Bill · S. 2866· Senate(119-S-2866)
Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 9/18/2025
- Last activity
- 9/18/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Ted Budd
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 2
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act of 2025 directs the Secretary of Agriculture to create a program for Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers. This program will award grants or cooperative agreements to eligible land-grant colleges or universities to establish five regional centers. These centers will focus on research, development, and education regarding cybersecurity for the agriculture supply chain, animal agriculture, horticulture, and seed agriculture. The bill also establishes a national network of these centers and authorizes $25,000,000 in funding annually from 2026 through 2030.
Yes· 3 of 17
Would farmers be better off under this?+8
Provides direct benefits through improved cybersecurity tools and infrastructure protection.
Does this better protect the country from computer attacks?+8
Directly establishes regional centers to defend agriculture from state-sponsored cyberattacks.
Would people in rural areas be better off under this?+7
Focused on protecting rural agricultural networks and supporting rural universities.
The opposite
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?-2
It increases government spending by establishing new grant programs.
Does this reduce what the federal government owes?-1
The bill authorizes new federal spending of $25 million annually.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Agricultural Security: The bill directs the development of cybersecurity technologies, tools, and situational awareness systems to monitor and mitigate threats to the agriculture sector (SEC. 2, (b)(1)-(3)).
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Workforce Development: The program aims to develop a skilled workforce capable of protecting agricultural systems and provides for the creation of cybersecurity education and training programs for stakeholders (SEC. 2, (b)(6) and (c)(2)(C)).
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Support for Local Operations: The bill focuses on bolstering the resiliency of cybersecurity infrastructure for agricultural networks that are locally owned, operated, independent, and noncentralized (SEC. 2, (c)(2)(B)).
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Targeted Defense: The research and tools developed are specifically designed to prevent cyberattacks from countries such as the People's Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the Islamic Republic of Iran (SEC. 2, (b)(9)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Limited Eligibility: Only land-grant colleges or universities that meet specific program and coordination criteria are considered eligible entities to receive grants (SEC. 2, (c)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Farmers+8Good For Rural Residents+7Good For Business Owners+5Good For Students+5Good For Young Adults+4
- Education And Technology
- Increases Scientific Research Funding+6Improves Data Privacy+4
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Improves Cybersecurity Defense+8Improves International Trade+2
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support+4Increases Job Creation+3Improves Consumer Protection+2Improves Economic Growth+2Reduces Government Spending-2Reduces National Debt-1
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+3Improves Interstate Commerce+2Increases Federal Power+2
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+5
- 12/15/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 9/18/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in Senate
Jim BanksRepublican · Indiana
Catherine Cortez MastoDemocrat · Nevada
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California