Precision Ag Gets a Boost for Satellite Services

House lawmakers are giving a boost to precision agriculture, advancing a bill to improve satellite services for producers.

“It’s essential we bring our satellite laws and regulations into the 21st century, especially as we compete against other countries like China, who seek to dominate the United States,” said Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chair Bob Latta.

The bill is called the Precision Agriculture Satellite Connectivity Act, and it would require the FCC to take action helping to improve efficiency for U.S. farmers.

Precision ag gets a boost with a bill that advances satellite services - RFD-TV (rfdtv.com)

EDITOR’S TAKE:

As our AgPack® partner Viasat puts more sophisticated satellites into orbit, and farmers/ranchers are finding more and more uses for data emanating from precision agriculture, it is about time that government revamps outdated regulations that inhibit progress and efficiency. It is refreshing to see Congress taking action to improve our competitive advantage as other countries push the boundaries of progress in this area. Farmers/ranchers in today’s world rely on precision agriculture for everything from planting and fertilization rates to controlling the nutrition of each individual dairy cow. Precision ag data controls how much moisture a plant may receive in an irrigated field. It can even help drive the tractor or combine. It makes the operation more efficient and profitable. And we all know that being profitable allows the farmer/rancher to purchase more trucks.