§5935. Use of remote sensing data and other data to anticipate potential food, feed, and fiber shortages or excesses and to provide timely information to assist farmers with planting decisions
(a) Findings
Congress finds that-
(1) remote sensing data can be useful to predict impending famine problems and forest infestations in time to allow remedial action;
(2) remote sensing data can inform the agricultural community as to the condition of crops and the land that sustains those crops; and
(3) remote sensing data and other data can be valuable, when received on a timely basis, in determining the need for additional plantings of a particular crop or a substitute crop.
(b) Information development
The Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, maximizing private funding and involvement, shall provide farmers and other interested persons with timely information, through remote sensing, on crop conditions, fertilization and irrigation needs, pest infiltration, soil conditions, projected food, feed, and fiber production, and any other information available through remote sensing.
(c) Coordination
The Secretary of Agriculture and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration shall jointly develop a proposal to provide farmers and other prospective users with supply and demand information for food and fibers.
(d) Sunset
The authorities provided by this section shall expire 5 years after April 4, 1996.
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Codification
Section was enacted as part of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996, and not as part of subtitle H of title XVI of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 which comprises this subchapter.
Remote Sensing for Agricultural and Resource Management
"(a)
"(1) consult with the Secretary of Agriculture to determine data product types that are of use to farmers which can be remotely sensed from air or space;
"(2) consider useful commercial data products related to agriculture as identified by the focused research program between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Stennis Space Center and the Department of Agriculture; and
"(3) examine other data sources, including commercial sources, LightSAR, RADARSAT I, and RADARSAT II, which can provide domestic and international agricultural information relating to crop conditions, fertilization and irrigation needs, pest infiltration, soil conditions, projected food, feed, and fiber production, and other related subjects.
"(b)
"(c)