Sponsors (5)
The bill formalizes and times stakeholder input to make maple research and education more relevant and predictable for small producers, at the expense of added administrative steps that may delay some funding, impose modest costs, and do not guarantee that grants will follow stakeholder preferences.
Maple producers and processors (farmers, agricultural workers, small-business owners) will have formal input into research and education priorities, making funded research more relevant and more likely to increase productivity and product quality for rural maple operations.
Small maple processors and rural stakeholders will get a clearer, predictable timeline to provide input (solicitations at least 6 months before RFAs), improving their ability to participate and influence program priorities.
State agencies and farmers could see delays in issuance of some requests for applications if the required consultation timeline doesn't align with grant cycles, potentially slowing access to research funding.
Maple producers and small processors may be frustrated because the Secretary is only required to 'consider' stakeholder input, not to follow it, so grant awards may still diverge from stakeholders' priorities.
Taxpayers and state governments could bear modest administrative costs to implement the consultation process, diverting USDA resources or requiring additional funding.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires USDA to consult maple industry stakeholders at least six months before grant solicitations for the Acer access and development program and to consider that input when awarding grants.
Introduced January 9, 2025 by Nicholas A. Langworthy · Last progress January 9, 2025
Requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture to consult maple industry stakeholders about research and education priorities before issuing grant solicitations for the Acer access and development program. The consultation must be solicited at least six months before the first request for applications that occurs one year or more after enactment, and USDA must consider that input when awarding grants. Also makes minor technical edits to existing statute language to reflect the new subsection placement; it does not create new funding or change program eligibility.