvesters, emphasizing specialty crop harvesting technology development.

SEC. 2. Additional research and extension priorities.

Section 1672(d) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5925(d)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“(21) ADVANCED MECHANIZED HARVESTER TECHNOLOGIES RESEARCH AND EXTENSION.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of developing and evaluating technologies to mechanize agricultural processes.

“(B) EMPHASIS.—In awarding grants under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may place emphasis on mechanizing the process for harvesting specialty crops.

Allows grants for AI agricultural research, emphasizing specialty crop production improvements.

“(22) AGRICULTURAL APPLICATION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION.—

“(A) IN GENERAL.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of developing and evaluating agricultural uses of artificial intelligence.

“(B) EMPHASIS.—In awarding grants under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may place emphasis on uses of artificial intelligence that improve specialty crop production.

Supports research grants to manage invasive species and develop aquaculture methods at land-grant universities.

“(23) INVASIVE SPECIES RESEARCH AND EXTENSION.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of supporting research projects at land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to develop and apply methods to manage and eradicate invasive species of plants and animals, including through methods of biocontrol.

“(24) AQUACULTURE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION.—Research and extension grants may be made under this section for the purpose of supporting research projects at land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) to develop and apply aquaculture methods, including through the propagation and rearing of economically and ecologically valuable aquatic and marine species.”.