USDA expands farm mentorship to include college work-based learning
H.R. 7914 — Agricultural Conservation Mentorship Act · Filed by April McClain Delaney (D-MD) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Mar 12, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to expand the Experienced Services Program—which trains agricultural professionals—to include new activities: assisting cooperative initiatives that improve higher education teaching programs in agriculture, including paid work-based learning opportunities at colleges and universities. The bill also adds formal definitions for 'institution of higher education,' 'land-grant colleges and universities,' and 'work-based learning' to clarify program scope.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward expansion of an existing USDA mentorship program to include new eligible activities—cooperative initiatives supporting higher education teaching and work-based learning in agriculture. This is routine program amendment, not a hidden carve-out or deregulation.
What the text implies
- Expansion of Experienced Services Program may increase USDA budget demand if new activities require additional staffing or funding, though the bill itself contains no appropriation.
- Work-based learning provision may create new internship or apprenticeship pathways in agriculture, potentially affecting labor market dynamics for entry-level agricultural positions.
- Emphasis on land-grant colleges and cooperative initiatives may concentrate program benefits in states with strong agricultural extension networks.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
The bill expands access to agricultural mentorship and work-based learning opportunities for students at higher education institutions, particularly land-grant colleges. This increases educational pathways and practical training in agriculture without restricting existing protections or imposing new costs on ordinary citizens.
Who stands to gain
- land-grant universities and agricultural colleges
- cooperative agricultural organizations
Named in the bill
USDA, Food Security Act of 1985, Section 1252 (Experienced Services Program), National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, Higher Education Act of 1965, Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, land-grant colleges and universities
Where it stands
1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.
- Mar 12, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Mar 12, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Agriculture · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (1,395 characters) on Jul 2, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“USDA expands farm mentorship to include college work-based learning” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr7914 Report an error
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