[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4182 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4182

 To authorize appropriations for certain agricultural research of the 
           Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             April 18, 2024

Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Wyden) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize appropriations for certain agricultural research of the 
           Department of Agriculture, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Oregon Research Bounty Act of 
2024''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    The purpose of this Act is to permanently authorize certain 
programs of the Agricultural Research Service.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.

    In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of 
Agriculture.

SEC. 4. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out each of the research 
activities required by this section by making grants or entering into 
cooperative agreements.
    (b) Smoke Exposure.--
            (1) Purpose.--The purpose of this subsection is to support 
        research to address the impacts of wildfire smoke on wine grape 
        production.
            (2) Research.--The Secretary shall carry out research to 
        assist growers and processors of wine grapes by--
                    (A) establishing science-based threshold levels of 
                smoke compounds that cause smoke-tainted grapes;
                    (B) identifying the compounds responsible for smoke 
                taint in grapes;
                    (C) developing mitigation methods to reduce or 
                eliminate smoke taint in grapes; and
                    (D) identifying compounds that can act as a barrier 
                between grapes and smoke compounds.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (c) Resilient Dryland Farming.--
            (1) Research.--The Secretary shall carry out research on 
        resilient dryland farming of cereal grains, with a focus on--
                    (A) improving yield and quality parameters;
                    (B) developing cropping systems capable of 
                tolerating drought, heat, and diseases; and
                    (C) quantifying economic and environmental benefits 
                from dryland crop production systems.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (d) Small Fruits.--
            (1) Purpose.--The purpose of this subsection is to support 
        research to promote sustainable and organic production of berry 
        and grape crops with the goal of reducing pesticide use and 
        improving quality and yield.
            (2) Research.--The Secretary shall carry out research to 
        improve the ability, with respect to berry and grape crops--
                    (A) to forecast pest and disease spread;
                    (B) to implement precision management strategies; 
                and
                    (C) to improve the overall quality of fruit.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (e) Rangeland Precision Livestock Management.--
            (1) Purpose.--The purpose of this subsection is to develop 
        precision livestock management strategies and tools to promote 
        economically efficient and environmentally responsive livestock 
        production systems for the Western rangeland.
            (2) Activities.--The Secretary shall--
                    (A) for the purpose of optimizing the health and 
                productivity of Western rangeland-based livestock and 
                the Western rangeland ecosystem, develop--
                            (i) precision nutrition strategies for 
                        rangeland-based livestock; and
                            (ii) technology-based rangeland and 
                        livestock management strategies; and
                    (B) transfer new knowledge and technology 
                strategies into data-informed tools and decision 
                guidance for Western livestock and rangeland managers.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (f) Pacific Shellfish Genetics.--
            (1) Finding.--Congress finds that there exist--
                    (A) an economic importance of shellfish aquaculture 
                for rural and coastal communities on the Pacific coast; 
                and
                    (B) the need for resilient, healthy genetic 
                shellfish stocks that can withstand the changing ocean 
                and coastal conditions in the Pacific coastal region 
                and new shellfish disease threats.
            (2) Program.--The Secretary shall carry out a shellfish 
        genetics and breeding program--
                    (A) to develop genetically improved shellfish 
                stock;
                    (B) to promote enhanced disease resiliency of 
                shellfish;
                    (C) to modernize shellfish production technologies; 
                and
                    (D) to transfer technology and improved stocks to 
                shellfish farmers in Pacific States.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (g) Hemp Production Systems.--
            (1) Finding.--Congress finds that there is an emerging 
        market potential for United States hemp and hemp-based products 
        for a variety of uses.
            (2) Research.--The Secretary shall carry out, in accordance 
        with Federal and State laws, regionally focused research, 
        development, stakeholder engagement, and technology transfer 
        activities to improve agronomic and agro-economic understanding 
        of effectively integrating hemp into existing agricultural 
        cropping, processing, and marketing systems.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (h) Rangeland Research.--
            (1) Finding.--Congress finds that there is a demonstrated 
        potential for cooperative partnerships to address complex 
        sagebrush steppe ecosystem challenges in the Great Basin 
        region.
            (2) Research.--The Secretary shall support a regional, 
        multi-institutional cooperative partnership to advance 
        collaborative science-based conservation research, extension, 
        and education to address time-sensitive and shared rangeland 
        challenges affecting sustainable agricultural productivity, 
        rural communities, and ecosystem health.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (i) Sudden Oak Death.--
            (1) Finding.--Congress finds that the European strain 1 and 
        the North American strain 1 of the sudden oak death pathogen 
        are major threats to western Douglas-fir and tanoak forests, 
        resulting in quarantine restrictions that threaten United 
        States forests and export markets for log shipments and lily 
        bulbs.
            (2) Research.--The Secretary shall carry out research to 
        improve--
                    (A) understanding of the European strain 1 and 
                North American strain 1 of the sudden oak death 
                pathogen; and
                    (B) treatment methods to inform control and 
                management techniques for those strains in wildlands.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (j) Forest Products Research.--
            (1) Findings.--Congress finds that--
                    (A) the forest products sector plays an important 
                role in the United States economy; and
                    (B) the creation of new and improved value-added 
                products and renewable energy from the United States 
                wood supply is critical to the sustainability of the 
                United States economy.
            (2) Research.--The Secretary, in coordination with the 
        Forest Products Laboratory of the Forest Service, shall carry 
        out research on--
                    (A) wood product quality improvement;
                    (B) improvement in forest products evaluation 
                standards and valuation techniques; and
                    (C) advances in forest production innovation, 
                development, and testing.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (k) Hops Research.--
            (1) Research.--The Secretary shall carry out research 
        relating to hop production.
            (2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (l) Soil Carbon Research.--
            (1) Finding.--Congress finds that there is a need for 
        research into current and future dryland production practices 
        in cereal grain cropping systems to increase profitability, 
        conserve soil, enhance soil water storage, promote 
        sequestration of carbon and soil health, and reduce reliance on 
        herbicides.
            (2) Research.--The Secretary shall carry out research 
        focused on--
                    (A) improving yields;
                    (B) assessing the level of carbon sequestration 
                through existing practices;
                    (C) developing new cropping systems capable of 
                tolerating drought, heat, and diseases by improving 
                soil health;
                    (D) improving sequestration of carbon;
                    (E) forecasting pest and disease spread;
                    (F) implementing precision management strategies; 
                and
                    (G) identifying opportunities for increasing 
                sustainability of dryland crop production.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
    (m) Tree Fruit Post-Harvest Research.--
            (1) Finding.--Congress finds that the tree fruit industry 
        faces significant economic vulnerability from variations in 
        post-harvest quality control.
            (2) Research.--The Secretary shall carry out research 
        relating to cherry and pear fruit physiology and pathology 
        necessary to promote enhanced quality and resiliency from 
        endemic and emerging diseases.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this 
        subsection $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.
                                 <all>