Washington Watch: Seeking Senate support for community college ag programs

“The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the Association of Community College Trustees are asking the Senate agriculture committee to include new support for community college agriculture programs in a 2026 Senate Farm Bill. The two organizations last week sent a letter to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry seeking lawmakers support after the House last month passed the Food, Farm and National Security Act (H.R. 7567). The bill, led by House Republicans, has been described as a “skinny” reauthorization of the Farm Bill – the governing legislation for all U.S. Department of Agriculture programs. The most recent Farm Bill, the Agriculture Improvement Act, expired in 2023. “Our colleges strengthen workforce training related to agribusiness, aquaculture, horticulture, precision agriculture, livestock, dairy, forest and natural resources management, viticulture and enology, and other areas,” the May 22 letter said. “Furthermore, community colleges’ focus on cultivation of entrepreneurship assistance, as well as their economic development orientation, have been enormously helpful to the agricultural sector, especially in rural areas.” Related article: The future of farming in the Garden State AACC/ACCT said the 2026 Farm Bill presents an opportunity to scale this impact and better align community college agriculture programs with national agricultural workforce development goals. The House bill includes an authorization for a new program to provide funding for community college agriculture and natural resources programs. The new program would provide competitive grants to community colleges, consortia of community colleges, and career and technical education schools that provide workforce training in agricultural fields, with a priority for applicants that offer work-based learning opportunities. The House proposal differs slightly from the bipartisan Community College Agriculture Advancement Act, long endorsed by AACC. That bill would place more emphasis on capacity building for institutions to enhance agriculture programs and promote greater coordination between community colleges and other higher education institutions, while the new proposal is more directly focused on workforce and industry partnerships. The post Washington Watch: Seeking Senate support for community college ag programs first appeared on Community College Daily .

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