12 2 STA T . 1 45 2 PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 3 4 —M A Y 22 , 200 8functio n sa n d duti e se x isted i m mediate lyb efo r et h e date of the enactment of this section .‘ ‘ ( e )SMAL L F A R M S A NDBEGI NNING FARMERS AND R AN CH ERS G R OUP . — ‘‘( 1 ) E S T A B LISHMENT.— T he Secretary shall establish w ithin the O ffice the Small Farms and Be g inning Farmers and Ranchers Grou p . ‘‘( 2 ) D UTIES.— ‘‘( A )O V ERSEE O F FICES.—The Small Farms and Begin - ning Farmers and Ranchers Group shall o v ersee the oper- ations of the Office of Small Farms C oordination estab- lished by Departmental Regulation 970 0-1 (August 3, 200 6 ). ‘‘(B) BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.—The Small Farms and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Group shall consult with the N ational I nstitute for Food and Agriculture on the administration of the begin- ning farmer and rancher development program established under section 7 4 0 5 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest- ment Act of 2002 (7 U .S.C. 3319f). ‘‘(C) ADVISOR Y COMMITTEE FOR BEGINNING FARMERS AND RANCHERS.—The Small Farms and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Group shall coordinate the activities of the Group with the Advisory Committee for Beginning Farmers and Ranchers established under section 5(b) of the Agricul- tural Credit Improvement Act of 1992 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note
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ublic L aw 102 – 554). ‘‘(D) OTHER DUTIES.—The Small Farms and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Group may carry out other duties to improve access to, and participation in, programs of the Department by small farms and ranches and beginning farmers or ranchers, as determined by the Secretary. ‘‘(f) FARM W OR K ER COORDINATOR.— ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish within the Office the position of Farmwor k er Coordinator (referred to in this subsection as the ‘Coordinator ’ ). ‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Secretary shall delegate to the Coordi- nator responsibility for the following
‘‘(A) Assisting in administering the program estab- lished by section 22 8 1 of the Food, Agriculture, Conserva- tion, and Trade Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 5177a). ‘‘(B) Serving as a liaison to community-based nonprofit organi z ations that represent and have demonstrated experience serving low-income migrant and seasonal farm- workers. ‘‘(C) Coordinating with the Department, other Federal agencies, and State and local governments to ensure that farmworker needs are assessed and met during declared disasters and other emergencies. ‘‘(D) Consulting within the Office and with other enti- ties to better integrate farmworker perspectives, concerns, and interests into the ongoing programs of the Department. ‘‘(E) Consulting with appropriate institutions on research, program improvements, or agricultural education opportunities that assist low-income and migrant seasonal farmworkers. ‘‘(F) Assisting farmworkers in becoming agricultural producers or landowners.
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