Pres. Joe Biden's administration is proposing a USDA cost-sharing program to provide farmers with technical assistance for precision agriculture technologies. The goal is to boost U.S. food production and lower food prices.
A fact sheet from the White House says the Biden administration plans to cut costs for farmers by increasing technical assistance for precision agriculture technology and other nutrient management tools. The USDA has planning and cost-sharing programs available to farmers to provide technical assistance with nutrient management. The White House says the Biden Administration is working to boost outreach to farmers, streamline the application process and prioritize application approvals to increase access to the programs.
"We have to keep investing in our farmers to reduce the cost to consumers and have the most productive, most efficient farmers in the world," Biden said in a speech at a farm near Kankakee, Ill., on Wednesday. "We've always combined generations of know-how with cutting-edge technology to feed us and the world."
The increase in precision ag assistance is 1 of 3 actions announced Wednesday in an effort to combat food and supply-chain shortages resulting from the war in Ukraine. Other initiatives include doubling funding for domestic fertilizer production to $500 million and increasing the number of counties eligible for double-cropping insurance to incentivize wheat and soybean production.
