Bill · S. 5459· Senate(119-S-5459)
Agricultural Data Privacy Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 9/23/2026
- Last activity
- 9/23/2026 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Sponsored by
- Pete Ricketts
- Cosponsors
- None
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Agricultural Data Privacy Act of 2026 protects the economic value and security of agricultural data for producers. It establishes that agricultural producers own and control the data originating from their farms, land, devices, and equipment. The bill prohibits controllers and processors from selling this data without the express written consent of the agricultural producer. Additionally, it mandates that companies handling this data maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical security practices. The Attorney General is granted exclusive authority to enforce these provisions through civil penalties and injunctive relief.
Yes· 3 of 9
Would farmers be better off under this?+8
The bill directly safeguards farmers' data autonomy, prevents unauthorized monetization of their farm data, and mandates data security safeguards.
Does this give people more control over their personal data?+7
The legislation establishes robust data privacy rights, ownership controls, and security requirements specifically for agricultural data.
Does this protect people from being watched or searched?+6
It explicitly recognizes agricultural producers' ownership and control over their generated data and protects it from unauthorized sale or disclosure.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Ownership and Control: Section 4 states that an agricultural producer owns and has control of the agricultural data that originates from their farm, land, device, or equipment. This ensures that farmers retain fundamental rights over their own operational and management information.
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Consent Required for Data Sales: Section 5 prohibits controllers or processors from selling agricultural data without the express written consent of the agricultural producer, obtained through a clear and conspicuous disclosure separate from primary terms of service. This protects producers from having their business information monetized by third parties without clear agreement.
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Data Security Safeguards: Section 7 requires any controller or processor in possession of agricultural data to establish, implement, and maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical data security practices. This protects confidential agricultural information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification, or loss.
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Contract Protections: Section 6 mandates that contracts entered into on or after January 1, 2027, must explicitly state that selling the data is prohibited without the agricultural producer's express written consent. It also declares any contract provisions that waive or limit the requirements of the Act to be void and unenforceable, protecting producers from unfair contract terms.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Lack of Private Lawsuits: Section 8 explicitly states that nothing in the Act creates any new private cause of action and that the enforcement authority granted to the Attorney General is the exclusive remedy for violations. This means individual agricultural producers cannot directly sue companies in court if their data rights are violated, relying entirely on government enforcement instead.
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 Business Owners+5
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Privacy Rights+6Increases Federal Power+4Improves Government Transparency+3
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Small Business Support+6Improves Consumer Protection+5
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy+7
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Rural Development+5
- 9/23/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Introduced in Senate