S. 3637 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the Senate, Jan 14, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExpands agriculture research program through 2031
This bill keeps going a USDA program called AGARDA that funds innovative research into farm and food technology. It adds new goals like water conservation, reducing greenhouse gases, and helping crops and animals survive drought and disease. The bill also makes AGARDA a permanent program instead of a temporary pilot, requires USDA to hire staff for it, and allows the agency to use leftover money from other programs to fund the research.
How it affects you
If you're a farmer or work in agriculture, this could mean new technologies and tools developed to help your crops and livestock handle environmental challenges. For most other people, the bill doesn't create direct changes, though it may eventually affect food production and prices through advances in farming technology.
Read the official summary (Introduced in Senate, Jan 14, 2026)
Advancing Cutting Edge Agriculture Act of 2026 or the ACE Agriculture Act of 2026
This bill reauthorizes the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA) through FY2031 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 SessionS. 3637
A BILL
ACE Agriculture Act of 2026
Sponsor: Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) · Introduced Jan 14, 2026 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jan 14, 2026: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.”