Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 5.djvu/420

 104 STAT. 3742 PUBLIC LAW 101-624—NOV. 28, 1990 Colleges and universities. Public information. Intergovernmental relations. ment of this Act, Such training may occur at a college or university located within each State as designated by the coordinator designated under this section. (2) PROOF OF TRAINING. —Beginning three years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall ensure that all new Cooperative Extension Service agents employed by such Service are able to demonstrate, not later than 18 months after the employment of such agents, that such agents have completed the training program established in subsection (a). (d) REGIONAL TRAINING CENTERS. — (1) DESIGNATION. —The Secretary shall designate not less than two regional training centers to coordinate and administer educational activities in sustainable agriculture as provided for in this section. (2) TRAINING PROGRAM. —Such centers shall offer intensive instructional programs involving classroom and field training work for extension specialists and other individuals who are required to transmit technical information. (3) PROHIBITION ON CONSTRUCTION. — Such centers shall be located at existing facilities, and no funds appropriated to carry out this chapter shall be used for facility construction. (4) ADMINISTRATION.—Such centers should be administered by entities that have a demonstrated capability relating to sustainable agriculture. The Secretary should consider utilizing existing entities with expertise in sustainable agriculture to assist in the design and implementation of the training program under paragraph (2). (5) COORDINATION OF RESOURCES. — Such centers shall make use of information generated by the Department of Agriculture and the State agricultural experiment stations, and the practical experience of farmers, especially those cooperating in onfarm demonstrations and research projects, in carrying out the functions of such centers. (e) COMPETITIVE GRANTS.— (1) IN GENERAL.— The Secretary shall establish a competitive grants program to award grants to organizations, including land-grant colleges and universities, to carry out sustainable agricultural training for county agents and other individuals that need basic information concerning sustainable agriculture practices. (2) SHORT COURSES. —The purpose of the ^ants made available under paragraph (1) shall be to establish, in various regions in the United States, training programs that consist of workshops and short courses designed to familiarize participants with the concepts and importance of sustainable agriculture. (f) REGIONAL SPECIALISTS. — To assist county agents and farmers implement production practices developed under this subtitle, subtitle G of title XrV, section 1650, and other appropriate research programs of the Department, regional sustamable agriculture specialists may be designated within each State who shall report to the State coordinator of that State. The specialists shall be responsible for developing and coordinating local dissemination of sustainable agriculture information in a manner that is useful to farmers in the region. (g) INFORMATION AVAILABILITY.— The Cooperative Extension Service within each State shall transfer information developed under this subtitle, subtitle G of title XIV, section 1650, and other appro-

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