II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2762 

To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to support 

opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 26, 2018 

Ms. HEITKAMP (for herself, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. JONES, and Ms. SMITH) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 

of 2002 to support opportunities for beginning farmers 

and ranchers, 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. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Next Generation in 

5 Agriculture Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER DEVELOPMENT 

7 PROGRAM. 

8 Section 7405 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest9 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3319f) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (c)— 

2 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

3 (i) in the matter preceding subpara4 graph (A), by inserting ‘‘to increase oppor5 tunities’’ after ‘‘initiatives’’; 

6 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 

7 ‘‘and succession’’ after ‘‘transfer’’; 

8 (iii) by redesignating subparagraphs 

9 (M) and (N) as subparagraphs (N) and 

10 (O), respectively; and 

11 (iv) by inserting after subparagraph 

12 (L) the following: 

13 ‘‘(M) food safety;’’; 

14 (B) by striking paragraph (4); 

15 (C) by redesignating paragraphs (5) 

16 through (12) as paragraphs (4) through (11), 

17 respectively; 

18 (D) in paragraph (4) (as so redesig19 nated)— 

20 (i) by redesignating subparagraphs 

21 (E) and (F) as subparagraphs (F) and 

22 (G), respectively; and 

23 (ii) by inserting after subparagraph 

24 (D) the following: 


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1 ‘‘(E) the consultation of beginning farmers 

2 and ranchers in design, implementation, and 

3 decisionmaking relating to an initiative de4 scribed in paragraph (1);’’; 

5 (E) in paragraph (10) (as so redesig6 nated), by striking ‘‘10’’ and inserting ‘‘15’’; 

7 and 

8 (F) in paragraph (11) (as so redesig9 nated), by striking ‘‘(8)(B)’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘(7)(B)’’; 

11 (2) in subsection (g)— 

12 (A) by inserting ‘‘(including owners or op13 erators that have ended, or expect to end within 

14 5 years, active labor in farming or ranching op15 erations as a producer)’’ after ‘‘not beginning 

16 farmers or ranchers’’; and 

17 (B) by striking ‘‘educating’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘increasing opportunities for’’; and 

19 (3) in subsection (h)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

21 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik22 ing ‘‘FOR FISCAL YEARS 2009 THROUGH

23 2018’’; 

24 (ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

25 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (iii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

2 ‘‘, to remain available until expended.’’ and 

3 inserting a semicolon; and 

4 (iv) by adding at the end the fol5 lowing: 

6 ‘‘(D) $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

7 2019 and 2020; 

8 ‘‘(E) $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

9 2021 and 2022; and 

10 ‘‘(F) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 and 

11 each fiscal year thereafter, to remain available 

12 until expended.’’; and 

13 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

14 (i) in the paragraph heading, by strik15 ing ‘‘2014 THROUGH 2018’’ and inserting 

16 ‘‘2018 THROUGH 2023’’; and 

17 (ii) by striking ‘‘2014 through 2018’’ 

18 and inserting ‘‘2018 through 2023’’. 

19 SEC. 3. YOUTH OUTREACH AND BEGINNING FARMER CO20 ORDINATION. 

21 Subtitle D of title VII of the Farm Security and 

22 Rural Investment Act of 2002 is amended by inserting 

23 after section 7405 (7 U.S.C. 3319f) the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 7405A. YOUTH OUTREACH AND BEGINNING FARMER 

2 COORDINATION. 

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

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

5 term ‘beginning farmer or rancher’ has the meaning 

6 given the term in section 7405(a). 

7 ‘‘(2) NATIONAL COORDINATOR.—The term ‘Na8 tional Coordinator’ means the National Beginning 

9 Farmer and Rancher Coordinator established under 

10 subsection (b)(1). 

11 ‘‘(3) STATE COORDINATOR.—The term ‘State 

12 coordinator’ means a State beginning farmer and 

13 rancher coordinator designated under subsection 

14 (c)(1)(A). 

15 ‘‘(4) STATE OFFICE.—The term ‘State office’ 

16 means— 

17 ‘‘(A) a State office of— 

18 ‘‘(i) the Farm Service Agency; 

19 ‘‘(ii) the Natural Resources Conserva20 tion Service; 

21 ‘‘(iii) the Rural Business-Cooperative 

22 Service; or 

23 ‘‘(iv) the Rural Utilities Service; or 

24 ‘‘(B) a regional office of the Risk Manage25 ment Agency. 


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1 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER

2 COORDINATOR.— 

3 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es4 tablish in the Department the position of National 

5 Beginning Farmer and Rancher Coordinator. 

6 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The National Coordi8 nator shall— 

9 ‘‘(i) advise the Secretary and coordi10 nate activities of the Department on pro11 grams, policies, and issues relating to be12 ginning farmers and ranchers; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) in consultation with the applica14 ble State food and agriculture council, de15 termine whether to approve a plan sub16 mitted by a State coordinator under sub17 section (c)(3)(B). 

18 ‘‘(B) DISCRETIONARY DUTIES.—Duties of 

19 the National Coordinator may include— 

20 ‘‘(i) developing and implementing new 

21 strategies to support beginning farmers 

22 and ranchers by conducting outreach and 

23 developing strategies to provide assistance 

24 to beginning farmers and ranchers and 

25 owners or operators that have ended, or 


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1 expect to end within 5 years, active labor 

2 in farming or ranching operations as a 

3 producer; and 

4 ‘‘(ii) facilitating interagency and 

5 interdepartmental collaboration on issues 

6 relating to beginning farmers and ranch7 ers. 

8 ‘‘(3) REPORTS.—Not less frequently than once 

9 each year, the National Coordinator shall distribute 

10 within the Department and make publicly available 

11 a report describing the status of steps taken to carry 

12 out the duties described in subparagraphs (A) and 

13 (B) of paragraph (2). 

14 ‘‘(4) CONTRACTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREE15 MENTS.—In carrying out the duties under para16 graph (2), the National Coordinator may enter into 

17 a contract or cooperative agreement with an institu18 tion of higher education (as defined in section 101 

19 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

20 1001)), cooperative extension services (as defined in 

21 section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, 

22 Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 

23 U.S.C. 3103), or a nonprofit organization— 


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1 ‘‘(A) to conduct research on the profit2 ability of new farms in operation for not less 

3 than 5 years in a region; 

4 ‘‘(B) to develop educational materials; 

5 ‘‘(C) to conduct workshops, courses, train6 ing, or certified vocational training; or 

7 ‘‘(D) to conduct mentoring activities. 

8 ‘‘(c) STATE BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER CO9 ORDINATORS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.— 

11 ‘‘(A) DESIGNATION.—The National Coor12 dinator, in consultation with State food and ag13 riculture councils and Directors of State offices, 

14 shall designate in each State a State beginning 

15 farmer and rancher coordinator from among 

16 employees of State offices. 

17 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—To be designated 

18 as a State coordinator, an employee shall— 

19 ‘‘(i) be familiar with issues relating to 

20 beginning farmers and ranchers; and 

21 ‘‘(ii) have the ability to interface with 

22 other Federal departments and agencies. 

23 ‘‘(2) TRAINING.—The Secretary shall develop a 

24 training plan to provide to each State coordinator 

25 knowledge of programs and services available from 


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1 the Department for beginning farmers and ranchers, 

2 taking into consideration the unique needs of each 

3 type of production method and size of agricultural 

4 operation. 

5 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.—A State coordinator shall— 

6 ‘‘(A) coordinate technical assistance at the 

7 State level to assist beginning farmers and 

8 ranchers in accessing programs of the Depart9 ment; 

10 ‘‘(B) develop and submit to the National 

11 Coordinator for approval under subsection 

12 (b)(2)(A)(ii) a State plan to improve the coordi13 nation, delivery, and efficacy of programs of the 

14 Department to beginning farmers and ranchers, 

15 taking into consideration the unique needs of 

16 each type of production method and size of ag17 ricultural operation, at each county and area of18 fice in the State; 

19 ‘‘(C) oversee implementation of an ap20 proved State plan described in subparagraph 

21 (B); 

22 ‘‘(D) work with outreach coordinators in 

23 the State offices to ensure appropriate informa24 tion about technical assistance is available at 

25 outreach events and activities; and 


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1 ‘‘(E) coordinate partnerships and joint out2 reach efforts with other organizations and gov3 ernment agencies serving beginning farmers 

4 and ranchers. 

5 ‘‘(d) AGRICULTURAL YOUTH COORDINATOR.— 

6 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es7 tablish in the Department the position of Agricul8 tural Youth Coordinator. 

9 ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Agricultural Youth Coordi10 nator shall— 

11 ‘‘(A) promote the role of school-based agri12 cultural education and youth-serving agricul13 tural organizations in motivating and preparing 

14 young people to pursue careers in the agri15 culture, food, and natural resources systems; 

16 ‘‘(B) coordinate programs and agencies 

17 within the Department— 

18 ‘‘(i) to work with schools and youth19 serving organizations to develop joint pro20 grams and initiatives, such as internships; 

21 and 

22 ‘‘(ii) to provide resources and input to 

23 schools and youth-serving organizations re24 garding motivating and preparing young 


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1 people to pursue careers in the agriculture, 

2 food, and natural resources systems; 

3 ‘‘(C) raise awareness among youth about 

4 the importance of agriculture in a diversity of 

5 fields and disciplines; 

6 ‘‘(D) provide information to youth involved 

7 in food and agriculture and youth agriculture 

8 organizations about the availability of, and eli9 gibility requirements for, agricultural programs, 

10 with particular emphasis on— 

11 ‘‘(i) beginning farmer and rancher 

12 programs; 

13 ‘‘(ii) agriculture education; 

14 ‘‘(iii) nutrition education; 

15 ‘‘(iv) science, technology, engineering, 

16 and mathematics education; and 

17 ‘‘(v) other food and agriculture pro18 grams for youth; 

19 ‘‘(E) serve as a resource for youth involved 

20 in food and agriculture applying for participa21 tion in agricultural programs; 

22 ‘‘(F) conduct outreach to youth agriculture 

23 organizations; and 

24 ‘‘(G) advocate on behalf of youth involved 

25 in food and agriculture and youth organizations 


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1 in interactions with employees of the Depart2 ment. 

3 ‘‘(3) REPORTS.—Not less frequently than once 

4 each year, the Agricultural Youth Coordinator shall 

5 distribute within the Department and make publicly 

6 available a report describing the status of steps 

7 taken to carry out the duties described in subpara8 graphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (2). 

9 ‘‘(4) CONTRACTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREE10 MENTS.—For purposes of carrying out the duties de11 scribed in paragraph (2), the Agricultural Youth Co12 ordinator— 

13 ‘‘(A) shall consult with the cooperative ex14 tension services and the land-grant colleges and 

15 universities; and 

16 ‘‘(B) may enter into contracts or coopera17 tive agreements with the research centers of the 

18 Agricultural Research Service, institutions of 

19 higher education (as defined in section 101 of 

20 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

21 1001)), or nonprofit organizations for— 

22 ‘‘(i) the development of educational 

23 materials; 

24 ‘‘(ii) the conduct of workshops, 

25 courses, and certified vocational training; 


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1 ‘‘(iii) the conduct of mentoring activi2 ties; or 

3 ‘‘(iv) the provision of internship op4 portunities.’’. 

5 SEC. 4. NEXT GENERATION AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY 

6 CHALLENGE. 

7 Subtitle C of the National Agricultural Research, Ex8 tension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 is amended by 

9 inserting after section 1418 (7 U.S.C. 3153) the following: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 1419. NEXT GENERATION AGRICULTURE TECH11 NOLOGY CHALLENGE. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 

13 next generation agriculture technology challenge competi14 tion to provide an incentive for the development of innova15 tive mobile technology that removes barriers to entry in 

16 the marketplace for beginning farmers and ranchers (as 

17 defined in section 7405(a) of the Farm Security and Rural 

18 Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3319f(a))). 

19 ‘‘(b) AMOUNT.—The Secretary may award not more 

20 than $1,000,000 in the aggregate to one or more winners 

21 of the competition under subsection (a).’’. 


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1 SEC. 5. BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER CROP INSUR2 ANCE. 

3 Section 502(b)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 

4 (7 U.S.C. 1502(b)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘5’’ and in5 serting ‘‘10’’. 

Æ 


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