Friends in the Field Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Friends in the Field Act adds biological pest control as a high-priority research and extension area under an existing federal agricultural grant authority. Grants may support biological-control research, product or practice development, educational materials, information, and outreach programs.
The supported work must concern biological pest control intended to limit crop damage and foodborne illnesses. The bill makes the topic eligible within the existing grant program; it does not appropriate a new dollar amount, guarantee an award, define a specific biological agent, or waive pesticide, environmental, food-safety, or research requirements.
Who Benefits and How
Agricultural scientists, universities, extension programs, and biological-control developers gain a clearer grant pathway. Farmers may receive new tools or practices that reduce crop loss. Food producers and consumers may benefit from research aimed at reducing foodborne illness. Extension educators gain resources for translating research into field practices.
Who Bears the Burden and How
USDA grant administrators must add the topic to solicitations, review projects, and oversee awards. Applicants must compete, document scientific merit, and comply with existing grant and safety requirements. Other high-priority research areas may face added competition for an unchanged funding pool. Conventional pesticide suppliers may face competition if biological methods succeed.
Key Provisions
- Adds biological pest control to high-priority grant areas.
- Authorizes research on biological-control methods.
- Authorizes development of biological-control tools or practices.
- Funds education materials, information, and outreach.
- Directs supported work toward reducing crop damage.
- Directs supported work toward limiting foodborne illness.
- Preserves existing grant competition and compliance rules.
- Provides no separate appropriation or guaranteed award.
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
Adds biological pest control to the federal high-priority agricultural research and extension grant areas, allowing grants for research, development, education materials, information, and outreach intended to limit crop damage and foodborne illness.
Key Policy Areas
Biological Pest Control, Agricultural Research Grants, Cooperative Extension, Crop Protection, Foodborne Illness Prevention
Primary Purpose
Adds biological pest control to the federal high-priority agricultural research and extension grant areas, allowing grants for research, development, education materials, information, and outreach intended to limit crop damage and foodborne illness.
Policy Domains
Section 2 biological pest-control research and extension grants
Identified Gains
- Agricultural scientists seeking biological-control grants
- Universities conducting crop-protection research
- Extension programs teaching biological methods
- Farmers reducing pest-related crop losses
- Biological-control product developers
- Food producers reducing contamination risk
- Consumers benefiting from safer food
Identified Costs
- USDA agricultural-grant administrators
- Applicants documenting biological-control merit
- Other research priorities competing for grants
- Conventional pesticide suppliers facing competition
- Federal reviewers assessing food-safety claims
- Grant recipients meeting research oversight rules
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Introduced in House
Ms. Scholten introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Agricultural scientists seeking biological-control grants, Applicants documenting biological-control merit, Grant recipients meeting research oversight rules
Positive-direction: Agricultural scientists seeking biological-control grants
Negative-direction: Other research priorities competing for grants
Federal reviewers assessing food-safety claims, USDA agricultural-grant administrators
Extension programs teaching biological methods
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "farmer"
- → Producer using biological pest control
- "developer"
- → Biological-control product developer
- "researcher"
- → Agricultural researcher seeking a grant
- "administrator"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
- "extension_provider"
- → Cooperative extension program
Note: {'scope_ids': ['biological_pest_control_grants'], 'description': 'The bill adds an eligible grant priority but does not appropriate additional funds, guarantee awards, prescribe a particular organism or product, or displace existing safety and grant requirements.'}
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The statutory objective of reducing agricultural losses through supported biological-control work.
The statutory objective of using supported work to reduce foodborne illness risk.
An added high-priority grant area for research, development, education, information, and outreach on biological methods.
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