The legislation stipulates the creation of a task force to evaluate best ways to boost precision agriculture in American farms
The U.S. House of Representatives passed this week the Precision Agriculture Connectivity Act, which has the main goal of establishing a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) task force with the Department of Agriculture to evaluate how to meet the broadband connectivity and technological needs of precision agriculture in farms across the United States.
The legislation, authored by Congressmen Bob Latta (R-OH) and Dave Loebsack (D-IA), establishes an FCC task force, in collaboration with the USDA, to evaluate the best ways to meet the broadband connectivity and technological needs of precision agriculture.
“Precision agriculture is the use of technology like the internet of things (IoT), self-driving machinery, drones and satellites to operate farms in a more effective and efficient manner,” Loebsack said in a statement.
“Precision agriculture provides farmers with the ability to improve productivity and sustainability,” said Latta. “Unfortunately, many rural areas lack high-speed broadband which is needed to utilize this cutting-edge technology.”
“By having the FCC, USDA, and private stakeholders work together, we can reduce barriers to the implementation of innovation like self-driving equipment, the ‘Internet of Things,’ and satellite imagery,” he added.
The bill establishes the ‘Task Force for Reviewing the Connectivity and Technology Needs of Precision Agriculture in the United States’, which will operate under the direction of the FCC and in collaboration with USDA.
The task force must comprise farmers and ranchers, internet service providers, broadband mapping experts, and representatives from the satellite industry, electric cooperatives, precision agriculture equipment manufacturers, and local and state government representatives, according to the legislation.
The duties of the task force include:
-Identifying and measuring gaps in broadband coverage on agricultural land;
-Developing policy recommendations to promote the rapid, expanded deployment of broadband Internet access service on agricultural land, with a goal of achieving reliable service on 95 percent of agricultural land by 2025;
-Recommending steps the FCC should take to obtain reliable and standardized measurements of broadband Internet access service availability as may be necessary to target funding support to unserved agricultural land in need of broadband Internet access service; and
-Recommending steps the FCC should consider to ensure that the expertise of USDA and available farm data are reflected in developing future programs of the commission to deploy broadband Internet access service and to direct available funding to unserved agricultural land where needed.
What is precision agriculture?
Precision agriculture can help farmers deal with a number of challenges such as water shortages, the limited availability of suitable lands for crop plantings, the difficulties farmers have managing costs through the implementation IoT systems and technologies in order to essentially reduce potential missteps and, in turn, maximize yields.
Precision agriculture uses IoT applications, which help farmers to increase the quality, quantity, sustainability and cost effectiveness of agricultural production. These tools allow the farmers to know what seeds to plant, the amount of fertilizer they need to use, the better time to harvest as well as the expected crop outputs. Through the implementation of IoT, farmers can also monitor sensors that can be used to detect soil moisture, crop growth and livestock feed levels, among other key functions. The sensors can also remotely manage and control connected harvesters and irrigation equipment.
