HB4945, the Growing Opportunities in Agriculture Act, would authorize a competitive grant program to help eligible entities create new agricultural education programs in U.S. secondary schools. Grants are capped at $100,000 per recipient and may run for up to five years.
Applicants must include a plan for sustainability after the grant, details on eligible partners, and a workflow for funding gaps beyond the grant period. The bill also requires independent evaluation and annual reporting, with data-sharing provisions subject to privacy laws.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Secretary of Education would run a competitive grant program to establish new agricultural education programs in secondary schools. Each grant is capped at $100,000 and may last up to five years.
Who It Affects
Eligible entities include institutions of higher education or consortia, plus community stakeholders such as labor organizations, local businesses, or workforce development boards. The programs target secondary schools that are starting new ag-ed offerings.
Why It Matters
This bill creates a federal mechanism to expand agricultural education at the secondary level, connects program design to regional employer needs, and embeds accountability through evaluation and Perkins-aligned performance metrics.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The GO Ag Act would authorize the Department of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities to create new agricultural education programs in secondary schools. Grantees may receive up to $100,000, with the grant period lasting as long as five years.
Applicants must present a clear plan showing who will participate (including eligible partners like colleges or local employers), how the program will be funded beyond the grant, and how it will begin in schools that do not yet offer agricultural education. Funds may be used for curriculum development, equipment and materials, and other related costs.
The act requires independent evaluation of each program, plus an annual, disaggregated reporting of outcomes that tracks progress against Perkins Career and Technical Education metrics. It also authorizes $5 million in appropriations to support these grants through FY 2028.
Data sharing with the Department and third parties must comply with privacy protections, including FERPA. The goal is to build sustainable, employer-aligned ag-ed programs that prepare students for careers in agriculture and related fields.
The Five Things You Need to Know
Grants are competitive and capped at $100,000 per recipient.
Grants may last up to five years.
Eligible entities include higher-ed institutions or consortia and community stakeholders.
Applications must include sustainability plans and employer alignment.
$5 million is authorized for FY2025–FY2028 to fund the program.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
Every bill we cover gets an analysis of its key sections.
Grant program authorized
This section authorizes the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities to create new agricultural education programs in secondary schools. Grants are limited to five years in duration and capped at $100,000 per grant to prevent oversized awards and encourage broad participation.
Application requirements
Applicants must include the roles of each partner, proof that the program is not already in operation, a detailed grant budget including non-grant funding sources, a sustainability plan for post-grant operations, and an explanation of how the program will benefit students, including special populations, with respect to workforce needs.
Uses of funds
Funds may be used for curriculum development, classroom and lab instruction, work-based learning, purchase of equipment and materials, and other costs the Secretary determines eligible to create or expand agricultural education programs in secondary schools.
Evaluation and reporting
Recipients must undergo an independent evaluation of activities and submit an annual report describing how funds were used, program performance against Perkins indicators, and disaggregated outcomes by student subgroups and special populations, along with a quantitative assessment of effectiveness.
Definitions
Key terms include: agricultural education (career and technical education focused on agriculture), eligible entity (as defined by Perkins Act), and eligible partner (institutions of higher education or community stakeholders such as labor organizations, local businesses, or workforce boards).
Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized appropriations of $5,000,000 to carry out this section, available through fiscal year 2028, providing a finite funding stream to seed the program and demonstrate feasibility.
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Explore Education in Codify Search →Who Benefits and Who Bears the Cost
Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- Secondary school students in districts launching new agricultural education programs, especially in rural or underserved communities, gaining access to ag-ed coursework and leadership opportunities.
- High school teachers and CTSO advisors who will deliver new curricula and coordinate work-based learning experiences.
- Local school districts and state education agencies implementing new ag-ed offerings and coordinating with partners.
- Institutions of higher education or consortia that serve as eligible partners, providing curricula, faculty, and research capacity.
- Agricultural employers and local workforce development boards that influence program design to meet regional labor needs.
Who Bears the Cost
- Ongoing funding commitments by state and local education agencies to sustain programs after grant expiration.
- Administrative and reporting overhead costs for eligible entities to manage applications, monitoring, and evaluation data.
- Coordination overhead for higher-education partners and K-12 schools to align curricula and share resources.
- Participation commitments from local employers could require time, equipment, or internships that incur opportunity costs for businesses.
- Data privacy and FERPA compliance costs associated with collecting and sharing student data for evaluation.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is balancing the desire to seed new ag-ed programs quickly with the practical need to ensure those programs survive beyond the grant period and remain aligned with local employers, all while collecting and sharing sensitive student data under privacy laws.
The GO Ag Act turns on the idea of seed funding to prove that new agricultural education programs can be launched and sustained in secondary schools. The supply of funds is finite (a total of $5 million through FY 2028), which raises questions about scalability and long-term sustainability if participating districts cannot maintain programs once grant funds end.
The requirement to align with Perkins indicators and to share data for evaluation increases accountability but also introduces administrative complexity and privacy considerations for student information.
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