,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #agfi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,may #ad1 #bjbe ,mr4 ,lujn 7for himself and ,mr4 ,moran7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe to expand the provision of farmer-led technical assistance1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,farmer to ,farmer ,education ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,delivery of technical assistance ,section #abdb of the ,food ,security ,act of #aihe 7#af ,u4,s4,c4 #chdb7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a7-- 7,a7 by redesignating paragraph 7#b7 as paragraph 7#c72 and 7,b7 by inserting after paragraph 7#a7 the following3 7#b7 ,farmer-to-farmer network ,the term farmer-to-farmer network means any affiliation or association of farmers that share information1 technical assistance1 or any other type of mutually beneficial support4 2 7#b7 in subsection 7f77#a71 by inserting and for the purpose of carrying out subsection 7j7 before the period at the end2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7j7 ,provision of assistance to farmer-to-,farmer networks 7#a7 ,purposes ,the purposes of this subsection are-- 7,a7 to build capacity for farmer-to-farmer networks1 connect farmers with mentors or group learning opportunities1 and support goal setting to increase long-term adoption of consistent1 science-based1 site-specific practices designed to achieve conservation objectives on land active in agricultural1 forestry1 or related uses2 7,b7 to increase the provision of technical assistance that meets the specific needs of1 and is accessible to1 farmers1 ranchers1 and forest owners using different farming models1 practices1 and scales2 7,c7 to establish and steward farmer-to-farmer networks2 and 7,d7 to establish reporting requirements for activities carried out under this subsection4 7#b7 ,cooperative agreements 7,a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary may enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to carry out the purposes described in paragraph 7#a74 7,b7 ,eligible entities ,an entity eligible to enter into a cooperative agreement with the ,secretary under subparagraph 7,a7 is-- 7i7 a nonprofit entity described in section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of that ,code2 7ii7 a farmer-to-farmer network2 7iii7 an ,indian ,tribe or a ,tribal organization 7as those terms are defined in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd772 7iv7 a unit of local government 7including a conservation district and a conservation district association72 7v7 an institution of higher education2 7vi7 a ,state2 and 7vii7 any other entity designated by the ,secretary4 7,c7 ,prioritization ,in selecting eligible entities with which to enter into cooperative agreements under subparagraph 7,a71 the ,secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that seek to meet the specific needs of1 and are accessible to-- 7i7 historically underserved farmers1 ranchers1 and forest owners1 including limited-resource farmers1 ranchers1 and forest owners 7as determined by the ,secretary72 or 7ii7 farmers1 ranchers1 and forest owners operating in high-poverty areas 7as determined by the ,secretary74 7#c7 ,responsibilities of providers of assistance to farmer-to-farmer networks 7,a7 ,in general ,if an eligible entity provides assistance to establish a farmer-to-farmer network using assistance provided through a cooperative agreement under paragraph 7#b71 the eligible entity shall be responsible for not less than #b of the following actions3 7i7 ,facilitating and increasing farmer access to farmer-to-farmer networks4 7ii7 ,facilitating mentor and mentee matchmaking among farmers4 7iii7 ,coordinating training and resources to build the skills of farmer-to-farmer network leaders and participants for effective education1 grassroots-based learning1 and cross-training with respect to the facilitation of1 information about1 and other skills with respect to building effective farmer-to-farmer networks4 7iv7 ,maintaining and promulgating a list of relevant entities1 associations1 and individuals that are supporting1 or have an interest in supporting1 farmer-to-farmer networks4 7v7 ,administering subawards to increase farmer access to farmer-to-farmer assistance in accordance with paragraph 7#d74 7vi7 ,other actions determined appropriate by the ,secretary4 7,b7 ,language assistance ,if an eligible entity provides assistance described in subparagraph 7,a7 to a non-,english speaking farmer1 rancher1 or forest owner1 the eligible entity shall1 to the greatest extent practicable1 provide that assistance in the native language of the farmer1 rancher1 or forest owner4 7,c7 ,reporting ,an eligible entity that enters into a cooperative agreement under paragraph 7#b7 shall annually submit to the ,secretary a report describing-- 7i7 the conservation activities carried out under the cooperative agreement2 and 7ii7 any subawards administered pursuant to subparagraph 7,a77v74 7#d7 ,subawards 7,a7 ,in general ,if an eligible entity awards a subaward pursuant to paragraph 7#c77;,a77v7 to an eligible subawardee described in subparagraph 7,b71 the eligible subawardee shall use that award-- 7i7 to plan and conduct events1 and identify and develop innovative activities1 to support building capacity for farmer-to-farmer networks1 connecting farmers with mentors or group learning opportunities1 and supporting goal setting to increase long-term adoption of consistent1 science-based1 site-specific conservation objectives on land active in agricultural1 forestry1 or related uses2 and 7ii7 to compensate participants in the events and activities described in clause 7i7 at market rates4 7,b7 ,eligible subawardees ,an entity eligible for a subaward under paragraph 7#c77;,a77v7 is-- 7i7 a nonprofit entity described in section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of that ,code2 7ii7 a farmer-to-farmer network2 7iii7 an ,indian ,tribe or a ,tribal organization 7as those terms are defined in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd772 7iv7 a unit of local government 7including a conservation district and a conservation district association72 7v7 an institution of higher education2 7vi7 an individual2 and 7vii7 any other entity designated by the ,secretary4 7,c7 ,requirements ,the ,secretary1 in conjunction with the ,chief of the ,natural ,resources ,conservation ,service1 shall establish any necessary additional requirements for subawards under paragraph 7#c77;,a77v74 7#e7 ,reporting ,not later than #d years after the date of enactment of this subsection1 the ,secretary shall submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate a report describing the status of activities funded under this subsection1 including-- 7,a7 funding awarded2 7,b7 the results of the activities1 including1 if feasible1 conservation practice adoption outcomes2 and 7,c7 if applicable1 outreach activities the ,secretary has considered incorporating into other conservation technical assistance efforts as a result of the program established under this subsection4 7#f7 ,funding ,the ,secretary shall use to carry out this subsection such sums as are necessary from annual appropriations for conservation operations of the ,natural ,resources ,conservation ,service4 4