Order Code RL34352
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education:
Farm Bill Issues
February 1, 2008
Jean M. Rawson
Specialist in Agriculture and Food Policy
Resources, Science, and Industry Division

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Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education:
Farm Bill Issues
Summary
The 110th Congress is considering an omnibus farm bill that will authorize and
direct the implementation of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) major
programs across the spectrum of its mission areas for the next several years. The
Department’s research, extension, and economics mission area comprises four
agencies that administer intramural and extramural programs supporting agricultural
research and development (R&D).
Various proposals for changing the way in which USDA supports research,
extension, and education have been discussed (and some implemented) since the
early 1990s (see CRS Report RL33327, Agricultural Research, Education, and
Extension: Issues and Background, by Jean M. Rawson). The House- and Senate-
passed versions of the omnibus 2008 farm bill contain provisions reflecting some of
the more comprehensive proposals, and would represent significant change in
USDA’s administration of agricultural R&D, if enacted.
Both the House and Senate versions of the research title would classify all
current research, extension, and education programs into two groups — capacity
programs (infrastructure programs in Senate bill language) and competitive programs
— based upon the way in which their funding is distributed to recipients. The House
bill would create an umbrella coordinating entity known as the National Agricultural
Research Program Office (NARPO) that would coordinate and plan both capacity
and competitive programs, as well as USDA-administered intramural (Agricultural
Research Service (ARS)) and extramural programs (Cooperative State Research,
Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)). It would establish a National Institute
of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within CSREES to administer all the competitive
grant programs. The House bill also would provide a substantial amount of
mandatory research funding, totaling $865 million over the five-year life of the farm
bill.
The Senate-passed bill calls for terminating CSREES as an agency and
transferring all of its programs, both infrastructure (capacity) and competitive
programs, to a National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The Undersecretary for
Research, Extension, and Economics would be tasked with coordinating the research
activities of ARS and NIFA. The Senate bill would provide $160 million in
mandatory funding over the life of the farm bill, and would authorize some programs
currently supported with mandatory funds to receive appropriated funds instead.
Other new provisions in both the House- and Senate-passed bills include major
initiatives to provide capacity-building support to Hispanic-serving agricultural
colleges and to make them eligible to receive funding through a wider range of grant
programs.
This report will be updated as 2008 farm bill legislative activity proceeds.

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Contents
Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Key Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Proposals for Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Administration’s Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
2002 Farm Bill Task Force Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Land Grant Organization Proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Farm Bill Action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
House-Passed bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Senate-Passed bill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Appendix A. Comparison of the Research Titles of the House- and
Senate-Passed Farm Bills (H.R. 2419) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

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Agricultural Research, Extension,
and Education: Farm Bill Issues
Background
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for conducting
agricultural research at the federal level, and for providing partial support for
cooperative research, extension, and post-secondary agricultural education programs
in the states. This mission area of USDA is called Research, Extension, and
Economics (REE). In addition to research in the biological sciences, the mission also
includes substantial economic data collection and analysis.1
The state partners are the colleges of agriculture at land grant universities in 50
states and eight U.S. territories, with their affiliated state agricultural experiment
stations, schools of forestry and veterinary medicine, and cooperative extension.
There also are 18 historically black land grant colleges of agriculture (the 1890
institutions) and 31 Native American colleges that gained land grant status in 1994
(referred to as the tribal colleges). Small grant programs support agricultural
education at Hispanic-serving institutions, and at Alaskan and Hawaiian native-
serving institutions.
Key Issues. USDA differs from other federal research agencies in allocating
the majority of its annual research appropriation directly to in-house research (ARS,
ERS, and NASS). Most federal science agencies primarily fund extramural research
through a competitive, peer-reviewed grant process. The National Academy of
Sciences (NAS) has recommended for more than a decade that at least 35% of total
USDA research money be distributed competitively. When the Academy first made
its recommendation in 1989, it determined that less than 6% of USDA’s research
funding was competitively awarded. In FY2006 it was approximately 14%, according
to CRS calculations.
The primary and longest-standing mechanisms for distributing annual federal
appropriations to the colleges of agriculture at the state land grant universities are
contained in the Hatch Act of 1887 (for cooperative research) and Smith-Lever Act
of 1914 (for extension activities). Formulas set forth in each of these acts determine
how annual federal appropriations are divided among states. The majority of funding
1 Under the REE mission, the USDA is responsible for conducting agricultural research at
the federal level, and for providing partial support for cooperative research, extension, and
post-secondary agricultural education programs in the states. The USDA’s intramural
activities are carried out by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Economic Research
Service (ERS), and National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The federally funded
extramural activities are managed by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service (CSREES).

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CRS-2
for state-level programs, however, comes from state appropriations, competitive
grants from USDA and other federal agencies, and private industry. States are
required to match Hatch and Smith-Lever formula funds; most states appropriate
three to four times the federal allotment. Nonetheless, despite the fact that federal
formula funds represent only a small percentage of total funding at the state level,
they traditionally have been viewed by state research and extension directors as a
very reliable source of support for their core programs.
Congress has set the policies and authorized the funding for USDA’s research,
education, and extension programs as part of omnibus farm bills since 1977.
Permanent authority for most of the programs resides in older laws, but the
authorization for appropriations for them expires at the end of FY2007 unless a new
farm bill is enacted.
To address the challenges posed by the perceived need to increase competitive
grants in agriculture, the major proposals for the research title propose significant
changes in how ARS and CSREES are structured and administered.
Proposals for Change
Administration’s Proposal. In the comprehensive farm bill proposal that
USDA released in February 2007, the Administration proposed to rename the
Research, Education, and Extension mission area the Office of Science, and to merge
ARS and CSREES into a single agency conducting both intramural and extramural
programs under the leadership of a Chief Scientist. The proposal called for the
current formula-funded authorities to be retained. ERS and NASS would be the other
two agencies also under the Office of Science. The Administration maintained that
an integration of budgets and programs would provide more efficient and effective
program implementation and resource allocation. In its call for a unified budget and
a single scientific agency, this proposal mirrored some of the key aspects of the land
grant system’s CREATE-21 proposal (see below).2
2002 Farm Bill Task Force Proposal. In Section 7404 of the 2002 farm
bill (P.L. 107-171), Congress commissioned a task force “to conduct a review and
evaluation of the merits of establishing one or more National Institutes focused on
disciplines important to the progress of food and agricultural sciences,” among other
things. The task force recommendations, released in July 2004, called for the
formation of a National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) within USDA “to
supplement and enhance, not replace, the existing research programs.” The task
force conceived of the NIFA as a separate entity solely for awarding competitive
peer-reviewed grants, and called for an annual budget for the institute to build to $1
billion over a five-year period.3
2 The full Administration proposal is available online at [http://www.usda.gov/documents/
07finalfbp.pdf].
3 National Institute for Food and Agriculture: A Proposal, report of the Research,
Education, and Economics Task Force of USDA, July 2004. The report is available online
at [http://www.ars.usda.gov/Research/Research.htm].

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CRS-3
H.R. 2118 (C. Peterson)/S. 971 (Bond) reflect the task force recommendations.
The companion bills would establish the NIFA and commission it to award an
estimated 1,000 competitive grants annually in research areas to be determined by a
director appointed by the President, in consultation with a Council of Advisors (to
include stakeholders as well as scientists). The bills would provide mandatory funds
for the NIFA starting at $245 million in FY2008 and increasing to $966 million by
FY2012.
Land Grant Organization Proposal. Recommendations put forth by the
National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC)
after a nationwide deliberative process within the land grant system are reflected in
H.R. 2398 (Barrow)/S. 1094 (Stabenow). The key provisions would (1) put all of
USDA’s intramural and extramural research, education, and extension agencies
(including the research arm of the Forest Service) under one administrative body,
working with a unified budget; (2) provide $200 million annually in mandatory funds
and substantial annual increases in appropriated funds (to 171.5% of the current level
of $2.67 billion) in FY2012; and (3) provide opportunities for minority and smaller
schools, both land grant and non-land grant, to expand their capacity for agricultural
research, education, and extension. The NASULGC proposal, called CREATE-21,
was widely but not unanimously endorsed by the colleges of agriculture at the land
grant universities.4
Farm Bill Action
On July 27, 2007, the House passed H.R. 2419, the Farm, Nutrition, and
Bioenergy Act of 2007, which includes Title VII, the research title. The Senate
Amendment to H.R. 2419, which passed on December 14, 2007, also includes
research as Title VII. Both the House and Senate bills draw heavily on the
recommendations of USDA and NASULGC.5
House-Passed bill. The House version would create, within the Office of the
Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics, an overall coordinating
organization known as the National Agricultural Research Program Office (NARPO)
with six specialized directors.6 NARPO’s six subject-area directors would work with
the existing National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics
Advisory Board to coordinate and plan both the capacity and competitive programs
of the REE agencies. The directors of NARPO would become the primary program
4 Both the NASULGC document and the legislative proposals are under the title “Creating
Research, Extension, and Teaching Excellence for the 21st Century” or “CREATE-21”; see
[http://www.create-21.org/].
5 CRS Report RL34228, Comparison of the House and Senate 2007 Farm Bills, coordinated
by Renee Johnson, presents a side-by-side tabular comparison of current law and the House
and Senate bills, including the research titles.
6 NARPO would be composed of individual institutes for (1) renewable energy, natural
resources, and environment; (2) food safety, nutrition, and health; (3) plant health and
production; (4) animal health and production and animal products; (5) agriculture systems
and technology; and (6) agriculture economics and rural communities.

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CRS-4
leaders, incorporating the duties of the currently separate ARS and CSREES national
program staffs.
Additionally, the House bill would establish a National Institute of Food and
Agriculture (NIFA) within CSREES that would oversee extramural competitive
research grants only. NIFA would merge USDA’s two major competitive grant
programs — the National Research Initiative (NRI) and the Initiative for Future
Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS).7 The NRI portion of the combined program
would focus on fundamental, basic research, and receive 60% of the available
funding. The IFAFS portion would focus on applied, integrated research, education,
and extension projects, and receive 40% of the available funding. The title would
reauthorize appropriations for the NRI at $500 million annually through FY2012, and
provide for the transfer of IFAFS’s mandatory funding.8
The House bill, in support of a more centralized administration of the agencies,
calls for the President to submit a unified annual budget reflecting the total amount
requested for each of two categories of mission area programs. The first category,
called capacity-building programs, would include all of the formula-funded
programs, support for research at the tribal colleges, the 1890 colleges, the Hispanic-
serving institutions, and other selected programs. The second budget category, called
competitive programs (administered by the new NIFA), would reflect the total
amount requested for all programs that distribute funds through peer-reviewed,
competitive processes.
The House bill provides a substantial amount of mandatory research funding,
totaling $865 million over the five-year life of the farm bill. The existing Organic
Research and Extension Initiative would receive $25 million in total mandatory funds
for FY2008-FY2012 and $25 million in annual appropriations authority for FY2009-
FY2012. A new Specialty Crop Research Initiative would receive a total of $215
million in mandatory funds in addition to annual appropriations authority of $100
million for FY2008-FY2012. The effort to improve the safety of fresh cut produce
would be provided an additional total of $25 million in mandatory funds to
supplement the annual appropriation. Also, the House bill preserves mandatory
funding of $200 million for IFAFS for FY2010-FY2012. Discretionary programs are
maintained largely as in the previous farm bill and most are authorized to receive
appropriations of such sums as necessary.
Senate-Passed bill. The Senate-passed bill would terminate CSREES and
recast the agency as the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The institute
would plan, coordinate, and manage all existing extramural USDA research,
education, and extension funds (competitive grants, capacity-building grants, and
formula funds). The NIFA director would report directly to the Secretary of
Agriculture (not through the Undersecretary). The bill explicitly directs the
7 IFAFS was authorized in a free-standing agricultural research law in 1998 (P.L. 105-185).
8 The Deficit Reduction Act of 2007 (P.L. 109-171) cancelled the currently authorized
annual $200 million in mandatory funds for IFAFS in FY2007 through FY2009. Funding
for the program would resume in FY2010 at $200 million annually unless Congress changes
it in the 2007 farm bill.

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CRS-5
Undersecretary to coordinate research between ARS and NIFA, and to recommend
funding for all the programs within USDA’s research mission area.
The Senate bill provides $160 million in mandatory research funding over the
five-year life of the farm bill. This bill would reauthorize the Organic Research and
Extension Initiative with $16 million in annual mandatory funds for FY2008-
FY2012. A new Specialty Crop Research Initiative would receive $16 million in
annual mandatory funds for FY2008-FY2012. Mandatory funds for the Initiative for
Future Agricultural and Food Systems (IFAFS, which would be a program within
NIFA) are eliminated and replaced with annual appropriations of such sums as
necessary. As with the House bill, discretionary programs are maintained largely as
in the previous farm bill and most are authorized to receive appropriations of such
sums as necessary.
Other new provisions in the both the House and Senate bills include (1) a grant
program to help non-land grant public colleges and universities improve their
capacity for agricultural research, education, and outreach; (2) establishment of an
endowment fund, similar to that established for the tribal colleges, to provide a
continuing base of support for Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges; (3)
establishment of institutional capacity-building and competitive grant programs for
the Hispanic-serving colleges; and (4) a larger commitment to bioenergy and
biobased products.
Appendix A, below, contains a comparison of current law and policy in the
agricultural research, extension, and education mission area, with the provisions in
the House- and Senate-passed versions of H.R. 2419.

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Appendix A. Comparison of the Research Titles of the
House- and Senate-Passed Farm Bills (H.R. 2419)
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
1. Changes to Structure and Funding of USDA Intramural and Extramural Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension
1. Current policy functionally categorizes
Formally categorizes each existing CSREES
Formally categorizes each existing CSREES
Cooperative State Research, Education, and
program as a “capacity program” or “competitive
program as an “infrastructure program” (i.e.,
Extension Service (CSREES) programs for
program,” and designates the current level of
capacity program) or “competitive program,”
state-level agricultural research, education, or
funding for each category as “critical base
as in the House provision. [Section 7401]
extension activities as either “formula funded”
funding.” [Section 7101]
or “competitive.”
2. The 1994 USDA reorganization act merged
Establishes a National Agricultural Research
Directs the Undersecretary to coordinate the
the Extension Service with the Cooperative
Program Office (NARPO) under the
programs under the authority of the ARS and
State Research Service to establish CSREES.
Undersecretary, with six sub-offices organized by
CSREES national program leaders, as well as
ARS was established in its current form in
research focus. The provision integrates the
the Director of the National Institute of Food
1953. Both agencies are under the jurisdiction
administrative functions of ARS’s and CSREES’s
and Agriculture. [Section 7402]
of the Undersecretary for Research, Extension,
respective National Program Leaders, but retains
and Economics.
the separate agencies. [Section 7104]
3. The National Research Initiative (NRI)
Merges the existing NRI and IFAFS grant
CSREES is terminated as an agency; all of its
competitive grant program is an expansion, in
programs and groups them with all other
competitive and infrastructure programs are to
the 1990 farm bill, of a program initially
competitive grant programs currently
be administered under the National Institute of
authorized in 1965. The NRI is funded through
administered by CSREES to become the National
Food and Agriculture. [Section 7401]
annual appropriations. The Initiative for
Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
Future Agriculture and Food Systems (IFAFS),
[Section 7105]
also a competitive research grant program, was
first authorized in the Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998
(P.L. 105-185) and reuathorized in the 2002
farm bill (P.L. 107-171). IFAFS is a
mandatory-funded program.

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CRS-7
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
4. Matching funds are not required for NRI
Creates two categories of research grants;
No comparable provision.
and IFAFS grants; they may be required for
fundamental research (to be called NRI grants);
certain applied research grants.
and applied research (to be called IFAFS grants).
Matching funds are required for IFAFS grants, not
for NRI grants. Authorizes $500 million in annual
appropriations, and transfers mandatory IFAFS
funds to support the merged NRI/IFAFS program.
[Section 7106]
5. Most current research and extension
Requires the President to submit an annual budget
No comparable provision.
programs appear as individual line items in the
making a single line item request for capacity
President’s annual budget request.
programs and a single line item request for
competitive programs. [Section 7102]
6. Section 1403 of the National Agricultural
Adds integrating and organizing all USDA
Directs the Undersecretary to submit a
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act
research, extension, and education programs;
“roadmap” that, among other things, describes
of 1977 (NARETPA, Title XIV of P.L. 97-98)
minimizing duplication; and maximizing
recommended funding for competitive
sets out the purposes of agricultural research
cooperation to the purposes of the Department’s
programs and infrastructure programs as
and extension.
research mission. [Section 7103]
unified categories; the Undersecretary has
flexibility in implementing the “roadmap.”
[Section 7402]
7. Current law limits eligibility for formula
Expands eligibility for these programs to public
Requires the “roadmap” to include
funded and other non-competitive research,
non-land grant institutions offering 4-year degrees
consideration of the needs of ASCARR
extension, and education programs to 1862 and
in agriculture (ASCARR institutions). [Section
institutions in addition to those of the 1862,
1890 institutions, 1994 institutions (tribally
7102]
1890, 1994, and Hispanic-serving institutions.
controlled colleges), and Hispanic-serving
[Section 7402]
institutions.
8. Under current law there are capacity-
Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as
No comparable provision.
building grant programs for 1890 and 1994
necessary for a new capacity-building grant
institutions, and Hispanic-serving institutions.
program for American Association of State
Colleges of Agriculture and Renewable Resources
(ASCARR) institutions. [Section 7107]

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CRS-8
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
9. Section 1417 of NARETPA makes land
Expands eligibility for grants and fellowships for
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7007]
grant and non-land grant, high minority
food and agricultural sciences education to
enrollment, and secondary and post-secondary
include Agriculture in the K-12 Classroom
institutions eligible for higher education grants.
programs, nonprofit organizations, and other
institutions of higher education. [Section 7206]
10. The Hatch Act and Smith-Lever Acts set
Sets 25% as the minimum amount of federal
No comparable provision.
the minimum amount of federal formula funds
formula funds that must be expended on multistate
required to be spent on multistate research and
research and extension projects. [Section 7603]
extension projects at either 25% or twice the
percentage of state matching funds, whichever
is less.
11. Annual plans of work are required from
Requires USDA to prepare a report for Congress
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7503]
the states in order to receive federal funds
on how to streamline the submission, reporting
under NARETPA, the Hatch Act of 1887 (for
requirements, and implementation of plan-of-work
research), and the Smith-Lever Act (for
requirements for the three statutes. [Section
extension).
7602]
12. The 1998 research act requires CSREES to
Provides for the continuation, under NIFA, of the
No comparable provision.
conduct merit reviews of non-competitive
mandatory merit and peer review processes for
research and extension grants, and peer reviews
non-competitive and competitive grants. [Section
of competitive grants.
7601]
13. Section 1462(a) of NARETPA currently
Amends Section 1462(a) to apply the 19%
Raises the limitation on reimbursement of
limits the amount of indirect costs that USDA
limitation on indirect cost reimbursement to any
indirect costs from 19% to 30% for
reimburses to institutions that are awarded
grant the institution receives, not just
competitively awarded research, extension, and
research, extension, and teaching grants to
competitively awarded grants. [Section 7225]
teaching grants. [Section 7027]
19%.
14. Section 1408(g)(1) of NARETPA
Increases authorized appropriations for the
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7002]
authorizes the National Agricultural Research,
Advisory Board from $350,000 to $500,000
Extension, Education, and Economics
annually. [Section 7201]
Advisory Board.

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HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
15. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Authorizes $19 million annually through
miscellaneous programs.
FY2012 for competitive grants to the
Consortium for Agricultural and Rural
Transportation Research and Education.
[Section 7051]
2. Provisions Affecting the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), 1890 Land Grant Institutions, Institutions in Insular Areas, and
Hispanic-serving Institutions
1. Section 1417 of NARETPA authorizes
Amends Section 1417 specifically to make UDC
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7004]
grants and fellowships to land grant colleges
eligible to receive education grants and
and universities for food and agricultural
fellowships. [Section 7204]
sciences education.
2. Section 1447 of NARETPA authorizes
Extends eligibility to UDC for grants to upgrade
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7020]
grants to upgrade agriculture and food science
facilities, and authorizes appropriations of
facilities at the 1890 institutions.
$750,000 annually through FY2012 for that
purpose. [Section 7212]
3. The District of Columbia Public Post-
Makes UDC eligible to receive funds for the
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7313]
secondary Education Reorganization Act (P.L.
Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program
93-471) designates UDC as a land grant
(EFNEP). [Section 7512]
institution, with certain exceptions.
4. The Hatch Act of 1887 authorizes federal
Exempts UDC from the matching funds
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7304]
funding for agricultural research in the states
requirement for Hatch Act funds. [Section 7513]
and U.S. territories.
5. The 2002 farm bill amended Section
Increases the level of required federal support for
Contains an identical provision. [Section
1444(a)(2) of NARETPA to require that
extension at the 1890 institutions to 20% of the
7017]
federal support for extension at the 1890
amount appropriated for 1862 extension programs.
institutions be at least 15% of the amount
[Section 7215]
appropriated for 1862 extension programs.
6. The 2002 farm bill amended Section
Increases the level of required federal support for
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7018]
1445(a)(2) of NARETPA to require that
research at the 1890 schools to 30% of the amount
federal support for research at the 1890
appropriated for research at the 1862 schools.
institutions be at least 25% of the amount
[Section 7216]

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CRS-10
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
appropriated for research at the 1862
universities.
7. Section 1434(b) of NARETPA defines
No comparable provision.
Specifies that 1890 institutions are eligible to
which institutions are eligible for animal health
receive funding for animal health and disease
and disease funding.
research. [Section 7016]
8. The 2002 farm bill amended Section 1449
Makes permanent the requirement that states
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7022]
of NARETPA to phase in increasing state
provide a 100% match to federal funds for
matching funds for federal formula funds for
research and extension at the 1890 colleges.
research and extension at the 1890 institutions,
[Section 7220]
reaching the 100% matching level in FY2007.
Expires after FY2007.
9. Section 3 of the Smith-Lever Act
No comparable provision.
Makes the 1890 institutions eligible to receive
(extension) authorizes federal funds for
funding for the Children, Youth, and Families
cooperative extension programs in the states.
Education and Research Network Program.
[Section 7303]
10. The McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry
No comparable provision.
Makes the 1890 institutions eligible for
Act (P.L. 87-788, Sec. 2) authorizes forestry
McIntire-Stennis forestry research funds.
research programs.
[Section 7310]
11. Section 1447 of NARETPA authorizes
Amends NARETPA to authorize $8 million
No comparable provision.
grants to upgrade facilities at 1890 institutions.
annually, specifically for grants to land grant
institutions in insular areas to upgrade agriculture
and food science facilities. [Section 7237]
12. Funding for tropical and subtropical
No comparable provision.
Adds to Subtitle K of NARETPA
research currently is provided under the
(miscellaneous programs) specific authority for
Special Research grant program to the land
a Tropical and Subtropical Agricultural
grant institutions in U.S. insular areas (7
Research competitive grant program limited to
U.S.C. 450i).
the insular area land grant institutions and
divided equally between the Caribbean and
Pacific basins. Authorizes the appropriation of
such sums as necessary. [Section 7038]

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HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
13. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision
Establishes a competitive grant program to
miscellaneous programs.
support the development of research,
extension, and education programs at land
grant institutions in the American Pacific
region, including Alaska and Hawaii. [Section
7041]
14. Section 1425(c)(2)(B) of NARETPA sets a
Amends NARETPA to authorize $90 million in
Section 7313 establishes UDC’s eligibility to
minimum distribution level and a formula for
annual appropriations for EFNEP; sets a minimum
receive EFNEP funds. The bill does not
distribution of any annual appropriation for
annual distribution of $100,000 in EFNEP funds
contain a section with provisions comparable
EFNEP in excess of the previous year’s level.
to each land grant institution; sets minimum
to the other items in Section 7604 of the House
percentages of EFNEP funding for the 1890
bill.
institutions through FY2013; establishes a formula
(based on income poverty guidelines) for
distributing EFNEP funds after FY2013 to the
states having 1890 institutions; establishes that
UDC is eligible to receive EFNEP funds. [Section
7604]
15. Section 1417(b)(4) of NARETPA
Extends eligibility for higher education capacity-
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7005]
authorizes capacity-building grants for research
building grants and fellowships to extension
and teaching at high minority-enrollment
programs at high minority-enrollment institutions.
institutions.
[Section 7605]
16. Section 1455 of NARETPA authorizes
Adds a new section establishing an endowment
(a) Clarifies Hispanic-serving institutions’
grants to Hispanic-serving institutions to
fund for Hispanic-serving institutions, to be used
eligibility for programs authorized under
strengthen educational capacity, and authorized
for basic institutional support. Authorizes
NARETPA. [Section 7001]
$20 million annually in appropriations through
appropriated funds through FY2012 to establish a
FY2007.
competitive grant program to build Hispanic-
(b) Contains an identical provision to Section
serving institutions’ educational capacity.
7222 in the House bill. [Section 7024]
Authorizes appropriations through FY2012 for a
competitive grant program to fund basic and
applied research at Hispanic-serving institutions.
Authorizes appropriations to be awarded
competitively to 1862 institutions for
collaborative extension projects with Hispanic-
serving institutions. [Section 7222]

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CRS-12
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
17. The current definition of “Hispanic-serving
Changes the definition of a Hispanic-serving
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7001]
institution” in NARETPA is based on a
institution in NARETPA from one based on a
formula found in Section 316(b)(1) of the
formula to one based on the total enrollment of
Higher Education Act of 1965.
students being at least 25% Hispanic. [Section
7234]
18. Section 1458 of NARETPA authorizes
Extends eligibility for participation in
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7025]
USDA agencies and land grant institutions to
international research, extension, and teaching
participate in international research, extension,
programs to Hispanic-serving institutions.
and teaching programs.
[Section 7223]
3. Organic Agricultural Research
1. Section 1672B of the 1990 farm act (P.L.
Amends the 1990 act to add emphasis on the
Provides $16 million annually in mandatory
101-624) provides $3 million annually in
environmental impact of organic farming and on
funds through FY2012 to support the organic
mandatory funds to support an organic
new plant varieties especially suited to organic
research and extension initiative. [Section
agriculture research and extension initiative.
farming; authorizes annual appropriations through
7104]
FY2012 of $25 million; and provides $25 million
annually in mandatory funds through FY2012.
[Section 7310]
2. No similar measure in current law.
Expresses the Sense of Congress that the level of
Contains an identical provision. [Section 7505]
funding for ARS (in-house) research on organic
agriculture should be at least commensurate with
the percentage that organic products represent of
the U.S. food market. [Section 7608]
3. Section 7405 of the 2002 farm bill
No comparable provision.
Authorizes $30 million in annual
established the Beginning Farmer and Rancher
appropriations through FY2012 for the
Development program.
program, and permits grants to be made to
beginning farmers and ranchers who are
converting to certified organic production.
[Section 7309]

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CRS-13
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
4. Specialty Crops Research
1. The Specialty Crop Competitiveness Act of
Amends the 2004 act to expand the information
No comparable provision.
2004 (P.L. 108-465) established a specialty
that the specialty crop committee provides the
crop committee to inform the Advisory Board
Advisory Board to include a comprehensive
on research needs.
analysis of the specialty crop sector. [Section
7204]
2. Section 1672 of the 1990 farm act
Adds a specialty crop research initiative to Title
Contains the identical provision, except that it
authorizes research and extension grants on
IV (new initiatives) of the 1998 research act (P.L.
authorizes $16 million annually in mandatory
specialty crops as a high-priority research area.
105-185). Authorizes annual appropriations of
funds through FY2012. [Section 7211]
$100 million through FY2012 and provides $215
million annually in mandatory funds. [Section
7411]
3. Food safety research is part of USDA’s
Authorizes USDA to make competitive research
No comparable provision.
research, extension, and education mission
and extension grants to universities and other
area, and is included in both intra- and
entities to design and implement programs to
extramural programs.
improve the safety of fresh-cut produce;
authorizes appropriation of such sums as
necessary, and provides $25 million annually in
mandatory funds through FY2012. [Section 7511]
4. Section 1419A of NARETPA authorizes the
Requires the Food and Agricultural Policy
No comparable provision.
Secretary to enter into a wide variety of grants
Research Institute (FAPRI, a university-based
and other collaborative agreements with
economic research institute, partially suppored by
private and public educational institutions,
federal funds) to establish a corollary institute —
corporations, and individuals to conduct
drawing on expertise at universities in states with
independent research and public policy
substantial specialty crop production —
analysis on food and agriculture.
specializing in specialty crop policy research.
[Section 7235]

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CRS-14
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
5. Bioenergy Research
1. No provision in current law.
Establishes a renewable energy committee to
No comparable provision.
report to the Advisory Board concerning research
needs and budget recommendations. [Section
7203]
2. Section 411 of the 1998 research act
Establishes a network of federal, state, and private
No comparable provision.
establishes an agricultural bioenergy and
laboratories to carry out the purposes of the
biobased products research initiative, and
bioenergy and biobased products research
authorizes the appropriation of such sums as
initiative, to be coordinated by the new National
necessary.
Agricultural Research Program Office (NARPO);
awards grants competitively to entities in the
network; authorizes $50 million annually in
appropriations through FY2012. [Section 7410]
3. No provision in current law.
Establishes a New Era Rural Technology Program
Establishes a similar program of the same
that makes grants available to rural community
name. [Section 7043]
colleges and technical centers to support training a
workforce in bioenergy, renewable energy, and
pulp and paper manufacturing; authorizes
appropriation of such sums as necessary. [Section
7312]
6. Miscellaneous Research
1. No comparable provision.
Authorizes the Secretary to establish animal
Requires USDA to issue a permit to the
disease laboratories, conduct research on diseases
Department of Homeland Security for work on
that constitute a threat to the livestock industry,
live Foot and Mouth Disease virus at the
and gives the Secretary discretion over the
National Bio- and Agro-defense Laboratory,
importation and movement of live viruses.
and clarifies that only the Secretary of
[Section 7108]
Agriculture has the authority to grant and
revoke such permits. [Section 11016]

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CRS-15
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
2. The ARS National Animal Disease Center
No comparable provision.
Authorizes $16 million annually through
in Ames, Iowa, is currently the highest bio-
FY2012 for construction of a higher-level bio-
security lab for animal disease research.
secure ARS animal health and disease facility
in Bozeman, Montana. [Section 7508]
3. Section 1415A of NARETPA authorizes a
No comparable provision.
Amends the program to require USDA to favor
program to defray the school loans of
large and mixed animal practitioner shortages
veterinary medical school graduates who agree
in rural areas in the initial phases of program
to serve for limited time periods in under-
implementation. [Section 7003]
served areas.
4. Section 1672(e) of the 1990 farm bill
Adds nine new subjects to the list of high priority
No comparable provision.
authorizes USDA to make grants for research
research and extension areas. [Section 7305]
and extension projects in a variety of high
priority subject areas.
5. Section 410 of the 1998 research reform act
Amends the 1998 act to encourage flexibility in
Reauthorizes appropriations for this purpose
provides a one-time transfer of $8 million in
making grants to youth organizations; allows the
through FY2012. [Section 7209]
mandatory funds to make grants to four
organizations to redistribute grant funds within
national youth organizations to support pilot
themselves; authorizes the appropriation of such
projects in rural areas; also provides authority
sums as necessary through FY2012. [Section
for appropriations through FY2007.
7408]
6. Authority currently exists for a number of
Establishes a Borlaug International Agricultural
Contains a similar provision. [Section 7042]
international agricultural research exchange
Science and Technology Fellowship Program to
opportunities under several different statutes.
promote collaborative activities between U.S. and
foreign agricultural professionals and the
international agricultural research system;
authorizes the appropriation of such sums as
necessary. Program emphasis is on developing
countries as determined by a gross national
income per capita test. [Section 7606]
7. The Act of March 4, 1927, authorizes the
Amends the 1927 act to authorize the construction
Authorizes the construction of a Chinese
establishment of the National Arboretum.
of a Chinese garden at the National Arboretum;
Garden at the National Arboretum but forbids
authorizes federal appropriations for this purpose.
the use of appropriated federal funds. [Section
[Section 7509]
7312]

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CRS-16
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
8. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Authorizes appropriations for competitive
miscellaneous programs.
grants to nonprofit organizations to distribute
donated vegetable seeds to community food
projects in low-income areas. [Section 7046]
9. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Authorizes appropriations for competitive
miscellaneous programs.
grants to support farm safety education and
outreach. [Section 7047]
10. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Authorizes appropriations for competitive
miscellaneous programs.
grants to increase the participation of women
and underrepresented minorities from rural
areas in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics education and careers. [Section
7408]
11. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Authorizes the land grant colleges and
miscellaneous programs.
universities to establish regional centers of
excellence for specific agricultural
commodities (and in particular, one for poultry
sustainability); authorizes appropriations and
requires matching funds. [Section 7039]
12. No provision in current law.
Prohibits the Secretary from disposing of any land
No comparable provision.
or facilities at the Grazinglands Research
Laboratory in El Reno, Oklahoma. [Section 7109]
13. No provision in current law.
Authorizes the Secretary to lease land at the El
No comparable provision.
Reno facility to the University of Oklahoma.
[Section 7111]
14. No provision in current law.
Requires scientists conducting research on biotech
No comparable provision
crops to receive training in USDA’s biotech
regulatory regime. Authorizes the certification of
third-party providers of such training. [Section
7110]

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CRS-17
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
15. No provision in current law.
Authorizes the appropriation of such sums as
No comparable provision.
necessary to award a grant to update USDA’s
Nutrient Composition Handbook for Beef.
[Section 7112]
16. No provision in current law.
Expresses the Sense of Congress that there should
No comparable provision.
be greater support for USDA human nutrition
research. [Section 7113]
17. Section 1433 of NARETPA authorizes
Encourages setting priorities for animal health and
No comparable provision.
animal health and disease research.
disease research through regular regional and
national meetings. [Section 7213]
18. Section 1424(b) of NARETPA authorizes
Adds as a focus of human nutrition research the
No comparable provision.
a human nutrition research initiative.
examination of the efficacy of current agriculture
policies in promoting the health and welfare of
economically disadvantaged populations. [Section
7236]
19. Section 1672(d) of the 1990 farm bill
Requires USDA to give funding priority to
No comparable provision.
encourages the Secretary to give funding
collaborative research grants. [Section 7303]
priority to meritorious high-priority research
proposals that are collaborative.
20. The 1990 farm bill authorizes research and
Changes the focus of aflatoxin research and
No comparable provision.
extension on aflatoxin.
extension from controlling aflatoxin to improving
and commercializing control technologies.
[Section 7304]
21. The 1990 farm bill authorizes a nutrient
Adds dairy cattle waste and regional concerns to
No comparable provision.
management research and extension initiative.
the purposes of the nutrient management research
and extension initiative. [Section 7307]
22. Section 1417(i) of NARETPA authorizes a
No comparable provision.
Adds extension and research to the award
National Food and Agricultural Sciences
program and requires that at least one cash
Teaching Award program.
award be made per year. [Section 7006]

---

CRS-18
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
23. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Establishes a National Farm Management
miscellaneous programs.
Center to create a public farm benchmarking
database and to improve farm financial
management training, among other things.
[Section 7037]
24. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Authorizes appropriations to support a research
miscellaneous programs.
program on the discovery and development of
products from plant, marine, and microbial
sources. [Section 7049]
25. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Authorizes a $1 million annual appropriation to
miscellaneous programs.
support nonprofit research on international
anti-hunger and nutrition activities. [Section
7050]
26. Subtitle K of NARETPA authorizes
No comparable provision.
Authorizes appropriations for competitive
miscellaneous programs.
grants to establish regional centers of
excellence in food systems veterinary
medicine. [Section 7052]
27. Section 604 of the 1998 research act
No comparable provision.
Authorizes annual appropriations of $2.5
authorizes the Food Animal Residue
million through FY2012 for FARAD. [Section
Avoidance Databank (FARAD).
7213]
28. Section 759 of the FY2000 USDA
No comparable provision.
Permits the Alaskan consortia of institutions to
appropriations act (P.L. 106-78) authorizes
designate fiscal agents for each member
competitive grants for education at Alaska
institution, and to allocate funds among
Native- and Native Hawaiian-serving
members. [Section 7308]
institutions.
29. P.L. 103-354 reorganized USDA in 1994,
No comparable provision.
Adds a section to the 1994 act giving the
including the merger and realignment of
Secretary authority to exchange, sell, or
certain research agencies.
otherwise dispose of animals, animal products,
plants, and plant products of the Agricultural
Research Service (with the exception of seeds
and germplasm). [Section 7314]

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CRS-19
HOUSE-PASSED BILL
SENATE-PASSED AMENDMENT
CURRENT LAW/POLICY
(H.R. 2419)
(H.R. 2419)
30. P.L. 103-354 reorganized USDA in 1994.
No comparable provision.
Adds a section to the 1994 act authorizing a
pilot program to allow property at the ARS
research center and the National Agricultural
Library in Beltsville, Maryland, to be leased
out for enhanced uses. [Section7316]
31. Research on antibiotic-resistant bacteria in
No comparable provision.
Authorizes a competitive grant program for
livestock is authorized under general statutory
targeted research on antibiotic-resistant
authority for federal and state agricultural
bacteria in livestock. [Section 7317]
research.
32. No provision in current law.
No comparable provision.
Requires the Secretary to prepare a report, in
coordination with other federal health agencies,
on the prevalence of areas in the United States
with limited access to affordable and nutritious
food, and to make recommendations to address
the problem. [Section 7504]
33. No provision in current law.
No comparable provision.
Requires USDA to prepare a report on: (1) the
state of domestic and international markets for
products from cloned animals; and (2) the
safety of food products (particularly milk)
from cloned animals. [Section 7507]
Note: Section 7502 concerns matters pertaining
to a recruitment and hiring process for ARS
and the Forest Service that does not directly
affect research policy.
Note: Section 7506 concerns matters pertaining
to the National Finance Center and the
National Information Technology Center that
are not related to the USDA research mission
area.

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