Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act

To amend the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act and the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to further plant cultivar and animal breed research, development, and commercialization, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act 2. Public cultivar development Section 2 of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act ( 7 U.S.C. 3157 (1) in subsection (a), by adding at the end the following: (3) Definitions In this section: (A) Conventional breeding The term conventional breeding (B) Cultivar The term cultivar (C) Public animal breed The term public animal breed (i) that is the commercially available uniform end product of a publicly funded breeding program that has been sufficiently tested to demonstrate improved characteristics and stable performance; and (ii) with respect to which, if intellectual property rights are asserted, the intellectual property rights are in the form of plant patents or plant variety protection and not utility patents. (D) Public cultivar The term public cultivar (i) that is the commercially available uniform end product of a publicly funded breeding program that has been sufficiently tested to demonstrate improved characteristics and stable performance; and (ii) with respect to which, if intellectual property rights are asserted, the intellectual property rights are in the form of plant patents or plant variety protection and not utility patents. (E) Public cultivar or animal breed The term public cultivar or animal breed (i) a public animal breed; and (ii) a public cultivar. ; and (2) by adding at the end the following: (l) Public cultivar and animal breed development funding (1) Set-aside (A) In general Of the amount of grants made under the provisions of law described in subparagraph (B), the Secretary shall ensure that not less than $75,000,000 for each fiscal year is used for competitive research grants that support the development of public cultivars and animal breeds. (B) Provisions of law described The provisions of law referred to in subparagraph (A) are— (i) subsections (b) and (c); (ii) section 1672B(e) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 5925b(e) (iii) sections 1619 through 1624 of that Act ( 7 U.S.C. 5801 et seq. (iv) any relevant competitive grant program authorized by section 406 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 ( 7 U.S.C. 7626 (v) section 412 of that Act ( 7 U.S.C. 7632 (2) Priority In making grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to high-potential research projects that lead to the release of public cultivars and animal breeds, including— (A) regionally adapted public cultivars and animal breeds; (B) public cultivars and animal breeds bred for environmental resilience, including resilience to changing climates; (C) public animal breeds adapted to grazing and overwintering as appropriate for the applicable production region; (D) public cultivars and animal breeds bred to enhance the nutritional and health outcomes of local and Indigenous populations; (E) public cultivars and animal breeds of Indigenous and place-based importance that are endangered; and (F) public cultivars and animal breeds with beneficial and compatible characteristics and behaviors for dual-use renewable energy-agricultural systems. (3) Grants The Secretary shall ensure that the terms and renewal process for any competitive grants made under subsection (b) in accordance with paragraph (1) facilitate the development and commercialization of public cultivars and animal breeds through long-term grants not less than 5 years in length. (4) Requirement for domestic production No person that receives title to a plant patent or plant variety protection relating to any public cultivar or animal breed developed using funds received under this subsection, and no assignee of any such person, shall grant to any person the exclusive right to use or sell that public cultivar or animal breed unless that person agrees that any cultivars or animals embodying the public cultivar or animal breed or produced through the use of the public cultivar or animal breed will be produced substantially in the United States. (5) Report Not later than October 1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that provides information on all public cultivar and animal breeding research funded by the Department of Agriculture, including— (A) a list of public cultivars and animal breeds developed and released in a commercially available form; (B) areas of high-priority research; (C) identified research gaps relating to public cultivar and animal breed development; and (D) an assessment of the state of commercialization for public cultivars and animal breeds that have been developed. . 3. Public cultivar and animal breed research coordination (a) In general Section 251 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 ( 7 U.S.C. 6971 (1) in subsection (e), by adding at the end the following: (7) Public cultivar and animal breed research activities coordinator (A) In general The Under Secretary shall appoint a coordinator within the Research, Education, and Extension Office that reports to the Under Secretary to coordinate research activities at the Department relating to the breeding of public cultivars and animal breeds (as defined in paragraph (3) of section 2(a) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act ( 7 U.S.C. 3157(a) (B) Duties of coordinator The coordinator appointed under subparagraph (A) shall— (i) coordinate plant and animal breeding research activities funded by the Department relating to the development of public cultivars and animal breeds; (ii) (I) carry out ongoing analysis and track activities for any Federal research funding supporting plant and animal breeding (including any public cultivars and animal breeds developed with Federal funds); and (II) ensure that the analysis and activities are made available to the public not later than 60 days after the last day of each fiscal year; (iii) develop a strategic plan that establishes targets for public cultivar and animal breed research investments across the Department to ensure that a diverse range of crop and animal needs are being met in a timely and transparent manner; (iv) convene a working group in order to carry out the coordination functions described in this subparagraph comprised of individuals who are responsible for the management, administration, or analysis of public cultivar and animal breeding programs within the Department from— (I) the National Institute of Food and Agriculture; (II) the Agricultural Research Service; and (III) the Economic Research Service; (v) in order to maximize delivery of public cultivars and animal breeds, promote collaboration among— (I) the coordinator; (II) the working group convened under clause (iv); (III) the advisory council established under section 1634 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 ( 7 U.S.C. 5843 (IV) genetic resource conservation centers; (V) land-grant colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 ( 7 U.S.C. 3103 (VI) Hispanic-serving institutions (as defined in section 502(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a) (VII) Native American-serving nontribal institutions (as defined in section 371(c) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1067q(c) (VIII) nongovernmental organizations with interest or expertise in public breeding; and (IX) public and private plant and animal breeders, including small-scale organic breeders; (vi) convene regular stakeholder listening sessions to provide input on national and regional priorities for public cultivar and animal breeding research activities across the Department; and (vii) evaluate and make recommendations to the Under Secretary on training and resource needs to meet future breeding challenges. ; and (2) in subsection (f)(1)(D)(i), by striking ( 7 U.S.C. 450i(b) ( 7 U.S.C. 3157(b) (b) Conforming amendment Section 296(b)(6)(B) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 ( 7 U.S.C. 7014(b)(6)(B) Scientist; and Scientist (including the public cultivar and animal breed research activities coordinator under subsection (e)(7) of that section); and

Summary: Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide competitive research grants for the development of public cultivars (i.e., seeds) and animal breeds. The bill defines a public cultivar and public animal breed as the commercially available uniform end product of a publicly funded breeding program that has been sufficiently tested to demonstrate improved characteristics and stable performance. Further, if intellectual property rights are asserted, they are in the form of plant patents or plant variety protection and not utility patents. USDA must give priority to high-potential research projects that lead to the release of public cultivars and animal breeds, including those with specified adaptations, features, and benefits (e.g., that are regionally adapted, environmentally resilient, or of indigenous and place-based importance and are endangered). Any person who receives title to a plant patent or plant variety protection developed with grant funds may grant the exclusive right to use or sell that public cultivar or animal breed to another person only if that person agrees to substantially produce in the United States any cultivars or animals embodying, or produced through the use of, the public cultivar or animal breed. The bill also establishes a coordinator for public cultivars and animal breeding research within the USDA Research, Education, and Extension Office, whose duties include developing a strategic plan and promoting collaboration.