Sponsors (4)
The bill injects targeted federal funding to expand agriculture workforce training and strengthen community college instructional capacity, improving job pathways but costing taxpayers and likely favoring better‑resourced colleges while leaving some facility needs unmet.
Community college students (especially at 2-year public colleges) gain funded access to agriculture-focused workforce training, apprenticeships, and stronger employer-connected experiential learning that improves job readiness.
Community college faculty receive professional development funding to strengthen instructional capacity in agricultural programs.
Regional centers of excellence will scale best practices and coordinate training nationally, helping build a more consistent agriculture workforce pipeline and aligning industry and education needs.
Low‑resourced, smaller, or non‑partnered community colleges (and their students) may be excluded or disadvantaged because the program prioritizes applicants with industry partnerships and requires matching resources.
Taxpayers fund $20 million per year for six years, increasing federal spending that could displace other priorities or require tradeoffs in the federal budget.
Because funding is focused on equipment and program capacity rather than campus construction, longer‑term facility and physical infrastructure needs at some colleges may remain unaddressed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a competitive grant program for public 2-year colleges to expand agriculture education, training, research, and equipment with $20M/year authorized for FY2026–FY2031.
Introduced September 18, 2025 by Trent Kelly · Last progress September 18, 2025
Creates a new competitive grant program for public two-year (community/junior) colleges and consortia to build capacity in agriculture and related programs. Grants can fund workforce training, education, research, outreach, equipment and non-construction infrastructure, faculty development, apprenticeships and work-based learning, and activities to share results; the program prioritizes applicants that coordinate with local agricultural operators and allows designation of regional or national centers of excellence. The measure authorizes $20 million per year for fiscal years 2026–2031 and requires an evaluation and report to congressional committees within three years of enactment.