H.R. 7142 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Agriculture, Jan 16, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExpands agriculture research funding through 2032
This bill keeps funding a USDA program called AGARDA (Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority) that invests in cutting-edge farm and food technology. The bill adds new goals focused on water conservation, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and helping agriculture survive droughts and diseases. It also lets the program fund research that private companies won't tackle on their own because it's too risky or expensive.
How it affects you
This mostly affects farmers, agricultural researchers, and companies working on farm innovation who may benefit from the program's funding and discoveries. The general public could eventually see effects through new agricultural technologies and practices, though the official summary doesn't spell out direct changes for everyday people.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Jan 16, 2026)
Advancing Cutting Edge Agriculture Act or the ACE Agriculture Act
This bill reauthorizes the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA) through FY2032 and expands the program's environmental sustainability goals. This Department of Agriculture (USDA) program supports innovative research and development of technology, research tools, and products to address long-term and high-risk challenges related to food and agriculture.
The bill expands the program's goals to include
• water conservation;
• responding to greenhouse gas emissions; and
• resilience to drought, infectious diseases, and plant and animal pathogens and pests.
The bill also expands the program's goals to include undertaking advanced research and development in areas in which industry by itself is not likely to do so because of economic cost.
Further, the bill removes the current pilot program designation and requires USDA to establish and maintain an AGARDA staff.
Finally, the bill allows USDA to use any unobligated USDA funds to implement the program.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
2nd SessionH. R. 7142
A BILL
ACE Agriculture Act
Sponsor: Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19) · Introduced Jan 16, 2026 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 20, 2026: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology.”