Sponsors (10)
The bill provides targeted federal funding to expand community-college agricultural workforce training and employer-aligned programs, improving job-relevant skills and regional coordination, but the modest funding, exclusion of facility investments, and competitive structure may favor better-resourced institutions and leave rural colleges and broader academic programs less supported.
Community college students and local agriculture employers gain expanded, funded access to agricultural workforce training, apprenticeships, and work-based learning through new grants and program support.
Two-year colleges and consortia receive dedicated federal funding ($20M/year FY2027–FY2031) to increase program capacity, buy equipment, and scale agricultural education offerings.
Faculty and program staff at eligible colleges receive professional development funds, improving teaching quality and curriculum relevance in agricultural programs.
Rural and smaller colleges without matching funds or industry partners are likely to be disadvantaged in competitive grant awards, limiting access for students in those communities.
Eligible colleges cannot use grant funds for building construction or renovation, leaving institutions with facility needs unable to address infrastructure shortfalls through this program.
The program's $20M/year increases federal spending and could add to budgetary pressures or crowd out other priorities, a concern for taxpayers and budget planners.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Establishes USDA competitive grants for community colleges to build agriculture workforce training capacity and authorizes $20M/year for FY2027–2031.
Creates a USDA competitive grant program that gives junior and community colleges funds to build and expand agricultural workforce training, education, research, and outreach. The program allows colleges and consortia of 2-year public institutions to apply for grants to buy equipment, develop curricula and apprenticeships, train faculty, and coordinate hands-on student experiences with local agricultural operators, and it authorizes $20 million per year for FY2027–FY2031. Grantees may be designated as regional or national centers of excellence to share best practices; the USDA must evaluate the program and report to relevant congressional committees within three years of enactment.
Official title: Amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to authorize capacity building grants for community college agriculture and natural resources programs.
Introduced June 10, 2026 by John Wright Hickenlooper · Last progress June 10, 2026