The Future FARMER Act is a House bill that amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to secure ongoing funding for education in food and agricultural sciences. Specifically, it adds a new funding line that authorizes $40 million to be provided for each fiscal year from 2025 through 2029 to support grants and fellowships related to food and agricultural sciences education. The short title signals the bill’s aim to strengthen the pipeline of experts and mentors in agriculture by extending federal support for education programs. The bill does not specify how the funds would be distributed or who would receive them beyond the general purpose of grants and fellowships. Rather, it creates a five-year funding authorization that would require eventual appropriation by Congress to actually disburse the money. It was introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.
Key Points
- 1Short title and purpose: The bill is named the Future FARMER Act and seeks to extend grants and fellowships for education in food and agricultural sciences.
- 2Funding authorization: Adds a new subsection (3) to Section 1417(m) authorizing $40 million for each fiscal year from 2025 through 2029.
- 3Legislative change structure: Reorganizes the existing subsections to insert the new funding line while ensuring the list ends with the new item.
- 4Fiscal horizon: Establishes a five-year funding window (FY2025–FY2029) for these grants and fellowships.
- 5Legislative status: Introduced in the House on March 6, 2025, by Rep. Riley (with Rep. Feenstra as a co-sponsor) and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.