Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1850
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2011-11-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Agricultural conservation and pollution
Agricultural education
Agricultural insurance
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Agricultural research
Air quality
Department of Agriculture
Employment and training programs
Executive agency funding and structure
Farmland
Financial literacy
Government lending and loan guarantees
Rural conditions and development
Small business
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
Wetlands

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-10
text: 
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2011 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend: (1) the conservation reserve and related programs, (2) the pilot program for enrollment of wetland and buffer acreage in the conservation reserve program, (3) the environmental quality incentives program, (4) activities to address air quality concerns from agricultural operations, and (5) the conservation access program.
 
Permits conservation reserve contract modification to facilitate transfers from retiring owners to limited resource farmers or ranchers.
 
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to: (1) reduce the number of operating years required for a beginning farmer or rancher to qualify for a direct real estate loan, (2) authorize micro loans for beginning farmers or ranchers who are between 19 and 35 years old, (3) extend real estate and operating loan authority at increased levels, (4) revise private source transition provisions, (5) make the direct operating loan set-aside for beginning farmers and ranchers permanent, (6) permit loans and grants for entrepreneurial farm and farm-related enterprises, and (7) extend the beginning farmer and rancher individual development accounts pilot program.
 
Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to extend the value-added agricultural product market development grant program.
 
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the beginning farmer and rancher development program. Provides assistance for agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veterans.
 
Amends the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act to extend the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. Provides priority assistance for new farming opportunities, including young, beginning, socially disadvantaged, and immigrant issues, as well as farm entry, transition, and transfer issues.
 
Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to express the sense of Congress that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) should remove barriers and ensure effective access to crop and revenue insurance by beginning farmers and ranchers. 
 
Extends authority for reimbursement of research, development, and maintenance costs.
 
Provides for risk management programs targeted at beginning, socially disadvantaged, transitioning, or legal immigrant farmers and ranchers.
 
Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to direct the Small Farms and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Group (within the Office of Advocacy and Outreach) to designate a state small and beginning farmer and rancher coordinator from among the state office employees of the Farm Service Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Risk Management Agency, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and the Rural Utilities Service.
 
Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish in USDA the position of Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7374-7377)
action_date: 2011-11-10
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7373-7374)
action_date: 2011-11-10
text: Introduced in Senate