Colonel Gary LaGrange AgVets Act of 2024

This Act may be cited as the Colonel Gary LaGrange AgVets Act of 2024.

Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7624 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

In this section, the term veteran has the meaning given the term in section 101 of title 38, United States Code.

The Secretary shall establish a program under which the Secretary shall award competitive grants to eligible entities described in subsection (c) for the purpose of establishing and enhancing farming and ranching opportunities for veterans.

An entity is eligible for a grant under this section if the entity is—

(1) a cooperative extension service (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103));

(2) a land-grant college or university (as defined in that section);

(3) a non-land-grant college of agriculture (as defined in that section);

(4) a Hispanic-serving agricultural college or university (as defined in that section);

(5) a State department of agriculture;

(6) a nonprofit organization;

(7) a community-based organization; or

(8) a combination of 2 or more eligible entities described in paragraphs (1) through (7).

An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall use the funds received through the grant—

(1) to provide training and classroom education that lead to a comprehensive understanding of farm and ranch business operations and management practices;

(2) to develop or identify curricula that veteran farmers and ranchers can adopt to help manage their enterprises;

(3) to offer education, workshops, tours, and instructor-supervised field experiences; or

(4) to support any other activity, as identified by the Secretary, to increase the number of veterans pursuing knowledge and skills development in agriculture.

An eligible entity that receives a grant under this section shall provide non-Federal matching funds for the purposes of carrying out this section in an amount equal to not less than the amount of the grant.

There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.

.