S. 3860

119 S3860 IS: Office of Small Farms Establishment Act of 2026
 U.S. Senate
 2026-02-12
 text/xml
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 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  2d Session  S. 3860  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   February 12, 2026   Mr. Booker  introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry    A BILL
To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish an Office of Small Farms, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Office of Small Farms Establishment Act of 2026  .
2.
Office of Small Farms
(a)
In general
Subtitle B of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 ( 7 U.S.C. 6931 et seq. ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
229.
Office of Small Farms
(a)
Definitions
In this section:
(1)
Small farm, ranch, or forest operation
The term  small farm, ranch, or forest operation  means a farm, ranch, or forest operation that—
(A)
(i)
is less than 180 acres; or
(ii)
meets another acreage-based definition of  small , as determined by the Secretary, that takes into consideration—
(I)
the State or region in which the farm, ranch, or forest operation is located;
(II)
the production system of the farm, ranch, or forest operation; or
(III)
both; and
(B)
has an annual gross cash farm income of less than $350,000.
(2)
State office
The term  State office  means—
(A)
a State office of—
(i)
the Farm Service Agency;
(ii)
the Natural Resources Conservation Service; or
(iii)
the rural development mission area; or
(B)
a regional office of the Risk Management Agency.
(b)
Establishment
(1)
In general
The Secretary shall establish within the farm production and conservation mission area the Office of Small Farms.
(2)
Director
(A)
In general
The Secretary shall appoint a Director of the Office of Small Farms (referred to in this section as the  Director ).
(B)
FPAC
A senior official within the farm production and conservation mission area may be appointed to serve as the Director.
(c)
Duties
The Director shall—
(1)
coordinate efforts to improve support for small farms, ranches, and forest operations across all Department agencies and offices;
(2)
review Department programs and policies and identify statutory, regulatory, and administrative provisions, policies, and guidance that disadvantage small farm, ranch, or forest operation participation, and recommend changes to ensure that those programs and policies adequately serve small farms, ranches, and forest operations;
(3)
develop recommendations for new initiatives, including financing mechanisms and technical assistance opportunities, to specifically serve small farms, ranches, and forest operations relating to production, conservation, business planning, land access, and other issues, as determined by the Secretary;
(4)
make recommendations to Department agencies and offices and other Federal agencies on tracking small farm, ranch, or forest operation data, including demographics and program participation rates;
(5)
propose research agendas on topics that are of special interest to small farms, ranches, and forest operations;
(6)
provide or coordinate technical assistance through the Department or through cooperative agreements with other entities to operators of small farms, ranches, and forest operations to assist those operators—
(A)
to access the full complement of available Department grant, cost-share, and loan programs;
(B)
to implement activities using assistance received under those programs; and
(C)
with farmland preservation, including through succession planning;
(7)
implement a program directly or through cooperative agreements with other entities to provide grants of not more than $25,000 to operators of small farms, ranches, and forest operations for—
(A)
equipment and infrastructure repairs and upgrades;
(B)
uninsured losses;
(C)
business planning and market development assistance;
(D)
conservation practice adoption;
(E)
down payments for land acquisition; and
(F)
such other purposes as the Secretary determines to be appropriate;
(8)
operate a hotline through which operators of small farms, ranches, and forest operations can anonymously report problems that the operators encounter in attempts to access Department programs;
(9)
collaborate with other Federal agencies and State agencies on how to effectively reach and serve small farms, ranches, and forest operations; and
(10)
determine whether to approve a plan submitted by a State small farms coordinator under subsection (e)(3)(A)(ii).
(d)
Liaisons
(1)
Appointment
The following officials shall appoint, from among the officers and employees under the respective official, a liaison to the Office of Small Farms:
(A)
The Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
(B)
The Administrator of the Farm Service Agency.
(C)
The Administrator of the Risk Management Agency.
(D)
The Under Secretary of Agriculture for Rural Development.
(E)
The Director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
(F)
The Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service.
(G)
The Administrator of the Economic Research Service.
(H)
The Administrator of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
(I)
The Director of the Office of Partnerships and Public Engagement.
(J)
The heads of such other agencies, offices, and advisory groups as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, including—
(i)
the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production; and
(ii)
the Office of Tribal Relations.
(2)
Duties
Each liaison appointed under paragraph (1) shall—
(A)
coordinate with the Office of Small Farms and the other liaisons appointed under that paragraph to develop and implement new strategies for outreach to and education for small farms, ranches, and forest operations; and
(B)
coordinate within the agency, office, mission area, or advisory group of the liaison on issues and outreach relating to small farms, ranches, and forest operations.
(e)
State small farms coordinators
(1)
In general
(A)
Designation
(i)
In general
The Director, in consultation with State food and agriculture councils and directors of State offices, shall designate in each State a State small farms coordinator from among the employees of State offices.
(ii)
Employees
The employee of a State office designated to be a State small farms coordinator may be the same employee designated to be the State beginning farmer and rancher coordinator under section 7404(c) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 ( 7 U.S.C. 6934a(c) ).
(B)
Requirements
To be designated as a State small farms coordinator, an employee shall—
(i)
be familiar with issues relating to small farms, ranches, and forest operations; and
(ii)
have the ability to coordinate with other Federal departments and agencies.
(2)
Training
The Secretary shall develop a training plan to provide to each State small farms coordinator knowledge of programs and services available from the Department for small farms, ranches, and forest operations, taking into consideration the needs of all types of production methods.
(3)
Duties
(A)
In general
A State small farms coordinator—
(i)
shall coordinate technical assistance at the State level to assist small farms, ranches, and forest operations in accessing programs of the Department;
(ii)
shall develop and submit to the Director for approval a State plan to improve the coordination, delivery, and efficacy of programs of the Department to small farms, ranches, and forest operations, taking into consideration the needs of all types of production methods, at each county and area office in the State;
(iii)
shall oversee implementation of an approved State plan described in clause (ii);
(iv)
may facilitate interagency and interdepartmental collaboration on issues relating to small farms, ranches, and forest operations at the State or regional level;
(v)
shall work with outreach coordinators in the State offices to ensure appropriate information about technical assistance is available at outreach events and activities;
(vi)
shall coordinate partnerships and joint outreach efforts with other organizations and government agencies serving small farms, ranches, and forest operations; and
(vii)
may provide grants under subsection (c)(7), in accordance with criteria established by the Director.
(B)
Individual duties
Not less than 50 percent of the duties of an employee designated to be a State small farms coordinator shall be the duties described in subparagraph (A) or other duties relating to small farms, ranches, and forest operations.
(f)
Report to Congress
Annually, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing—
(1)
the efforts of the Secretary to enhance participation by small farms, ranches, and forest operations in agricultural programs; and
(2)
the results achieved to enhance such participation for each such agricultural program.
(g)
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031—
(1)
$15,000,000 for the administration of the Office of Small Farms; and
(2)
$10,000,000 to provide technical assistance and grants authorized by this section.
 .
(b)
Technical amendment
The Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by redesignating the first section 225 ( 7 U.S.C. 6925 ) (relating to the Food Access Liaison) as section 224A.
(c)
Conforming amendment
Section 296(b) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 ( 7 U.S.C. 7014(b) ) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(11)
The authority of the Secretary to carry out section 229.
 .