Education (Agriculture)

This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to exempt certain family-owned assets from financial need calculations for college students. Specifically, it removes the net value of a family farm (where the family resides) or a small business (with 100 or fewer full-time equivalent employees) owned and controlled by the family from being counted as assets when determining federal financial aid eligibility. The change applies to need analysis for award years starting after the bill's enactment date. This policy directly affects students from qualifying family farms or small businesses when applying for federal student aid under Title IV programs.

The Future FARMER Act reauthorizes annual funding for agricultural education programs under the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977. It specifically allocates $40 million each year from fiscal years 2025 through 2029 for grants and fellowships supporting students and educators in food and agricultural sciences. This funding directly affects institutions like land-grant universities and their students participating in these programs. The bill makes no new requirements but ensures continued financial support for existing educational initiatives in agriculture.

S 2727 authorizes grants for eligible educational institutions to develop agriculture workforce training programs. These programs must combine classroom learning with industry experience like internships and apprenticeships, involving partnerships with agriculture companies, industry associations, or nonprofit employment groups. Eligible institutions include land-grant colleges, Hispanic-serving agricultural schools, community colleges with agriculture programs, and career technical schools. Grant funds must cover at least 5% for student recruitment and faculty training to improve worker skills and retention in the agriculture sector.