# 119-s-5126: Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act

119-s-5126, Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-13).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5126
- As of: 2026-08-13
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-5126
- Congress: 119
- Title: Seeds and Breeds for the Future Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-23
- Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI] (D-WI)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-13

## Summary

**Creates public plant and animal breeding programs and funding to make new cultivars and breeds available.** This bill would boost USDA coordination, protect and expand germplasm collections, and push commercialization of publicly funded varieties and breeds. - Farmers and breeders would gain priority support for regionally adapted and climate-resilient cultivars and breeds, including animals suited to grazing and overwintering where appropriate. A domestic production requirement would aim to keep substantial production in the United States. - Indigenous and local communities would see endangered place-based cultivars and breeds prioritized for conservation and development. Grants could target improved nutritional and health outcomes for local and Indigenous populations. - Researchers, land‑grant and minority‑serving institutions, genetic resource centers, and the Agricultural Research Service would get a new USDA coordinator to align breeding research, track federal funding, and convene interagency working groups. The bill sets aside at least $75 million per year for competitive grants and requires annual reporting on germplasm use and released cultivars and breeds. *This bill would increase annual federal spending by at least $75 million for competitive public cultivar and animal breed grants.*

## Cosponsors (4)

- Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM] (D-NM), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA] (D-PA), 2026-07-23T00:00:00.000Z
- Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-07-28T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Stronger plant and animal germplasm plans: benefit, low. The bill would require USDA to make and carry out national strategic plans for plant and animal germplasm collections. USDA would address backlogs in characterizing animal accessions, collect traits important to organic and forage-based systems, hire or retain needed staff, and report yearly to Con…
- USDA coordinator and public reports: benefit, low. The bill would require the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Extension to appoint a Public Cultivar and Animal Breed Research Activities Coordinator. The coordinator would track and publish federal breeding funding and activities within 60 days after each fiscal year end, make a Departme…
- At least $75M for public breeding: benefit, low. The bill would require USDA to set aside not less than $75,000,000 each fiscal year for competitive research grants to develop public plant cultivars and animal breeds. Grants would target regional adaptation, climate resilience, germplasm collection, nutrition and Indigenous-focused varieties, and…
- Defines public cultivars and IP limits: mixed, low. The bill would add legal definitions for conventional breeding, cultivar, public animal breed, and public cultivar. It would define public cultivars and breeds as commercially released products of publicly funded programs and limit asserted intellectual property for those public outcomes to plant o…
- Limits exclusives to US production: mixed, low. The bill would bar anyone who receives title to a patent or variety protection for a publicly funded cultivar or breed from granting an exclusive right to use or sell it unless the grantee agrees that cultivars or animals embodying it will be produced substantially in the United States. The rule wo…

## Related bills

- 119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025
- 119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act
- 119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act
- 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act
- 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026

## Sources
- [119-s-5126 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5126)

## Related
- [119-s-524: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-524)
- [119-s-3990: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3990)
- [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823)
- [119-s-3869: Healthy Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3869)
- [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51)
- [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5126 (as of 2026-08-13).