1.This Act may be cited as the
National Farm-to-School Act of
2010
.
2.Congress finds the following:
(1)Farm-to-school
programs facilitate the purchase of local food for school meals and offer a
spectrum of both immediate and long-term benefits to child health, small- and
medium-sized agricultural producer income, and community economic
development.
(2)Farm-to-school
programs of varying scale are operational in over 8,900 schools in 42 States
around the country.
(3)Though successful models of farm-to-school
programs exist around the country, many schools and small- and medium-sized
agricultural producers that would like to implement a farm-to-school program or
scale up their existing program face barriers in the form of program planning,
implementation, and technical capacity.
(4)One-third of
children in the United States are now obese or overweight. Over the past 3
decades, obesity rates have quadrupled in 6 to 11 year olds and tripled in 12
to 19 year olds, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease
Control’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
(5)Childhood obesity
rates are disproportionately high among low-income and minority populations.
Among Mexican-American children and adolescents ages 2 to 19, 38 percent are
obese or overweight. For African-American children, this rate is close to 35
percent. A study of American Indian second-graders in Arizona, New Mexico and
South Dakota found that over 20 percent of the children were overweight and 29
percent were obese.
(6)Communities with
high levels of poverty have less access to fresh fruits and vegetables than
higher-income communities. A study of nearly 700 neighborhoods in the United
States found that low-income areas have access to half as many supermarkets as
the wealthiest areas.
(7)Increased
consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables is one of six major strategies to
prevent and control obesity, according to the Centers for Disease
Control.
(8)According to
survey data from the Department of Agriculture, only 2 percent of children
nationwide meet the daily food servings as recommended by the Food Guide
Pyramid.
(9)The national
school lunch program established under the Richard B. Russell National School
Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) has potential to provide fresher and
healthier foods to millions of children in the United States. Approximately 60
percent of students in the United States are eligible to receive free or
reduced-price school lunches. In fiscal year 2008, 30.9 million children
consumed free or reduced-price school lunch on a daily basis.
(10)Farm-to-school
programs can increase children’s daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Farm-to-school programs in Oregon and California have demonstrated that
children in schools with an active farm-to-school program increased their
average consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables by one or more servings per
day.
(11)Farm-to-school
programs are popular among children and can increase school lunch
participation. Studies of 9 farm-to-school programs found that schools that
participate in a farm-to-school program have seen an increase in student
participation in the school meal program ranging from 3 percent to 16 percent
for all meals.
(12)Farm-to-school
programs can benefit small- and mid-sized agricultural producers by providing
access to consistent markets and the planning and organization skills to expand
to other institutional customers.
(13)Farm-to-school
programs can benefit local economies. A 2009 study of farm-to-school programs
in Oregon found that for every one dollar invested in farm-to-school programs,
the yield in economic activity in the local community was $1.87.
3.In this Act:
(1)The term
farm-to-school program means a program that connects schools and
small- and medium-sized agricultural producers for the purposes of—
(A)serving locally produced, healthy foods
(including fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat, fish, and poultry, and
grains) in school cafeterias;
(B)improving student
nutrition;
(C)providing
educational opportunities for students in the areas of nutrition, health, and
local agricultural food production; and
(D)supporting local and regional agriculture
and the growth of rural communities.
(2)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture unless otherwise
specified.
4.It is the sense of
Congress that—
(1)farm-to-school
programs should be recognized as a proven effective strategy that can provide
immediate and long-term benefits to child health, small- and medium-sized
agricultural producer income, and community economic development; and
(2)the Federal
Government should partner in assisting schools and local educational agencies
with planning, technical assistance, and implementation of farm-to-school
programs.
5.The purposes of this Act are to—
(1)establish the
Federal Government as a partner in assisting communities with planning,
technical assistance, and implementation of efficient, cost-effective
farm-to-school programs; and
(2)facilitate a sustained commitment to
farm-to-school procurement in communities by linking local small- and
medium-sized agricultural producers, schools and institutions, State, local and
tribal government agencies, institutions of higher education, parents,
community and tribal organizations, and other community stakeholders
<enum>I</enum><header>Competitive Grant
Program for Farm-to-School Programs</header>
<section id="H8DB9B37184DD46859F50F9F5D9D8AE1F"><enum>101.</enum><header>Competitive
grant program for Farm-to-School Programs</header>
<subsection id="H672B4D4E9F504C55B83D90A0D911F820"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Amendment</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Richard B. Russell National School
Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1751 et seq.) is amended by inserting after section 19,
the following:</text>
<quoted-block display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H479F9B7D51E947CA8D11DE84A1EAD0C8" style="OLC">
<section id="H190BEF6190614F28A6C76E15771FA4FE"><enum>19A.</enum><header>Farm-to-school
program</header>
<subsection id="H212FDC3271F449CCB646EC838BE8DDE9"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>From the amounts appropriated under subsection (l), the
Secretary shall provide assistance, through competitive matching grants and
technical assistance, to eligible entities to implement or expand
farm-to-school programs, and for related activities.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H6ECFABA7BA9941BEA5B4DAC9BF4AE677"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Eligible
entity</header><text>For purposes of this section, the term <term>eligible
entity</term> means—</text>
<paragraph id="H9D2613041DDD4491A9D07B1C7AAE7370"><enum>(1)</enum><text>a school,
including a charter school;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H428C9E43C80D40989AD5FBAA0C633CCF"><enum>(2)</enum><text>a local
educational agency;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H7656965FDF49408584E356A4CEF06B1E"><enum>(3)</enum><text>an institution of
higher education;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H600678880C1644969516B1E0AF7B6568"><enum>(4)</enum><text>a nongovernmental,
community-based, or tribal organization;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H92E7A55BA7074D17A2109530A95B11BD"><enum>(5)</enum><text>a State, regional,
local, or tribal government agency; or</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H5D2DC867A3B743678A35C5BB334203E5"><enum>(6)</enum><text>a partnership
consisting of 2 or more of the entities described in paragraphs (1) through
(5).</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H06282B941B44495DBEFA46DBD00D151D"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Regional
balance</header><text>In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary, to
the maximum extent practicable, shall ensure—</text>
<paragraph id="H6CA7337D01E7495D809C46060CF3E684"><enum>(1)</enum><text>geographical
diversity; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H2C628DAD96504DAE9A1D864860527337"><enum>(2)</enum><text>participation of
urban, rural, and tribal communities.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H4AE800FFD7EA4BC1809EDE11B6EFD74E"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Types of
grants</header><text>A grant under this section may be—</text>
<paragraph commented="no" id="H897A434CFFA643B2A16E862ADE700678"><enum>(1)</enum><text>an implementation
grant to support the initial costs of implementing a new, or expanding an
existing, farm-to-school program;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" id="H781D9991B77746318F0B3DDF8810F0E1"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a training and technical assistance grant
to support the training and access to resources and information necessary to
conduct a successful farm-to-school program; or</text>
</paragraph><paragraph commented="no" id="H59546621EE1D4C6587D847B03BEFCF97"><enum>(3)</enum><text>a planning grant
to support the cost of conducting research, identifying resources, and
developing partnerships to design a successful and sustainable farm-to-school
program.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H49F12900829F4FC984D44F41F8E7067A"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Grant
Amounts</header><text>A grant awarded under this section to an eligible entity
shall not exceed—</text>
<paragraph id="HF76E6F7AAD4D44CD81D1B86650B2418C"><enum>(1)</enum><text>in the case of an
implementation or training and technical assistance grant, $100,000; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H18E63B66F0474FF4BBE123C5909E6D84"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in the case of a
planning grant, $25,000.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H253CAFCE3E824771BB3D375B4A5C7A96"><enum>(f)</enum><header>Grant
Duration</header><text>A grant under this section shall be awarded for a
period—</text>
<paragraph id="HD7B5CBC7554344A790F9D4CF1AD3B5BA"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">in the case of an implementation or
training and technical assistance grant, not to exceed 2 years; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H2BDE6C54DFDE463A853FC38EF1338D22"><enum>(2)</enum><text>in the case of a
planning grant, not to exceed 1 year.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="HD82FE9064B744842866AEBBC0DDF4986"><enum>(g)</enum><header>Cost
sharing</header>
<paragraph id="HBB580B4C2CD54843B62305DF8EB7C263"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>The amount of a grant awarded under this section shall
not exceed 75 percent of the cost of the activities carried out under the
grant.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H38C71102A5074CE99A20FF89884AEEC3"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Non-Federal
support</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">An eligible entity
receiving a grant under this section shall provide support of at least 25
percent of the cost of the activities carried out under the grant in cash or
in-kind (including, facilities, equipment, training, or services provided by a
State, local, and tribal governments, institutions of higher education, and
private sources).</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H0235B8C1902042EAA2AA994673C83482"><enum>(h)</enum><header>Use of
funds</header>
<paragraph id="H03DFB93DB4DE4CB1AA2FD2EFDCFE9142"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section
shall use such funds to implement or expand, make plans to implement or expand,
or provide training and technical assistance to an eligible entity in
accordance with paragraph (2) for the purposes of implementing or expanding, a
farm-to-school program, by—</text>
<subparagraph id="HED1B87983B974166B819FAA10FF113B4"><enum>(A)</enum><text>establishing
effective relationships among—</text>
<clause id="HC668F3404241424BAD188DDADD2367A0"><enum>(i)</enum><text>schools and local
educational agencies;</text>
</clause><clause id="H2C52732D696147308D8534FF5FABF713"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>distributors; and</text>
</clause><clause id="H278741FDCF214579A75C7D9705747690"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>small- and
medium-sized agricultural operations or groups of such operations;</text>
</clause></subparagraph><subparagraph id="H8E50FD1F7C6642D5BBE515F8BC82BE8E"><enum>(B)</enum><text>facilitating the
development of enterprises to minimally process, as defined by the Secretary,
distribute, aggregate, store, and deliver locally or regionally produced
agricultural food products to support community development and the income of
small- and medium-sized agricultural operations;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HCF8CE7C5D0E84595949B71E318A10473"><enum>(C)</enum><text>acquiring
appropriate equipment to implement or expand a farm-to-school program;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H5C68FE724CE843F9A1B2647A65390CE6"><enum>(D)</enum><text>developing school
fruit and vegetable gardens for educational and food production purposes;
and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H6E419984467F4AFC942765D5FC567330"><enum>(E)</enum><text>supporting
training and education activities, including supporting the planning of
experiential nutrition education activities and curriculum that—</text>
<clause id="H31F9FD71DFAC44ACA4ABFAC07BCEB305"><enum>(i)</enum><text>promote healthy
food education in the school curriculum; and</text>
</clause><clause id="H5CF737F1E1DB47418DABD0A8C49FCA01"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>incorporate the
participation of school children in farm- and garden-based agricultural
education activities.</text>
</clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="HB087DBDC1C7943C28035369C5E23AB63"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Technical
assistance grants</header>
<subparagraph id="H5BF61C6E7758475D85A7538917F4396B"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>In the case of an eligible entity receiving a training
and technical assistance grant under this section, the entity shall use the
funds available under the grant to provide training and technical assistance to
an eligible entity that desires to implement or expand a farm-to-school
program.</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HC8BA30C937584C0BA782634E14A54603"><enum>(B)</enum><header>Training and
technical assistance activities</header><text>The training and technical
assistance shall—</text>
<clause id="HB6EF164EA0D7431FAED0C5093582024F"><enum>(i)</enum><text>be
provided under such terms as the Secretary may require; and</text>
</clause><clause id="HEB7C67242A7B404CA8128B4B363B3A8A"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>include
supporting the training and access to resources and information necessary for
the implementation of a successful farm-to-school program.</text>
</clause></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H0DB1C12DB2C04459A174437A1C04ADB8"><enum>(i)</enum><header>Program
proposals</header>
<paragraph id="H0C0539C692A94769B10676EAF55F3A52"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Submission</header><text>An
eligible entity desiring to receive a grant under this section shall submit a
proposal at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the
Secretary may require.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H2F14DC5D04D74FFA956F4B6634C74144"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Review
panels</header><text>The Secretary shall form review panels to evaluate
proposals submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) based on the criteria described
in paragraph (3). Such review panels shall include—</text>
<subparagraph id="H0674F5772A864813BD5007AC6FFD64B2"><enum>(A)</enum><text>representatives of
schools and eligible institutions;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H07B03651D5A14E9D825CF6F594F36464"><enum>(B)</enum><text>registered
dietitians;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H9C16D26E9AF044B48AF5AF825B3D0908"><enum>(C)</enum><text>small- and
medium-sized agricultural operations, including socially disadvantaged small-
and medium-sized agricultural operations;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HB367ACB79B1549F9AA86B6F3CA62566C"><enum>(D)</enum><text>public
agencies;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HF02F1ADA9E88477184654F3286B74B12"><enum>(E)</enum><text>nongovernmental
and community-based organizations with expertise in local food systems and
farm-to-school programs; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HAA0F6F142D5447CCB60466626B317BA2"><enum>(F)</enum><text>other appropriate
parties as determined by the Secretary.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H25EF78A44D1142038DA8E5065C43D478"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Proposal review
criteria</header><text>A proposal shall be evaluated based on relevant criteria
determined by the Secretary, and shall include—</text>
<subparagraph id="H62814D9E74D34EB798906C6E5DDBC1AC"><enum>(A)</enum><text>service to schools
and institutions with a high proportion of children who are eligible for free
and reduced price lunches;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H30274FD77D88478996A1EA7A34D6CE1A"><enum>(B)</enum><text>benefit to local
small- and medium-sized agricultural operations, including socially
disadvantaged agricultural operations;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H1922DEE70847414BB95C6C1A5E867F24"><enum>(C)</enum><text>implementation or
expansion of farm-to-school programs that can be sustained without Federal
funds after the end of the grant period;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HFD02E4ED6C514ECFA720E7CEB3FBE9F9"><enum>(D)</enum><text>incorporation of
experiential nutrition education;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H7DFEC3E2D27C4B66804E98DC780835EA"><enum>(E)</enum><text>demonstration of
collaboration between schools or institutions, nongovernmental and
community-based organizations, agricultural operations and groups of such
operations, and other community partners;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HE3D514D8B91346FFA67E3D3E3BCFF45A"><enum>(F)</enum><text>evaluation plans
that incorporate stakeholder representation; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HBC7C98657BB24ADA9E72A5E72E6A29AD"><enum>(G)</enum><text>such other related
criteria as the Secretary may determine relevant.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph></subsection><subsection display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HF9F19B52A5AD4B1AAC4265A79A4CDC37"><enum>(j)</enum><header>Evaluation</header><text>Any
eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall agree to cooperate
in an evaluation carried out by the Secretary.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="HD693C1CFFFD94AF6B8475B2CD4304F03"><enum>(k)</enum><header>Rule of
construction</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Nothing in this
section shall be construed to authorize grants under this section for religious
worship, instruction, or proselytization, or for construction of a facility for
religious worship, instruction, or proselytization.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H141683EBF737494293C27C45D89304F2"><enum>(l)</enum><header>Authorization of
appropriations</header><text>There are authorized to be appropriated such sums
as are necessary to carry out this section for fiscal year 2011 and each of the
4 succeeding fiscal years, to remain available until expended.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H237078913E6544F8984EC44CA853E1F3"><enum>(m)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">For purposes of this section:</text>
<paragraph commented="no" id="H43CDF10461AC48FD8C616167CD12179E"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Charter
school</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>charter
school</term> has the meaning give the term in section 5210 of the Elementary
and Secondary Education of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7221i).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HBC1E72496A4E40FA8C0469335206CD29"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Elementary
school; Secondary school; local educational agency</header><text>The terms
<term>elementary school</term>, <term>secondary school</term>, and <term>local
educational agency</term> have the meanings given such terms in section 9101 of
the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H86AAED1006534B47BFB5B9965C29F0EE"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Farm-to-School
program</header><text>The term <term>farm-to-school program</term> means a
program that connects schools and small- and medium-sized agricultural
operations for the purposes of—</text>
<subparagraph commented="no" id="H4E3EF3DBFD3443FAA442FF173B9592A3"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">serving locally produced, healthy foods
(including fresh fruits and vegetables, dairy; meat, fish, and poultry, and
grains) in school cafeterias;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" id="H0D594D7340AE4226A0AAB8F0B2BC34B4"><enum>(B)</enum><text>improving student
nutrition;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" id="HADAEC7F02841413E8135B9DB45B5C253"><enum>(C)</enum><text>providing
agriculture, health, and nutrition education opportunities to students;
and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph commented="no" id="H6577B9EF8B134DD9B1A42A1B7F590446"><enum>(D)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">supporting local and regional agriculture
and the growth of rural communities.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="HF954646DBEE34292806EE0DDD7674FA1"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Institution of
higher education</header><text>The term <term>institution of higher
education</term> has the meaning given such term in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HAC07151B4DAE47418310D3CF5C02471E"><enum>(5)</enum><header>Local
food</header><text>The term <term>local food</term> has the meaning given the
term <term>locally or regionally produced agricultural food products</term> in
section 310B(g) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1932(g)).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H15FF45A6EAA54D2C9F76B2B877D2282C"><enum>(6)</enum><header>School</header><text>The
term <term>school</term> means a public elementary school or public secondary
school.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H69486D65B8B844DEBE9010DE322660AE"><enum>(7)</enum><header>Tribal
organization</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term
<term>tribal organization</term> has the meaning given the term in section 4 of
the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance
Act.</text>
</paragraph></subsection></section><after-quoted-block>.</after-quoted-block></quoted-block>
</subsection><subsection id="H23F3C4B9AB314669906AB9A5CE4122B8"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Conforming
Amendment</header><text>Section 18 of the Richard B. National School Lunch Act
(42 U.S.C. 1769) is amended by repealing subsection (g).</text>
</subsection></section><enum>II</enum><header>Participation of
Small- and Medium-Sized Agricultural Producers in Farm-to-School
Programs</header>
<section id="H26F77DD81B614E7BA6500C493EA94133"><enum>201.</enum><header>Identification
of Department of Agriculture programs available to promote participation of
small- and medium-sized agricultural producers in farm-to-school
programs</header>
<subsection id="H39543942D3A84118B7C05B9A972EA177"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Identification
of available programs</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The
Secretary shall prepare a list identifying all programs of the Department of
Agriculture that, without modification or with only minor modification, can be
used to facilitate the participation of small- and medium-sized agricultural
operations in farm-to-school programs.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H105E8D2B163649268233C7A250B6AE00"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Covered
programs</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Among the Department
of Agriculture programs to be considered for inclusion on the list required by
subsection (a), the Secretary shall specifically evaluate the following:</text>
<paragraph id="H581F1E71987044C4A3E5310519F2D5BC"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The rural development programs of the
Department of Agriculture.</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HFEC7077FAF33467A852EBD8318D3833A"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The loan and loan guarantee programs
carried out under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1921 et seq.).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HE70604D9A4894A65A648146D4115424A"><enum>(3)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Value-Added Agricultural Product Market
Development Grant Program carried out under section 231 of the Agricultural
Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 106–224).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HC970BD43542A4FFF9D9846349AA7AEB5"><enum>(4)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Farmers’ Market Promotion Program
carried out under section 6 of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of
1976 (7 U.S.C. 3005).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HDC3634B1B42243A7AD4E8E79EA447B05"><enum>(5)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Federal-State Marketing Improvement
Program carried out under section 204(b) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of
1946 (7 U.S.C. 1623(b)).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HB3A354CC773E4EBA88F33710A51663B4"><enum>(6)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Specialty Crop Block Grant Program
carried out under section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of
2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 108–465).</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HB7CEFF8C37EE49E783B65334639D4C4C"><enum>(7)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Community Food Projects Program carried
out under section 25 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2034).</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H073B3C9D6F824E47A28A798082CE6228"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Additional
determination regarding value-Added agricultural product market development
grant program</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Value-Added
Agricultural Product Market Development Grant Program may be accessed by small-
and medium-sized agricultural operations and associations of such operations to
support farm-to-school programs. The Secretary shall promptly clarify the
notification of solicitation of applications under the program to reflect this
determination.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="H7870CFAF3EE745AC9BBB24710B97DCCA"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Submission of
results</header><text>Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to Congress the list
prepared under subsection (a).</text>
</subsection></section><section id="H9D19EA0C07B34194B115C32BBB76C9F0"><enum>202.</enum><header>Assessment of
economic impact of farm-to-school programs on small- and medium-sized
agricultural producers and rural communities</header>
<subsection id="H5551B161D2B442FDA01988BDD154211E"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Assessment
required</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Secretary,
acting through the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture,
shall conduct a nationwide assessment of the economic impact of farm-to-school
programs on small- and medium-sized agricultural operations and rural
communities.</text>
</subsection><subsection id="HA3C6B790FAFD4D879EE235C31D75F12C"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Content of
assessment</header><text>In conducting the assessment, the Secretary
shall—</text>
<paragraph id="H4A037DFDB6A74FCD8393D1F114A0ACC0"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">examine the role that farm-to-school
programs can play in establishing profitable new markets for small- and
medium-sized agricultural operations and facilitating their access to new
institutional or direct markets and value-added processing opportunities;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H7EF209239A12492EADE161DFF2B3B6C5"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">identify barriers that impede the
establishment of such profitable markets for small- and medium-sized
agricultural operations; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H877CB9BF66A642A2AF79A979207948E5"><enum>(3)</enum><text>identify
strategies for mitigating such barriers.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="H6ABF35C6767F4AAB91ECD787524AA59E"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Submission of
results</header><text>Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress the results of the assessment
required by this section.</text>
</subsection></section><enum>III</enum><header>Interagency
Cooperation</header>
<section id="H094C2FC40AC24CFE849B953740AC8094"><enum>301.</enum><header>Interagency
farm-to-school exchange</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The
Secretary of Agriculture, in collaboration with the Secretary of Education and
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall establish an Internet-based
forum for the sharing and exchange of information on farm-to-school programs
nationwide. Information available in this Exchange shall include—</text>
<paragraph id="H5783CA0090B94873811AC3ECEFAFCD09"><enum>(1)</enum><text>an inventory of
all projects funded under the competitive grant program in title II;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HF9B890BFFF8B42259991EC00053F3CB8"><enum>(2)</enum><text>an inventory of
existing farm-to-school programs in the United States, which lists—</text>
<subparagraph id="HB5BAE86C82C44B499ECFB06B828A1800"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the agricultural
producers and schools participating in each program;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HDCBD0456A2A1404BB13B9EBF2DE0E9E7"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the number of
students served by each program;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="HDDA8DA2203C94AF9817B3335F112FFC3"><enum>(C)</enum><text>the annual
operating cost of each program; and</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="H29D9C701CAF245D9A4380A6586C21C6E"><enum>(D)</enum><text>the main contact
for the program.</text>
</subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="H1E335294D96B419AA9FDD1AFD2A0431B"><enum>(3)</enum><text>information on
best practices in farm-to-school programs nationwide; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="HEBB1709C615044DB8EBAE12E2D8666DC"><enum>(4)</enum><text>additional
information as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture, in collaboration
with the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human
Services.</text>
</paragraph></section>