U.S. Code > Title 7 Agriculture > CHAPTER 64—AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND TEACHING (§§ 3101—3363) > SUBCHAPTER X—FUNDING AND MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS (§§ 3310—3319j) > § 3319d. Supplemental and alternative crops

§ 3319d. Supplemental and alternative crops

(a) Research and pilot project program
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, during the period beginning October 1, 1986, and ending September 30, 2012, the Secretary shall develop and implement a research project program for the development of supplemental and alternative crops, using such funds as are appropriated to the Secretary each fiscal year under this chapter.
(b) Importance to producers
The development of supplemental and alternative crops is of critical importance to producers of agricultural commodities whose livelihood is threatened by the decline in demand experienced with respect to certain of their crops due to changes in consumption patterns or other related causes.
(c) Research funding, special or competitive grants, etc.; program requirements; agreements, grants and other arrangements
(1) The Secretary shall use such research funding, special or competitive grants, or other means, as the Secretary determines, to further the purposes of this section in the implementation of a comprehensive and integrated program.
(2) The program developed and implemented by the Secretary shall include—
(A) an examination of the adaptation of supplemental and alternative crops;
(B) the establishment and extension of various methods of planting, cultivating, harvesting, and processing supplemental and alternative crops;
(C) the transfer of such applied research to on-farm practice as soon as practicable;
(D) the establishment through grants, cooperative agreements, or other means of such processing, storage, and transportation facilities for supplemental and alternative crops as the Secretary determines will facilitate the achievement of a successful program; and
(E) the application of such other resources and expertise as the Secretary considers appropriate to support the program.
(3) The program may include, but shall not be limited to, agreements, grants, and other arrangements—
(A) to conduct comprehensive resource and infrastructure assessments;
(B) to develop and introduce supplemental and alternative income-producing crops;
(C) to develop and expand domestic and export markets for such crops;
(D) to provide technical assistance to farm owners and operators, marketing cooperatives, and others;
(E) to conduct fundamental and applied research related to the development of new commercial products derived from natural plant material for industrial, medical, and agricultural applications; and
(F) to participate with colleges and universities, other Federal agencies, and private sector entities in conducting research described in subparagraph (E).
(d) Use of expertise and resources of other Federal agencies and land-grant colleges and universities
The Secretary shall use the expertise and resources of the Agricultural Research Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, and the land-grant colleges and universities for the purpose of carrying out this section.