§5811 Research and Extension Projects

Summary

The Secretary must run research and teaching projects to gather data, test and show new farming methods, and teach farmers about low‑input, sustainable agriculture. These projects must try to cut use of chemical pesticides and toxic materials when practical, improve low‑input farm management so farms are more productive and profitable, and encourage crop and livestock diversity. Projects should study farms in different soils and climates, focus on farms already using low‑input or conservation practices, use farmers’ experience and leadership, share practical information with farmers, and build partnerships among farmers, nonprofits, agribusiness, colleges, and government. The work is done through agreements with land‑grant and other universities, state experiment stations and extension services, qualified nonprofits, or federal and state agencies. Projects are picked based on how relevant they are, how well they are designed, whether they are likely to meet their goals, and whether the results will apply regionally or nationally. Priority goes to projects that link research and extension, make results easy for farmers to use, involve farmers (including on‑farm trials), use multiple disciplines, and include cooperation among farms, nonprofits, colleges, and government. Projects must represent diverse U.S. farming, may include on‑farm demonstrations and impact studies, may last more than one fiscal year (and for crop rotations must run long enough to study the sequence), must allow public observation at set times, and the Secretary may pay for unusual losses caused by strict research rules if that was agreed to beforehand.