II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1947 

To improve food safety, to encourage greater production of agricultural commodities for use in the locality of production, to reauthorize and expand 

Department of Agriculture support of those efforts, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

OCTOBER 5, 2017 

Mr. BROWN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To improve food safety, to encourage greater production of 

agricultural commodities for use in the locality of production, to reauthorize and expand Department of Agriculture support of those efforts, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Local Food and Regional Market Supply Act’’ or the 

6 ‘‘Local FARMS Act’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Agricultural Market Development Program. 

Sec. 3. Food safety outreach program. 

Sec. 4. Food safety cost-share program. 

Sec. 5. National organic certification cost-share program. 

Sec. 6. Livestock, dairy, and poultry supply chain infrastructure grants and 

loans. 

Sec. 7. Geographic preference and identification for school food. 

Sec. 8. Harvesting health program. 

Sec. 9. Seniors farmers’ market nutrition program. 

Sec. 10. Food and agriculture service learning program. 

1 SEC. 2. AGRICULTURAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to com4 bine the purposes and coordinate the functions of— 

5 (1) the Farmers’ Market and Local Food Pro6 motion Program established under section 6 of the 

7 Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 

8 (7 U.S.C. 3005); and 

9 (2) the value-added agricultural product market 

10 development grants under section 231(b) of the Ag11 ricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 

12 1632a(b)). 

13 (b) AGRICULTURAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT PRO14 GRAM.—Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

15 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) is amended by adding at 

16 the end the following: 

17 ‘‘SEC. 210A. AGRICULTURAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT PRO18 GRAM. 

19 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 ‘‘(1) BEGINNING FARMER OR RANCHER.—The 

2 term ‘beginning farmer or rancher’ has the meaning 

3 given the term in section 343(a) of the Consolidated 

4 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

5 1991(a)). 

6 ‘‘(2) DIRECT PRODUCER-TO-CONSUMER MAR7 KETING.—The term ‘direct producer-to-consumer 

8 marketing’ has the meaning given the term ‘direct 

9 marketing from farmers to consumers’ in section 3 

10 of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 

11 1976 (7 U.S.C. 3002). 

12 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY.—The term ‘eligible 

13 activity’ means an activity described in subsection 

14 (d)(2) that is carried out using a grant provided 

15 under subsection (d)(1). 

16 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en17 tity’ means— 

18 ‘‘(A) an independent producer; 

19 ‘‘(B) an agricultural producer group, net20 work, or association, including a community 

21 supported agriculture network or association; 

22 ‘‘(C) a farmer or rancher cooperative, 

23 other agricultural business entity, or majority24 controlled producer-based business venture; 

25 ‘‘(D) a food council; 


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1 ‘‘(E) a State or local government; 

2 ‘‘(F) a Tribal government or Tribal gov3 ernment agency; 

4 ‘‘(G) a nonprofit corporation; 

5 ‘‘(H) an institution of higher education; 

6 ‘‘(I) a public benefit corporation; 

7 ‘‘(J) an economic development corporation; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(K) a regional farmers’ market authority. 

10 ‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE PARTNER.—The term ‘eligible 

11 partner’ means— 

12 ‘‘(A) a State agency or regional authority; 

13 ‘‘(B) a philanthropic organization; 

14 ‘‘(C) a private corporation; 

15 ‘‘(D) a commercial, Federal, or Farm 

16 Credit System lending institution; and 

17 ‘‘(E) another entity, as determined by the 

18 Secretary. 

19 ‘‘(6) FAMILY FARM.—The term ‘family farm’ 

20 has the meaning given the term in section 231(a) of 

21 the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 

22 U.S.C. 1632a(a)). 

23 ‘‘(7) FOOD COUNCIL.—The term ‘food council’ 

24 means a food policy council or food and farm system 

25 network that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) represents multiple organizations; 

2 ‘‘(B) may be— 

3 ‘‘(i) sanctioned by a local or State 

4 government; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) independent of government; and 

6 ‘‘(C) addresses food and farm-related 

7 issues and needs within city, county, State, 

8 Tribal region, multicounty region, or other re9 gion designated by the food council or food sys10 tem network. 

11 ‘‘(8) INDEPENDENT PRODUCER.— 

12 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘inde13 pendent producer’ means an agricultural pro14 ducer who owns and controls an agricultural 

15 product produced. 

16 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘independent 

17 producer’ means a legal entity solely owned and 

18 controlled by agricultural producers if the entity 

19 owns a majority ownership interest in the agri20 cultural operation of the entity and a signifi21 cant share of the agricultural product produced. 

22 ‘‘(9) MAJORITY-CONTROLLED PRODUCER-BASED

23 BUSINESS VENTURE.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘majority25 controlled producer-based business venture’ 


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1 means a venture greater than 50 percent of the 

2 ownership and control of which is held by— 

3 ‘‘(i) 1 or more independent producers; 

4 or 

5 ‘‘(ii) 1 or more entities described in 

6 subparagraph (B), 100 percent of the own7 ership and control of which is held by 1 or 

8 more independent producers. 

9 ‘‘(B) ENTITY DESCRIBED.—For purposes 

10 of subparagraph (A), the term ‘entity’ means— 

11 ‘‘(i) a partnership; 

12 ‘‘(ii) a limited liability corporation; 

13 ‘‘(iii) a limited liability partnership; 

14 ‘‘(iv) a corporation; and 

15 ‘‘(v) a cooperative. 

16 ‘‘(10) MID-TIER VALUE CHAIN.—The term 

17 ‘mid-tier value chain’ has the meaning given the 

18 term in section 231(a) of the Agricultural Risk Pro19 tection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 1632a(a)). 

20 ‘‘(11) PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT.—The term 

21 ‘partnership agreement’ means an agreement en22 tered into under subsection (c). 

23 ‘‘(12) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means 

24 the Agricultural Market Development Program es25 tablished under subsection (b). 


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1 ‘‘(13) REGIONAL FOOD CHAIN COORDINA2 TION.—The term ‘regional food chain coordination’ 

3 means coordination and collaboration along the sup4 ply chain, including activities that— 

5 ‘‘(A) identify and organize local food pro6 ducers and entrepreneurs into entities that are 

7 able to deliver local and regional food products 

8 into local markets; 

9 ‘‘(B) provide market matchmaker services 

10 by identifying and connecting key stakeholders 

11 through referral services and other forms of 

12 short-term engagement; 

13 ‘‘(C) convene stakeholders and facilitate 

14 relationship-building across the food value chain 

15 by— 

16 ‘‘(i) engaging key stakeholders; 

17 ‘‘(ii) maintaining communication 

18 channels; and 

19 ‘‘(iii) fostering a trusting environ20 ment; 

21 ‘‘(D) work with supply chain members to 

22 build capacity through education and training 

23 programs for— 

24 ‘‘(i) business development practices; 

25 ‘‘(ii) marketing and branding; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) other similar activities; 

2 ‘‘(E) identify and work to remove barriers 

3 to the movement of local and regional food 

4 products into the marketplace; 

5 ‘‘(F) increase awareness about procure6 ment requirements, such as bidding procedures 

7 and preferred-vender practices, that may im8 pede the ability of the food chain to access cer9 tain marketing channels; 

10 ‘‘(G) provide technical assistance to pro11 ducers and enterprises in the preparation of 

12 grant and loan applications to promote the pur13 poses described in section 2(a) of the Local 

14 Food and Regional Market Supply Act; and 

15 ‘‘(H) coordinate with State and local gov16 ernment agencies to enhance supply chain co17 ordination and build on existing efforts to de18 velop regional food systems. 

19 ‘‘(14) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ 

20 means the Secretary of Agriculture. 

21 ‘‘(15) SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMER OR

22 RANCHER.—The term ‘socially disadvantaged farmer 

23 or rancher’ has the meaning given the term in sec24 tion 355(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De25 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 2003(e)). 


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1 ‘‘(16) VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURAL PROD2 UCT.—The term ‘value-added agricultural product’ 

3 has the meaning given the term in section 231(a) of 

4 the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 

5 U.S.C. 1632a(a)). 

6 ‘‘(17) VETERAN FARMER OR RANCHER.—The 

7 term ‘veteran farmer or rancher’ has the meaning 

8 given the term in section 2501(e) of the Food, Agri9 culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 

10 U.S.C. 2279(e)). 

11 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab12 lish a program, to be known as the ‘Agricultural Market 

13 Development Program’, that— 

14 ‘‘(1) streamlines existing programs and oper15 ations in accordance with section 2(a) of the Local 

16 Food and Regional Market Supply Act to more effi17 ciently and effectively support the development, co18 ordination, and expansion of— 

19 ‘‘(A) direct producer-to-consumer mar20 keting; 

21 ‘‘(B) local and regional food markets and 

22 enterprises; and 

23 ‘‘(C) value-added agricultural products; 

24 ‘‘(2) connects and cultivates regional food 

25 economies through public-private partnerships; 


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1 ‘‘(3) supports the development of business 

2 plans, feasibility studies, and strategies for local and 

3 regional marketing opportunities; 

4 ‘‘(4) strengthens capacity and regional food sys5 tem development through community collaboration 

6 and expansion of mid-tier value chains; 

7 ‘‘(5) improves income and economic opportuni8 ties for producers and food businesses through job 

9 creation and improved regional food system infra10 structure; and 

11 ‘‘(6) simplifies the application processes and the 

12 reporting processes for the Program. 

13 ‘‘(c) REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.— 

14 ‘‘(1) PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS.— 

15 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in ac16 cordance with the purposes of the Program de17 scribed in subsection (b), may enter into 1 or 

18 more partnership agreements to plan and de19 velop a regional food system by supporting eli20 gible activities. 

21 ‘‘(B) PARTIES TO PARTNERSHIP AGREE22 MENTS.—The Secretary shall enter into a part23 nership agreement with— 

24 ‘‘(i) 1 or more eligible partners; and 

25 ‘‘(ii) 1 or more eligible entities. 


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1 ‘‘(C) GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY.—To the 

2 maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall 

3 ensure geographical diversity in selecting part4 nership agreements. 

5 ‘‘(2) LENGTH OF AGREEMENT.— 

6 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in 

7 subparagraph (B), a partnership agreement 

8 shall be for a period not longer than 5 years. 

9 ‘‘(B) EXTENSION.—Notwithstanding sub10 paragraph (A), the Secretary may extend a 

11 partnership agreement 1 time for not longer 

12 than 1 year if the Secretary determines that the 

13 extension is necessary to properly complete 1 or 

14 more eligible activities. 

15 ‘‘(3) TERMS OF PARTNERSHIP.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Under a partnership 

17 agreement, the eligible partner and the eligible 

18 entity shall— 

19 ‘‘(i) determine the scope of the re20 gional food system to be developed, includ21 ing goals, outreach objectives, and eligible 

22 activities to be carried out; 

23 ‘‘(ii) determine the local, regional, 

24 State, multi-State, or other geographic 

25 area covered; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) create and conduct a feasibility 

2 study, implementation plan, and assess3 ment of eligible activities under the part4 nership agreement; 

5 ‘‘(iv) conduct outreach and education 

6 to other eligible entities and eligible part7 ners for potential participation in the part8 nership agreement and eligible activities; 

9 ‘‘(v) at the request of a producer or 

10 eligible entity desiring to participate in eli11 gible activities under the partnership 

12 agreement, act on behalf of the producer 

13 or eligible entity in applying for a grant 

14 under subsection (d); 

15 ‘‘(vi) monitor, evaluate, and periodi16 cally report to the Secretary on progress 

17 made toward achieving the objectives of el18 igible activities under the partnership 

19 agreement; and 

20 ‘‘(vii) at the conclusion of the partner21 ship agreement, submit to the Secretary a 

22 report describing— 

23 ‘‘(I) the results and effects of the 

24 partnership agreement; and 


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1 ‘‘(II) funds provided by an eligi2 ble partner under subparagraph (B). 

3 ‘‘(B) CONTRIBUTION.—An eligible partner 

4 shall provide funding for a significant portion 

5 (as determined by the Secretary) of the total 

6 cost of eligible activities under the partnership 

7 agreement. 

8 ‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.— 

9 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—One or more eligible 

10 partners and 1 or more eligible entities desiring 

11 to enter into a partnership agreement may sub12 mit to the Secretary an application at such 

13 time, in such manner, and containing such in14 formation as the Secretary considers necessary 

15 to evaluate and select applications. 

16 ‘‘(B) COMPETITIVE PROCESS.—The Sec17 retary— 

18 ‘‘(i) shall conduct a competitive proc19 ess to select applications submitted under 

20 subparagraph (A); 

21 ‘‘(ii) may assess and rank applications 

22 with similar purposes as a group; and 

23 ‘‘(iii) shall make public the criteria to 

24 be used in evaluating applications prior to 

25 accepting applications. 


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1 ‘‘(C) CONTENT.—An application submitted 

2 to the Secretary under subparagraph (A) shall 

3 include a description of— 

4 ‘‘(i) the scope of the regional food sys5 tem to be developed, including goals, out6 reach objectives, and eligible activities to 

7 be carried out; 

8 ‘‘(ii) the local, regional, State, multi9 State, or other geographic area covered; 

10 ‘‘(iii) a plan for each of— 

11 ‘‘(I) the feasibility study, imple12 mentation plan, and assessment de13 scribed in paragraph (3)(A)(iii); 

14 ‘‘(II) the outreach and education 

15 described in paragraph (3)(A)(iv); and 

16 ‘‘(III) the monitoring, evaluating, 

17 and reporting described in paragraph 

18 (3)(A)(vi); 

19 ‘‘(iv) the projected financials and 

20 budget for eligible activities, including esti21 mated funding needed from the Secretary 

22 through grants under subsection (d); and 

23 ‘‘(v) a list of each eligible partner and 

24 each eligible entity collaborating to achieve 

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1 ment, including the roles, responsibilities, 

2 capabilities, and financial contribution of 

3 each eligible partner and each eligible enti4 ty. 

5 ‘‘(D) PRIORITY TO CERTAIN APPLICA6 TIONS.—The Secretary may give priority to ap7 plications submitted under subparagraph (A) 

8 that— 

9 ‘‘(i)(I) leverage significant non-Fed10 eral financial and technical resources; and 

11 ‘‘(II) coordinate with other local, 

12 State, or national efforts; 

13 ‘‘(ii) plan to create or retain quality 

14 jobs and provide workforce training and 

15 development in the regional food system 

16 developed under the partnership agree17 ment; 

18 ‘‘(iii) adapt to regional community 

19 needs and demonstrate the inclusion of cul20 tural differences that support food equity; 

21 ‘‘(iv) support community and regional 

22 economic development, particularly— 

23 ‘‘(I) in rural areas; or 


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1 ‘‘(II) such development that 

2 strengthens rural and urban connec3 tions; 

4 ‘‘(v) leverage partnerships with exist5 ing agencies and regional supply chains to 

6 better integrate local and regional foods 

7 into new and existing markets; 

8 ‘‘(vi) demonstrate an ability to build 

9 infrastructure and capacity to sustain the 

10 long-term viability of eligible activities; 

11 ‘‘(vii) use producer controlled busi12 nesses and cooperative ownership models; 

13 ‘‘(viii) cover an area located in dis14 tressed low-income rural and urban com15 munities, including areas with persistent 

16 poverty; 

17 ‘‘(ix) demonstrate consistency with ex18 isting regional economic or community de19 velopment plans for the area to be served 

20 by eligible activities; and 

21 ‘‘(x) meet other factors that are im22 portant for achieving the purposes of the 

23 Program described in subsection (b), as de24 termined by the Secretary. 

25 ‘‘(d) DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Under the Program, the 

2 Secretary may provide grants to eligible entities to 

3 carry out, in accordance with purposes of the Pro4 gram described in subsection (b), activities described 

5 in paragraph (2). 

6 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity 

7 may use a grant provided under paragraph (1)— 

8 ‘‘(A) to support and promote— 

9 ‘‘(i) domestic direct producer-to-con10 sumer marketing; 

11 ‘‘(ii) farmers’ markets; 

12 ‘‘(iii) roadside stands; 

13 ‘‘(iv) agritourism activities, 

14 ‘‘(v) community-supported agriculture 

15 programs; or 

16 ‘‘(vi) online sales; 

17 ‘‘(B) to support local and regional food 

18 business enterprises that engage as inter19 mediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer 

20 marketing; 

21 ‘‘(C) to support the processing, aggrega22 tion, distribution, and storage of local and re23 gional food products that are marketed locally 

24 or regionally; 


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1 ‘‘(D) to encourage the development of new 

2 food products and value-added agricultural 

3 products; 

4 ‘‘(E) to assist with business development 

5 and feasibility studies; 

6 ‘‘(F) to develop marketing strategies for 

7 producers of local food products and value8 added agricultural products in new and existing 

9 markets; 

10 ‘‘(G) to facilitate regional food chain co11 ordination and mid-tier value chain develop12 ment; 

13 ‘‘(H) to promote new business opportuni14 ties and marketing strategies to reduce on-farm 

15 food waste; or 

16 ‘‘(I) to respond to changing technology 

17 needs in direct producer-to-consumer mar18 keting. 

19 ‘‘(3) CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES.—The Sec20 retary shall establish such criteria and guidelines for 

21 the submission, evaluation, and funding of proposed 

22 projects under the Program as the Secretary deter23 mines are appropriate. 


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1 ‘‘(4) PRIORITIES.—The Secretary may give pri2 ority to applications submitted under paragraph (3) 

3 that— 

4 ‘‘(A) are applied for by, or serve— 

5 ‘‘(i) beginning farmers or ranchers; 

6 ‘‘(ii) socially disadvantaged farmers or 

7 ranchers; 

8 ‘‘(iii) operators of small or medium 

9 sized farms or ranches that are structured 

10 as family farms; or 

11 ‘‘(iv) veteran farmers or ranchers; 

12 ‘‘(B) benefit underserved communities, in13 cluding communities that are located in areas of 

14 concentrated poverty with limited access to 

15 fresh locally or regionally grown food; or 

16 ‘‘(C)(i) are applied for by an eligible entity 

17 participating in a partnership agreement; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) carry out eligible activities under the 

19 partnership agreement. 

20 ‘‘(5) TERM.—The term of a grant under this 

21 subsection shall be not longer than 3 years, as deter22 mined by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(6) AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant under 

24 the Program shall be not more than $500,000, as 

25 determined by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(7) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—An eligi2 ble entity may not use a grant under this subsection 

3 for the purchase or construction of a building or 

4 structure. 

5 ‘‘(e) SIMPLIFICATION OF APPLICATION AND REPORT6 ING PROCESSES.— 

7 ‘‘(1) APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall— 

8 ‘‘(A) simplify the application process for a 

9 grant under subsection (d); and 

10 ‘‘(B) establish a simplified application 

11 form for eligible entities that request less than 

12 $50,000 under that subsection. 

13 ‘‘(2) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall— 

14 ‘‘(A) streamline and simplify the reporting 

15 process for eligible entities; and 

16 ‘‘(B) obtain from eligible entities and 

17 maintain such information as the Secretary de18 termines is necessary to administer and evalu19 ate the Program. 

20 ‘‘(f) ECONOMY ACT AGREEMENTS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out the Pro22 gram, the Secretary, acting through the Adminis23 trator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, may 

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1 tions 1535 and 1536 of title 31, United States Code, 

2 with— 

3 ‘‘(A) the head of a field-based agency of 

4 the Department of Agriculture, as determined 

5 by the Secretary, to carry out such purposes 

6 and functions of the Program as the Secretary 

7 considers appropriate; or 

8 ‘‘(B) a cooperative extension service to pro9 vide Program technical assistance and outreach 

10 to eligible entities and eligible partners. 

11 ‘‘(2) INDIRECT COSTS.—An agreement entered 

12 into under paragraph (1)(B) shall not be subject to 

13 any indirect costs, unless the agreement expressly 

14 provides that it is subject to indirect costs. 

15 ‘‘(g) INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION.—In car16 rying out the Program, to the maximum extent prac17 ticable, the Secretary shall ensure coordination among 

18 Federal agencies. 

19 ‘‘(h) EVALUATION.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Using amounts made avail21 able under subsection (i)(4), the Secretary shall con22 duct an evaluation of the Program that— 

23 ‘‘(A) measures the economic impact of the 

24 Program on new and existing market outcomes; 


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1 ‘‘(B) measures the effectiveness of the Pro2 gram in improving and expanding— 

3 ‘‘(i) the regional food economy 

4 through public and private partnerships; 

5 ‘‘(ii) the production of value-added ag6 ricultural products; 

7 ‘‘(iii) producer-to-consumer mar8 keting, including direct producer-to-con9 sumer marketing; 

10 ‘‘(iv) local and regional food systems, 

11 including regional food chain coordination 

12 and business development; 

13 ‘‘(v) new business opportunities and 

14 marketing strategies to reduce on-farm 

15 food waste; 

16 ‘‘(vi) the use of new technologies in 

17 producer-to-consumer marketing, including 

18 direct producer-to-consumer marketing; 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(vii) the workforce and capacity of 

21 regional food systems; and 

22 ‘‘(C) provides a description of— 

23 ‘‘(i) each partnership agreement; and 

24 ‘‘(ii) each grant provided under sub25 section (d). 


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1 ‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the 

2 date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 

3 submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 

4 House of Representatives and the Committee on Ag5 riculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a 

6 report describing the evaluation conducted under 

7 paragraph (1), including a thorough analysis of the 

8 outcomes of the evaluation. 

9 ‘‘(i) FUNDING.— 

10 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

11 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

12 shall use to carry out this section $80,000,000 for 

13 each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022, to remain 

14 available until expended. 

15 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

17 this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

18 2018 through 2022, to remain available until ex19 pended. 

20 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.— 

21 ‘‘(A) PRODUCERS.— 

22 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

23 (ii), of the funds made available to carry 

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1 section (d) provided to eligible entities de2 scribed in subparagraphs (A) through (C) 

3 of subsection (b)(3). 

4 ‘‘(ii) MAJORITY-CONTROLLED PRO5 DUCER-BASED BUSINESS VENTURES.—The 

6 total amount of grants under subsection 

7 (d) provided to majority-controlled pro8 ducer-based business ventures for a fiscal 

9 year shall not exceed 10 percent of the 

10 amount reserved under clause (i). 

11 ‘‘(B) REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.—Of the 

12 funds made available to carry out this section 

13 for a fiscal year, 10 percent shall be used to 

14 enter into partnership agreements. 

15 ‘‘(C) UNOBLIGATED FUNDS.—Any funds 

16 reserved under subparagraph (A) or (B) that 

17 are not obligated for the uses described in that 

18 subparagraph, as applicable, by September 30 

19 of the fiscal year for which the funds were 

20 made available— 

21 ‘‘(i) shall be available to carry out any 

22 function of the Program; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) may carry over to the next fiscal 

24 year. 


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1 ‘‘(4) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not greater 

2 than 8 percent of amounts made available to carry 

3 out this section for a fiscal year may be used for ad4 ministrative expenses.’’. 

5 SEC. 3. FOOD SAFETY OUTREACH PROGRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 405 of the Agricultural 

7 Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 

8 (7 U.S.C. 7625) is amended— 

9 (1) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(c) PROJECT PRIORITIES.—In awarding grants 

12 under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to the 

13 following types of projects: 

14 ‘‘(1) A project that targets small- and medium15 sized farms, beginning farmers, socially disadvan16 taged farmers, small food processors, or small fresh 

17 fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. 

18 ‘‘(2) A project carried out in partnership with 

19 or led by an organization described in subsection 

20 (f)(1)(C) that works with or represents the target 

21 audience for the project.’’; and 

22 (2) in subsection (f)(1)— 

23 (A) by redesignating subparagraphs (C), 

24 (D), and (E) as subparagraphs (D), (E), and 

25 (F), respectively; and 


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1 (B) by striking subparagraph (B) and in2 serting the following: 

3 ‘‘(B) a Federal, State, local, or Tribal 

4 agency; 

5 ‘‘(C) a nonprofit community-based or non6 governmental organization or an organization 

7 representing owners and operators of farms, 

8 small food processors, or small fruit and vege9 table merchant wholesalers that has a commit10 ment to public health and expertise in admin11 istering programs that contribute to food safe12 ty;’’. 

13 (b) COORDINATION AND COOPERATION.—Section 

14 405(d) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Edu15 cation Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7625(d)) is amend16 ed— 

17 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘National In18 tegrated Food Safety Initiative’’ and inserting ‘‘Ag19 ricultural Marketing Service’’; and 

20 (2) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 

21 following: 

22 ‘‘(2) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the 

23 grant program under this section, the Secretary 

24 shall consult with the National Institute of Food and 

25 Agriculture— 


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1 ‘‘(A) to take into consideration applied re2 search, education, and extension results; and 

3 ‘‘(B) to integrate program evaluations and 

4 results into the research, education, and exten5 sion agenda. 

6 ‘‘(3) FOOD SAFETY APPLIED RESEARCH AGEN7 DA.—In determining the applied research agenda for 

8 food safety, the Secretary shall take into consider9 ation the needs described by participants in projects 

10 funded by the program under this section.’’. 

11 (c) GRANT FEATURES AND REQUIREMENTS.—Sec12 tion 405(e) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and 

13 Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7625(e)) is 

14 amended— 

15 (1) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(2) ENCOURAGED FEATURES.—The Secretary 

18 shall encourage a project carried out using grant 

19 funds under this section— 

20 ‘‘(A) to include comanagement of food 

21 safety, conservation systems, and ecological 

22 health; and 

23 ‘‘(B) to be appropriate to the identified 

24 needs of the priority target audience of the 

25 project.’’; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (3)(B)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and in3 serting the following: 

4 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro5 vided in clause (ii), the Secretary’’; and 

6 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(ii) CONTINUATION GRANT.—The 

8 Secretary may approve a continuation 

9 grant for a project to receive funding 

10 under this section after the entity carrying 

11 out the project has received 3 years of 

12 grant funding under this section if the 

13 project— 

14 ‘‘(I) meets 1 or more of the pri15 orities specified in subsection (c); and 

16 ‘‘(II) demonstrates a positive im17 pact on the target audience from 

18 funding received for the prior funding 

19 cycle.’’; and 

20 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(4) LIMITATION ON INDIRECT COSTS.—A re22 cipient of a grant under this section may not use 

23 more than 20 percent of the grant funds for the in24 direct costs (as determined by the Secretary) of car25 rying out projects described in paragraph (1).’’. 


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1 (d) FUNDING.—Section 405 of the Agricultural Re2 search, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 

3 U.S.C. 7625) is amended by striking subsection (j) and 

4 inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(j) FUNDING.— 

6 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

7 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

8 shall use to carry out this section $20,000,000 for 

9 each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022. 

10 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION ON ADMINISTRATIVE EX11 PENSES.—Not more than 5 percent of the total 

12 amount made available to carry out this section for 

13 a fiscal year may be used for administrative ex14 penses.’’. 

15 (e) TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS.—Section 405(a) of 

16 the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Re17 form Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7625(a)) is amended— 

18 (1) by striking ‘‘section 1011(d) of the Federal 

19 Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act’’ and inserting ‘‘sec20 tion 1012(d) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cos21 metic Act (21 U.S.C. 399c(d)) (commonly known as 

22 the ‘Food Safety Outreach Program’)’’; and 

23 (2) by striking ‘‘such section’’ and inserting 

24 ‘‘that subsection’’. 


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1 SEC. 4. FOOD SAFETY COST-SHARE PROGRAM. 

2 Subtitle A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 

3 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.) (as amended by section 2(b)) is 

4 amended by adding at the end the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 210B. FOOD SAFETY COST-SHARE PROGRAM. 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture, 

7 acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural Mar8 keting Service (referred to in this section as the ‘Sec9 retary’) shall establish a national food safety cost-share 

10 program (referred to in this section as the ‘program’) 

11 under which the Secretary shall reimburse producers and 

12 handlers of agricultural products for costs incurred in— 

13 ‘‘(1) obtaining food safety certification; and 

14 ‘‘(2) making necessary changes and upgrades to 

15 practices and equipment to improve food safety. 

16 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 

18 domestic producer or handler that obtains a food 

19 safety certification from an accredited food safety 

20 certifier may request reimbursement under the pro21 gram. 

22 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—A producer or handler that 

23 has successfully passed a food safety audit each of 

24 the preceding 3 years shall not be eligible for reim25 bursement under the program. 

26 ‘‘(c) AMOUNT OF REIMBURSEMENT.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraphs (2) 

2 and (3), the Secretary may reimburse a producer or 

3 handler under the program for— 

4 ‘‘(A) not more than 75 percent of the costs 

5 incurred by the producer or handler in obtain6 ing food safety certification through an accred7 ited food safety certifier; and 

8 ‘‘(B) not more than 50 percent of the costs 

9 incurred by the producer or handler for changes 

10 to agricultural practices and equipment nec11 essary to improve food safety. 

12 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The maximum 

13 amount of reimbursement provided to a producer or 

14 handler under the program shall be— 

15 ‘‘(A) $1,500 under paragraph (1)(A); and 

16 ‘‘(B) $5,000 under paragraph (1)(B). 

17 ‘‘(3) INCREASED PAYMENTS FOR CERTAIN PRO18 DUCERS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) APPLICABILITY.—This paragraph ap20 plies to— 

21 ‘‘(i) a limited resource farmer or 

22 rancher (as defined by the Secretary); 

23 ‘‘(ii) a socially disadvantaged farmer 

24 or rancher (as defined in section 355(e) of 


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1 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop2 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 2003(e))); 

3 ‘‘(iii) a veteran farmer or rancher (as 

4 defined in section 2501(e) of the Food, Ag5 riculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 

6 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(e))); and 

7 ‘‘(iv) a qualified beginning farmer or 

8 rancher (as defined in section 343(a) of 

9 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop10 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a))). 

11 ‘‘(B) INCREASED FUNDING.—Subject to 

12 paragraph (2), in the case of a producer de13 scribed in subparagraph (A), the Secretary may 

14 increase the amount that would otherwise be 

15 provided to the producer under this sub16 section— 

17 ‘‘(i) up to 90 percent of the cost of 

18 certification described in paragraph (1)(A); 

19 and 

20 ‘‘(ii) up to 75 percent of the cost of 

21 practices and equipment described in para22 graph (1)(B). 

23 ‘‘(d) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Not later than 

24 March 1 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the 

25 Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 


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1 and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For2 estry of the Senate a report that describes the requests 

3 by, disbursements to, and expenditures for each State 

4 under the program during the applicable and previous fis5 cal year, including the number of producers and handlers 

6 served by the program in the previous fiscal year. 

7 ‘‘(e) FUNDING.— 

8 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

9 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

10 shall use to carry out the program $10,000,000 for 

11 each of fiscal years 2018 through 2022, to remain 

12 available until expended. 

13 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

14 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

15 the program $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

16 2018 through 2022.’’. 

17 SEC. 5. NATIONAL ORGANIC CERTIFICATION COST-SHARE 

18 PROGRAM. 

19 (a) ELIMINATION OF DIRECTED DELEGATION.—Sec20 tion 10606(a) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 

21 Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523(a)) is amended by striking 

22 ‘‘(acting through the Agricultural Marketing Service)’’. 

23 (b) FUNDING.—Section 10606 of the Farm Security 

24 and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523) is 


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1 amended by striking subsection (d) and inserting the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(d) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of the 

4 Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall make 

5 available to carry out this section $11,500,000 for each 

6 of fiscal years 2018 through 2022, to remain available 

7 until expended.’’. 

8 SEC. 6. LIVESTOCK, DAIRY, AND POULTRY SUPPLY CHAIN 

9 INFRASTRUCTURE GRANTS AND LOANS. 

10 Subtitle D of title III of the Consolidated Farm and 

11 Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1981 et seq.) is amend12 ed by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘SEC. 379I. LIVESTOCK, DAIRY, AND POULTRY SUPPLY 

14 CHAIN INFRASTRUCTURE. 

15 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF SMALL PROCESSING FACIL16 ITY.—In this section, the term ‘small processing facility’ 

17 means— 

18 ‘‘(1) with respect to an establishment that is 

19 subject to the requirements of the Federal Meat In20 spection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.), a small estab21 lishment that is eligible to be selected under section 

22 501(b) of that Act (21 U.S.C. 683(b)); or 

23 ‘‘(2) a selected establishment (as defined in sec24 tion 31(a) of the Poultry Products Inspection Act 

25 (21 U.S.C. 472(a))). 


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1 ‘‘(b) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may provide 

2 grants or make or insure loans under any of the programs 

3 authorized by this title, the Agricultural Marketing Act 

4 of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1621 et seq.), or the Rural Electrifica5 tion Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), as the Secretary 

6 determines to be appropriate, to assist farmers and rural 

7 businesses and cooperatives to maintain or increase the 

8 production, aggregation, processing, distribution, and 

9 marketing of value-added, niche, or regionally-marketed 

10 meat, dairy, and poultry products. 

11 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In carrying out this section, the 

12 Secretary shall give priority to grants or loans that will 

13 help increase or enhance the availability and geographic 

14 distribution of State- and Department of Agriculture-in15 spected small processing facilities.’’. 

16 SEC. 7. GEOGRAPHIC PREFERENCE AND IDENTIFICATION 

17 FOR SCHOOL FOOD. 

18 Section 9(j) of the Richard B. Russell National 

19 School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1758(j)) is amended by 

20 striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following: 

21 ‘‘(3) allow institutions receiving funds under 

22 this Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 

23 U.S.C. 1771 et seq.), including the Department of 

24 Defense Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program— 


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1 ‘‘(A) to use a geographic preference for the 

2 procurement of unprocessed agricultural prod3 ucts, both locally grown and locally raised; or 

4 ‘‘(B) to use locally grown, locally raised, or 

5 locally caught as a product specification.’’. 

6 SEC. 8. HARVESTING HEALTH PROGRAM. 

7 The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 

8 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘SEC. 30. HARVESTING HEALTH PROGRAM. 

10 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 ‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en12 tity’ means— 

13 ‘‘(A) an emergency feeding organization 

14 (as defined in section 201A of the Emergency 

15 Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501)), 

16 in partnership with— 

17 ‘‘(i) a hospital; 

18 ‘‘(ii) a Federally-qualified health cen19 ter (as defined in section 1905(l)(2) of the 

20 Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 

21 1396d(l)(2))); 

22 ‘‘(iii) a hospital or clinic operated by 

23 the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or 

24 ‘‘(iv) a health care provider group; 


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1 ‘‘(B) an entity authorized under the sup2 plemental nutrition assistance program that 

3 is— 

4 ‘‘(i) a farmers’ market; 

5 ‘‘(ii) a community-supported agricul6 tural entity; 

7 ‘‘(iii) a cooperative; 

8 ‘‘(iv) a local public benefit corpora9 tion; 

10 ‘‘(v) a nonprofit organization; or 

11 ‘‘(vi) a retail food store; 

12 ‘‘(C) a State or local government agency, 

13 in partnership with an entity described in any 

14 of clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A); 

15 and 

16 ‘‘(D) an entity described in any of clauses 

17 (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A), in part18 nership with— 

19 ‘‘(i) an emergency feeding organiza20 tion (as defined in section 201A of the 

21 Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 

22 (7 U.S.C. 7501)); 

23 ‘‘(ii) an entity described in subpara24 graph (B); or 


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1 ‘‘(iii) a State or local government 

2 agency. 

3 ‘‘(2) PILOT PROJECT.—The term ‘pilot project’ 

4 means a pilot project described in subsection (b)(1). 

5 ‘‘(3) PRODUCE PRESCRIPTION PROGRAM.—The 

6 term ‘produce prescription program’ means a pro7 gram— 

8 ‘‘(A) under which fresh fruits and vegeta9 bles are prescribed to individuals or households 

10 who are at-risk due to health status or income; 

11 and 

12 ‘‘(B) that may provide— 

13 ‘‘(i) financial incentives for individuals 

14 described in paragraph (1) to purchase 

15 fruits and vegetables; 

16 ‘‘(ii) education resources on nutrition 

17 to those individuals; and 

18 ‘‘(iii) accessible locations for those in19 dividuals to procure fresh fruits and vege20 tables. 

21 ‘‘(b) PILOT PROJECTS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordina23 tion with the heads of other appropriate Federal 

24 agencies, shall award to eligible entities grants to 

25 conduct pilot projects to demonstrate and evaluate 


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1 the impact of produce prescription programs on low2 income individuals, households in areas with per3 sistent poverty, and households with existing diet-re4 lated health issues, including whether the produce 

5 prescription program— 

6 ‘‘(A) reduces individual and household food 

7 insecurity; 

8 ‘‘(B) provides support for local and re9 gional agriculture and economic development; 

10 ‘‘(C) increases domestic consumption of 

11 produce; and 

12 ‘‘(D) reduces health care use and associ13 ated costs. 

14 ‘‘(2) APPLICATIONS.—An eligible entity desiring 

15 a grant under paragraph (1) shall submit to the 

16 Secretary an application at such time, in such man17 ner, and containing such information as the Sec18 retary may require, including— 

19 ‘‘(A) a description of the methods by which 

20 the pilot project will target the produce pre21 scription program to low-income individuals and 

22 households with existing diet-related health 

23 issues; 

24 ‘‘(B) a description of how the pilot project 

25 will screen and recruit low-income individuals 


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1 and households with existing diet-related health 

2 issues; 

3 ‘‘(C) a description of how the pilot project 

4 will evaluate program participants and partners 

5 with respect to the issues described in subpara6 graphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (1); 

7 ‘‘(D) a description of how the pilot project 

8 will provide nutrition education opportunities to 

9 participants in the produce prescription pro10 gram; 

11 ‘‘(E) a description of any partners of the 

12 pilot project under paragraph (3) and the role 

13 of each such partner in implementing and eval14 uating an effective produce prescription pro15 gram; 

16 ‘‘(F) documentation of the necessary part17 nership agreements with the relevant State 

18 Medicaid agency or other appropriate entity for 

19 the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of 

20 the produce prescription program in reducing 

21 health care use and associated costs; and 

22 ‘‘(G) any data requested by the Secretary 

23 to analyze the impact of the pilot project. 

24 ‘‘(3) PARTNERSHIPS.—In carrying out this sec25 tion, the Secretary may enter into 1 or more memoVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:23 Oct 12, 2017 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1947.IS S1947

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1 randums of understanding with Federal agencies, 

2 States, and private partners to ensure the effective 

3 implementation and evaluation of each pilot project 

4 awarded a grant under this section. 

5 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.— 

6 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On October 1, 2017, 

8 and on each October 1 thereafter through Octo9 ber 1, 2021, out of any funds in the Treasury 

10 not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the 

11 Treasury shall transfer to the Secretary to 

12 carry out this section $10,000,000, to remain 

13 available until expended. 

14 ‘‘(B) RECEIPT AND ACCEPTANCE.—The 

15 Secretary shall be entitled to receive, shall ac16 cept, and shall use to carry out this section the 

17 funds transferred under subparagraph (A), 

18 without further appropriation. 

19 ‘‘(2) DISCRETIONARY FUNDING.—There is au20 thorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

21 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 

22 2022.’’. 

23 SEC. 9. SENIORS FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PROGRAM. 

24 Section 4402 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest25 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007) is amended— 


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1 (1) in the section heading, by inserting ‘‘AND

2 VETERANS’’ after ‘‘SENIORS’’; 

3 (2) by redesignating subsections (b), (c), (d), 

4 (e), and (f) as subsections (c), (e), (f), (g), and (h), 

5 respectively; 

6 (3) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 ‘‘(1) LOW-INCOME.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara11 graph (B), the term ‘low-income’, with respect 

12 to seniors and veterans, shall have the meaning 

13 given the term by the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(B) APPLICATION.—The Secretary shall 

15 apply the definition of the term ‘low-income’ 

16 equally with respect to seniors and veterans. 

17 ‘‘(2) MINIMALLY PROCESSED.—The term ‘mini18 mally processed’, with respect to a product, means 

19 processing that does not fundamentally alter the 

20 product. 

21 ‘‘(3) VETERAN.—The term ‘veteran’ has the 

22 meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, 

23 United States Code. 

24 ‘‘(b) FUNDING.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of 

2 the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary 

3 shall use to carry out and expand a seniors and vet4 erans farmers’ market nutrition program under this 

5 section not less than $50,000,000 for each of fiscal 

6 years 2018 through 2022. 

7 ‘‘(2) DISCRETIONARY FUNDING.—There is au8 thorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

9 $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 

10 2022. 

11 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—Of the funds made avail12 able under this subsection for a fiscal year— 

13 ‘‘(A) 70 percent of the funds shall be used 

14 for the benefit of program recipients who are 

15 low-income seniors; and 

16 ‘‘(B) 30 percent of the funds shall be used 

17 for the benefit of program recipients who are 

18 low-income veterans. 

19 ‘‘(4) UNEXPENDED FUNDS.—To the extent the 

20 funds made available under this subsection for a fis21 cal year are not expended in that fiscal year, the 

22 Secretary shall use the remaining funds in a subse23 quent fiscal year for the same purpose.’’; 

24 (4) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated)— 


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1 (A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

2 by inserting ‘‘and veterans’’ after ‘‘seniors’’; 

3 (B) in paragraph (1)— 

4 (i) by inserting ‘‘, minimally proc5 essed’’ after ‘‘unprepared’’; and 

6 (ii) by inserting ‘‘and low-income vet7 erans’’ after ‘‘low-income seniors’’; 

8 (5) by inserting after subsection (c) (as so re9 designated) the following: 

10 ‘‘(d) PRIORITIES.—In allocating funds made avail11 able under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give priority 

12 to— 

13 ‘‘(1) farmers’ markets that have an operational 

14 seniors and veterans farmers’ market program; and 

15 ‘‘(2) seniors and veterans farmers’ market pro16 grams in historically underserved communities.’’; 

17 and 

18 (6) in each of subsections (e), (f), and (g) (as 

19 so redesignated), by inserting ‘‘and veterans’’ after 

20 ‘‘seniors’’ each place it appears. 

21 SEC. 10. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE SERVICE LEARNING 

22 PROGRAM. 

23 Section 413 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, 

24 and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7633) is 

25 amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (b)(4), by inserting ‘‘, to pro2 mote agricultural education, to raise awareness 

3 about the consequences of wasted food, and to en4 courage the implementation of food recovery initia5 tives to reduce the quantity of wasted food’’ before 

6 the semicolon; 

7 (2) in subsection (c)— 

8 (A) in paragraph (2)— 

9 (i) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

10 ‘‘and where food comes from; and’’ and in11 serting ‘‘where food comes from, the con12 sequences of food waste, and food recovery 

13 initiatives;’’; 

14 (ii) in subparagraph (D), by striking 

15 the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 

16 and’’; and 

17 (iii) by adding at the end the fol18 lowing: 

19 ‘‘(E) have the capacity to execute national 

20 or regional projects that include 2 or more 

21 States.’’; and 

22 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(3) RESERVATION.—The majority of the funds 

24 made available to carry out this subsection shall be 

25 reserved for grants to projects that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) are large in scale, as compared to 

2 other proposed projects; 

3 ‘‘(B) are national or regional in scope; and 

4 ‘‘(C) include 2 or more States.’’; and 

5 (3) in subsection (e)(1), by striking 

6 ‘‘$25,000,000, to remain available until expended’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

8 2018 through 2022’’. 

Æ 


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