To amend the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under which the Secretary will award grants to specialty crop producers to acquire certain equipment and provide training with respect to the use of such equipment.
Key claim: HR5097 would direct USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service to establish a grant program for specialty crop producers to acquire mechanized or automated equipment and receive related training, with a 50% cost-share requirement.
Abstract
(HR5097 · 119th Congress) This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service to establish a grant program for commercial specialty crop producers to acquire equipment and provide related training. Funds must be used for mechanized or automated systems and tools that increase the efficiency of a task or reduce human labor for a specific activity (e.g., low-dust harvesting tools and equipment, sorting machines, and crop monitoring and analytics equipment and tools). The bill includes a minimum 50% cost-sharing requirement. Latest action (2025-09-02): Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Why this matters
Specialty crops (fruits, vegetables, tree nuts) remain among the most labor-intensive US agricultural sectors and face persistent workforce shortages that pressure grower margins and consumer prices. A cost-shared federal grant for mechanization could accelerate labor-saving technology adoption, potentially stabilizing domestic supply and prices while shifting on-farm labor demand. The 50% match requirement means benefits would concentrate among producers with sufficient capital to co-invest.