Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act of 2025
- Bill Number
- S. 2866
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Agriculture and Food
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-09-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-16T19:02:58Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose of the Legislation
The Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act of 2025 aims to strengthen cybersecurity protections for the U.S. agriculture sector, including farming, plant and animal production, and the supply chain. It directs the Secretary of Agriculture to create regional centers focused on research, technology development, and training to counter cyber threats, particularly those targeting food and agricultural systems.
Key Provisions
- Establishment of Centers: The Secretary of Agriculture, through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, must create a competitive grant or cooperative agreement program to fund five Regional Agriculture Cybersecurity Centers. These centers will be based at eligible land-grant colleges or universities (public institutions focused on agriculture and related fields) that also have cybersecurity programs and collaborate with local industry, cooperatives, and government partners.
- National Network: The Secretary will form a national network connecting these regional centers and appoint one eligible entity to coordinate their activities.
- Duties of the Centers:
- Conduct research on cybersecurity systems for agriculture, including tools to monitor threats, unauthorized access (intrusions), and unusual activities (anomalies).
- Develop a security operations center (SOC) to analyze threats and suggest ways to reduce risks.
- Create specialized cybersecurity tools, such as systems to detect and prevent intrusions, control access based on user roles, authenticate devices, and design secure networks tailored to agriculture.
- Build testing environments (testbeds) to evaluate and improve these tools.
- Run simulated attack and defense exercises to test solutions for real-world use in farming and supply chains.
- Offer education and training programs for farmers, agricultural businesses, and other stakeholders, including hands-on training using the testbeds.
- Foster regional partnerships for research and development.
- Ensure all efforts specifically address cyberattacks from countries like China, North Korea, Russia, Iran, and others deemed relevant by the Secretaries of Agriculture and Homeland Security.
- Funding: Authorizes $25 million annually from fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to support the program.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
This bill adds a new section (Section 1473I) to Subtitle K of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, which previously focused on general agricultural research and education. The addition introduces a dedicated cybersecurity program, expanding the Act to include digital security measures for agriculture—a sector not previously emphasized in this way—while integrating collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security for threat assessment.
Potential Impacts
- Government Agencies: Increases responsibilities for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in managing grants and coordination, and for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in advising on national security threats. It could lead to better integration of cybersecurity into federal agricultural support programs.
- Citizens and Agriculture Sector: Enhances protection for farmers, food producers, and supply chains against cyber disruptions, potentially improving food security and reducing economic losses from attacks (e.g., on irrigation systems or data networks). Training programs may build a more skilled workforce in rural areas.
- International Relations: By explicitly targeting cyber threats from specific nations, the law could signal U.S. priorities in countering foreign interference in critical infrastructure, possibly straining diplomatic ties with those countries while strengthening alliances focused on shared cybersecurity concerns.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- Land-grant Universities: Eligible to receive funding and lead regional centers, benefiting from new research opportunities.
- Agricultural Industry: Farmers, cooperatives, seed/plant producers, livestock operations, and supply chain businesses gain access to tailored tools, training, and threat monitoring to protect decentralized, locally operated systems.
- Government Entities: USDA and DHS, along with regional authorities, will oversee implementation and collaboration.
- Cybersecurity Experts and Workforce: Benefits from education programs to develop skills in protecting agricultural networks.
- Rural Communities: Indirectly supported through resilient food systems and job creation in cybersecurity roles.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: The bill aligns with existing federal authority under the 1977 Act for agricultural research grants, but introduces specific foreign threat designations, which may require ongoing administrative decisions (e.g., adding countries) that could face legal challenges if seen as overly targeted. It promotes public-private partnerships without mandating private sector compliance.
- Constitutional: Supports the federal government's role in protecting interstate commerce and national security (agriculture as critical infrastructure), potentially invoking Commerce Clause powers, while respecting state and local involvement through regional centers.
- Political: Highlights bipartisan concern over cyber vulnerabilities in agriculture (introduced by Senators from different parties), but naming specific adversaries could politicize funding and implementation, influencing debates on national security priorities amid U.S.-China tensions or global supply chain issues. No direct restrictions on free speech or privacy are imposed, though tool development emphasizes secure access controls.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV], Sen. Banks, Jim [R-IN], Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA]
Recent Actions
- 2025-09-18: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- 2025-09-18: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Cybersecurity in Agriculture Act of 2025 — issued 2025-09-18 — PDF (5 pages)