38 CFR 21.4264 – Farm cooperative courses
(a) Description of a farm cooperative course. A farm cooperative course is an institutional agricultural course. It provides training on a reduced basis to those engaged in farming, compared to other types of training. Part-time benefits are provided for students whose farming operation will not permit them to attend class at least 10 hours per week.
(b) Farm cooperative students must be farmers. In order to receive educational assistance allowance an eligible person must be engaged concurrently in agricultural employment for an average of at least 40 hours per week. This agricultural employment must be relevant to the farm cooperative course.
(c) Acceptable class schedules. (1) The institutional portion of a farm cooperative course:
(i) May be on a term, quarter or semester basis, or
(ii) May consist of courses which:
(A) Are offered during at least 44 weeks of the year, and
(B) Require a minimum of 5 clock hours per week.
(2) The time involved in field trips and individual and group instruction, sponsored and conducted by the educational institution offering farm cooperative courses may be counted toward meeting the clock-hour requirements. See § 21.4270(c) of this part for measurement of farm cooperative courses.
(d) Application. (1) Any school desiring to enroll spouses or children in farm cooperative courses:
(i) Will submit to the appropriate State approving agency a written application for approval in accordance with § 21.4253 or § 21.4254 as appropriate; and
(ii) Must submit statements of fact showing at least the following:
(A) That the course is set up in the school catalog or other literature of the school;
(B) That the agricultural course is offered concurrently with agricultural employment; and
(C) That the school itself verifies on a continuing basis that students are engaged for an average of at least 40 hours per week in suitable agricultural employment which is relevant to the institutional agricultural course offered by the school and is in an area consistent with their institutional training program.
(2) For the purposes of this paragraph suitable agricultural employment must include employment on a farm or other agricultural establishment where the basic activity is either:
(i) The cultivation of the ground such as the raising and harvesting of crops including fruits, vegetables and pastures, or
(ii) The feeding, breeding and managing of livestock, including poultry and other specialized farming.
(3) The Department of Veterans Affairs does not consider employment in training establishments which are engaged primarily in the processing, distribution or sale of agricultural products or combinations thereof, such as dairy processing plants, grain elevators, packing plants, hatcheries, stockyards or florists shops to be suitable agricultural employment.
(e) Approval criteria. The appropriate State approving agency may approve the school’s application when the agency finds upon investigation that the school and its courses have met the following conditions:
(1) The criteria specified in § 21.4253 or § 21.4254, as appropriate; and
(2) The requirements of paragraph (d) of this section.