Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2026

Bill Number: S. 4848
Origin Chamber: Senate
Congress: 119th Congress, Session 2
Policy Area: Agriculture and Food
Status: Introduced
Latest Action: 2026-06-22: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
Last Updated: 2026-07-02T20:49:52Z

AI-Generated Summary

The bill reauthorizes and updates programs under the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to provide better outreach, training, and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, as well as veteran and beginning farmers and ranchers.
It also strengthens data collection and reporting requirements to track how agricultural benefits are distributed by demographic categories.

Reauthorization of Grant Program: Extends funding for the outreach and assistance program from fiscal years 2027 through 2031 (previously 2019 through 2023).
Language Services: Requires the inclusion of interpretation and translation services in outreach and technical assistance when they help expand access to Department of Agriculture programs.
Grant Priorities and Requirements: Gives priority to eligible entities that provide these language services; increases the maximum grant period from 3 to 4 years.
Data Compilation: Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and organize data every 5 years (starting in 2028) on base acres, payment yields, crop disaster assistance, loans, and grazing permits, broken down by race, ethnicity, and gender of recipients, with privacy protections.
Reporting Updates: Requires separate reports on the new data and adjusts existing reporting to cover both original and new requirements.

Amends Section 2501 to extend authorization periods, add language service mandates, and update grant evaluation criteria.
Amends Section 2501A to introduce a new 5-year data collection requirement and reorganize reporting structures for greater transparency.
These changes expand the scope of assistance programs and add demographic tracking not previously required at this frequency.

On Government Agencies: The Department of Agriculture must expand services to include language support, compile detailed demographic data across multiple programs, and produce additional reports.
On Citizens: Targeted groups (socially disadvantaged, veteran, and beginning farmers and ranchers) may gain improved access to training, technical help, and program benefits.
On International Relations: No direct effects identified in the legislation.

Socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
Veteran farmers and ranchers.
Beginning farmers and ranchers.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and its agencies.
Nongovernmental organizations and other eligible entities that deliver outreach and assistance.

The bill emphasizes equitable access through language services and demographic data collection, which could support broader policy goals on inclusion while requiring privacy safeguards.
No constitutional challenges are addressed in the text, though the data requirements involve balancing transparency with individual privacy protections.
The reauthorization and new mandates may influence funding decisions and program administration in future agricultural legislation.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

2026-06-22: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
2026-06-22: Introduced in Senate

Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2026 — issued 2026-06-22 — PDF (7 pages)