2002 U.S. Code
Title 7 - AGRICULTURE
CHAPTER 103 - AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION REFORM
SUBCHAPTER II - NEW AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATION INITIATIVES
Sec. 7621 - Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems

There is established in the Treasury of the United States an account to be known as the Initiative for Future Agriculture and Food Systems (referred to in this section as the “Account”) to provide funds for activities authorized under this section.

On October 1, 1998, and each October 1 thereafter through October 1, 2001 1, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, the Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer 0,000,000 to the Account.

The Secretary of Agriculture—

(A) shall be entitled to receive the funds transferred to the Account under paragraph (1);

(B) shall accept the funds; and

(C) shall use the funds to carry out this section.

Out of funds in the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall transfer to the Account—

(A) on October 1, 2003, 0,000,000;

(B) on October 1, 2004, 0,000,000;

(C) on October 1, 2005, 0,000,000; and

(D) on October 1, 2006, and each October 1 thereafter, 0,000,000.

The Secretary shall use the funds in the Account for research, extension, and education grants (referred to in this section as “grants”) to address critical emerging agricultural and rural issues related to—

(A) future food production;

(B) environmental quality and natural resource management;

(C) farm income; or

(D) rural economic and business and community development policy.

In making grants under this section, the Secretary, in consultation with the Advisory Board, shall address priority mission areas related to—

(A) agricultural genome;

(B) food safety, food technology, and human nutrition;

(C) new and alternative uses and production of agricultural commodities and products;

(D) agricultural biotechnology;

(E) natural resource management, including precision agriculture; and

(F) farm efficiency and profitability, including the viability and competitiveness of small- and medium-sized dairy, livestock, crop, and other commodity operations.

The Secretary may make a grant under this section to—

(1) a Federal research agency;

(2) a national laboratory;

(3) a college or university or a research foundation maintained by a college or university;

(4) a private research organization with an established and demonstrated capacity to perform research or technology transfer; or

(5) a State agricultural experiment station.

The Secretary may award grants under this section in a manner that ensures that the faculty of small, mid-sized, and minority-serving institutions that have not previously been successful in obtaining competitive grants under subsection (b) of section 450i of this title receive a portion of the grants under this section.

In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall provide a higher priority to—

(A) a project that is multistate, multi-institutional, or multidisciplinary; or

(B) a project that integrates agricultural research, extension, and education.

In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall—

(A) seek and accept proposals for grants;

(B) determine the relevance and merit of proposals through a system of peer review in accordance with section 7613 of this title;

(C) award grants on the basis of merit, quality, and relevance to advancing the purposes and priority mission areas established under subsection (c) of this section; and

(D) solicit and consider input from persons who conduct or use agricultural research, extension, or education in accordance with section 7612(b) of this title.

A grant under this section shall be awarded on a competitive basis.

A grant under this section shall have a term that does not exceed 5 years.

As a condition of making a grant under this section, the Secretary shall require the funding of the grant be matched with equal matching funds from a non-Federal source if the grant is—

(A) for applied research that is commodity-specific; and

(B) not of national scope.

The Secretary shall administer this section through the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service of the Department. The Secretary may establish 1 or more institutes to carry out all or part of the activities authorized under this section.

Funds for grants under this section shall be available to the Secretary for obligation for a 2-year period.

The Secretary may use not more than 4 percent of the funds made available for grants under this section for administrative costs incurred by the Secretary in carrying out this section.

Funds made available for grants under this section shall not be used for the construction of a new building or facility or the acquisition, expansion, remodeling, or alteration of an existing building or facility (including site grading and improvement and architect fees).

(Pub. L. 105–185, title IV, §401, June 23, 1998, 112 Stat. 564; Pub. L. 105–277, div. A, §101(a) [title VII, §753(c)(2)], Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681, 2681–33; Pub. L. 107–171, title VII, §7205(a), May 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 439.)

2002—Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 107–171, §7205(a)(1), substituted “2001” for “2002”.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 107–171, §7205(a)(2), added par. (3).

Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 107–171, §7205(a)(2), which directed amendment of section 401(b) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 by amending subsec. (c)(1) generally, was executed by generally amending subsec. (c)(1) of this section to reflect the probable intent of Congress. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Secretary shall use the funds in the Account—

“(A) subject to paragraph (2), for research, extension, and education grants (referred to in this section as ‘grants’) to address critical emerging agricultural issues related to—

“(i) future food production;

“(ii) environmental quality and natural resource management; or

“(iii) farm income; and

“(B) for activities carried out under the Alternative Agricultural Research and Commercialization Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5901 et seq.).”

Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 107–171, §7205(a)(3), which directed amendment of section 401(b) of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 by substituting “small, mid-sized, and minority-serving” for “small and mid-sized” in subsec. (e)(1), was executed by making the substitution in subsec. (e)(1) of this section to reflect the probable intent of Congress.

1998—Subsec. (d)(5). Pub. L. 105–277 added par. (5).

Amendment by Pub. L. 105–277 effective June 23, 1998, see section 101(a) [title VII, §753(f)] of Pub. L. 105–277, set out as a note under section 343 of this title.

1 So in original. Probably should be “2007”.