Title: Farmers of Tomorrow Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Farmers of Tomorrow Act
This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand eligibility for Department of Agriculture (USDA) direct farm ownership loans by modifying the three-year experience requirement.
(Under current law, USDA may make a direct farm ownership loan only to a farmer or rancher who has participated in the business operations of a farm or ranch for at least three years or has other acceptable experience.)
The bill modifies the experience requirement to specify a list of acceptable experience and educational criteria that USDA may count for an applicant to meet or reduce the necessary experience requirement.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4513 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4513

 To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to alter and 
  expand eligibility for farm ownership loans by modifying the 3-year 
                        experience requirement.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 1, 2017

 Mrs. Bustos (for herself and Mr. Thompson of Pennsylvania) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to alter and 
  expand eligibility for farm ownership loans by modifying the 3-year 
                        experience requirement.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Farmers of Tomorrow Act''.

SEC. 2. MODIFICATION OF THE 3-YEAR EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENT FOR PURPOSES 
              OF ELIGIBILITY FOR FARM OWNERSHIP LOANS.

    (a) In General.--Section 302(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922(b)) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) by striking ``(3)'' and inserting ``(5)''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``(not exceeding 2 years)'' after 
                ``period of time''; and
            (2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs 
        (4) and (5), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (1) 
        the following:
            ``(2) Other acceptable experience.--In determining whether 
        a farmer or rancher has other acceptable experience under 
        paragraph (1), the Secretary may count any of the following:
                    ``(A) at least 16 hours of post-secondary education 
                in a field related to agriculture;
                    ``(B) successful completion of a farm management 
                curriculum offered by the Cooperative Extension 
                Service, a community college, an adult vocational 
                agriculture program, a non-profit organization, or a 
                land grant university;
                    ``(C) at least 1 year of direct substantive 
                management experience in a business;
                    ``(D) an honorable discharge from the armed forces 
                of the United States;
                    ``(E) successful repayment of a youth loan made 
                under section 311(b);
                    ``(F) at least 1 year as hired farm labor with 
                substantial management responsibilities;
                    ``(G) successful completion of a farm mentorship, 
                apprenticeship, or internship program with an emphasis 
                on management requirements and day-to-day farm 
                management decisions;
                    ``(H) an established relationship with an 
                individual participating as a counselor in a Service 
                Corps of Retired Executives program authorized under 
                section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
                637(b)(1)(B)), or with a local farm or ranch operator 
                or organization, approved by the Secretary, that is 
                committed to mentoring the farmer or rancher; and
                    ``(I) successful completion of a military 
                leadership course.
            ``(3) Deeming rule.--For purposes of paragraph (1), a 
        farmer or rancher is deemed to have participated in the 
        business operations of a farm or ranch for not less than 3 
        years or have other acceptable experience for a period of time, 
        as determined by the Secretary, if the farmer or rancher meets 
        the requirements of subparagraphs (F), (H), and (I) of 
        paragraph (2).''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--Section 310D(a)(2) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
1934(a)(2)) is amended by striking ``paragraphs (2) through (4) of 
section 302'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (A) through (D) of section 
302(a)(1)''.
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