Sponsors (2)
The bill invests federal funds to build regional agricultural cybersecurity centers and workforce training—improving farm-system resilience and national coordination—but costs taxpayers, risks leaving small or remote producers underserved, and raises privacy/operational concerns if governance is weak.
Farmers and agricultural firms will gain access to agriculture-specific cybersecurity tools, live testbeds, and SOC analysis that improve detection and mitigation of cyberattacks on farm systems.
State governments, regional partners, and rural communities will benefit from a coordinated national network of regional centers that standardizes best practices and improves information sharing and incident response across states.
Regional agriculture researchers and universities will receive funding to build cybersecurity centers, boosting R&D capacity and innovation in agricultural technology and defenses.
Small and resource-limited farms (and the rural communities that rely on them) may be left dependent on intermediaries because funding is concentrated at higher-education institutions rather than directly reaching producers.
All taxpayers will finance an estimated $125 million in federal spending over five years to establish and run the regional cybersecurity centers.
Participating producers face potential privacy or operational risks if live research and testing on operational agricultural systems are not properly governed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates five regional agriculture cybersecurity centers at colleges/universities and a national network, authorizing $25M/year for FY2026–2030 to fund competitive grants to run them.
Introduced June 17, 2025 by Zach Nunn · Last progress June 17, 2025
Creates a national program run by USDA (through NIFA, with DHS consultation) to fund five Regional Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers housed at eligible colleges or universities and a national network linking them. The centers will do research, run security operations centers and testbeds, develop sector-specific cybersecurity tools, run attack/defense exercises, and provide workforce education and training. The bill authorizes $25 million per year for each fiscal year 2026–2030 to award competitive grants or cooperative agreements to establish and operate the centers, and designates one institution as the network coordinator.