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.