To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under which the Secretary will award grants to specialty crop producers to acquire certain equipment and provide training with respect to the use of such equipment.
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill creates an Agricultural Marketing Service grant program for automation and mechanization in specialty crops. USDA must award grants to specialty crop producers to acquire certain equipment and provide training on the use of that equipment. The stated purpose is to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop producers. The bill is aimed at growers facing labor, harvesting, processing, or handling constraints where machinery and training can improve productivity. USDA grant staff must stand up the program, producers must apply and use funds for covered equipment and training, and equipment vendors and trainers may see increased demand.
Who Benefits and How
Specialty crop producers benefit from federal grants for automation and mechanization equipment. Fruit growers benefit if equipment grants help with labor-intensive harvest, packing, or handling needs. Vegetable growers benefit from machinery and training that improve productivity and competitiveness. Equipment vendors benefit from increased demand for specialty crop automation tools.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA Agricultural Marketing Service staff must establish and administer the grant program. Grant applicants must prepare applications and comply with eligible-use and training requirements. Federal taxpayers bear the cost of grants for specialty crop equipment and training. Small producers may face administrative burden if application requirements are complex.
Key Provisions
- Establishes AMS grants for specialty crop producer automation and mechanization.
- Provides grants for acquiring covered equipment.
- Provides grants for training on the use of covered equipment.
- Supports competitiveness of U.S. specialty crop producers.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Directs USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service to award grants to specialty crop producers for automation and mechanization equipment, training, and related competitiveness improvements.
Key Policy Areas
Agriculture, Specialty Crops, Federal Grants
Primary Purpose
Directs USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service to award grants to specialty crop producers for automation and mechanization equipment, training, and related competitiveness improvements.
Policy Domains
Resolution provisions
Identified Gains
- Specialty crop producers
- Fruit growers
- Vegetable growers
- Equipment vendors
Identified Costs
- USDA Agricultural Marketing Service staff
- Grant applicants
- Federal taxpayers
- Small producers
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Valadao (for himself, Mr. Costa, Ms. Brownley, Mr. Panetta, …
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Fruit growers, Specialty crop producers, Vegetable growers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology