Sponsors (3)
The bill gives maple producers and small businesses more say and predictable access to practical research funding—potentially boosting productivity—but raises risks of slower awards and skewed funding toward industry-preferred projects at the expense of broader research priorities.
Maple producers and small maple businesses gain direct input into research and education priorities, making funded projects more practical and likely to improve on-farm productivity and product quality.
Farmers and small businesses benefit from regular stakeholder consultations before each request for applications, increasing transparency and predictability for planning grant applications and industry activities.
Scientists and broader research interests could be disadvantaged if grant selection skews toward projects preferred by industry stakeholders, reducing support for basic or long-term research priorities.
Solicitation and consultation requirements may delay issuing requests for applications and slow grant awards, temporarily slowing access to new funding for producers and small businesses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires USDA to solicit maple industry stakeholder input on research and education priorities before grant solicitations and to consider that input when awarding grants.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Peter Welch · Last progress January 9, 2025
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to solicit input from maple industry stakeholders on research and education priorities before issuing grant requests and to consider that input when awarding grants. It also updates and reorganizes related grant language in the Agricultural Act of 2014.