“A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to expand the provision of farmer-led technical assistance, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section defines the term "farmer-to-farmer network" (i.e., any affiliation or association of farmers that share information, technical assistance, or other mutually beneficial support). It further expands certification funding under subsection (f)(1) to carry out new subsection (j), which authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities—including nonprofits, farmer-to-farmer networks, Indian Tribes, local governments, institutions of higher education, states, and others—to build capacity for farmer-to-farmer networks; connect farmers, ranchers, and forest owners with mentors or group learning; increase tailored technical assistance; and establish reporting on activities (prioritizing historically underserved producers and those in high-poverty areas). Eligible entities receiving assistance must perform at least two specified actions (e.g., facilitating access or mentor matchmaking, providing language assistance), submit annual reports, and may administer subawards to similar entities or individuals for events and innovative activities that compensate participants at market rates. (As background, §3842 governs technical assistance delivery—directly, via third-party providers, or payments—for USDA conservation programs such as EQIP and CSP, which assist producers in implementing on-farm practices to protect soil, water, air, and wildlife.)