(a) Authorization

The Secretary shall establish in the Department the position of Agricultural Youth Organization Coordinator.

(b) Duties

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The Agricultural Youth Organization Coordinator shall—

(1) promote the role of youth-serving organizations and school-based agricultural education in motivating and preparing young people to pursue careers in the agriculture, food, and natural resources systems;

(2) work to help build youth awareness of the reach and importance of agriculture, across a diversity of fields and disciplines;

(3) identify short-term and long-term interests of the Department and provide opportunities, resources, input, and coordination with programs and agencies of the Department to youth-serving organizations and school-based agricultural education, including the development of internship opportunities;

(4) share, internally and externally, the extent to which active steps are being taken to encourage collaboration with, and support of, youth-serving organizations and school-based agricultural education;

(5) provide information to youth involved in food and agriculture organizations concerning the availability of, and eligibility requirements for, participation in agricultural programs, with particular emphasis on beginning farmer and rancher programs;

(6) serve as a resource for assisting youth involved in food and agriculture organizations in applying for participation in agriculture; and

(7) advocate on behalf of youth involved in food and agriculture organizations in interactions with employees of the Department.

(c) Contracts and cooperative agreements

For purposes of carrying out the duties under subsection (b), the Agricultural Youth Organization Coordinator shall consult with the cooperative extension and the land-grant university systems, and may enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with the research centers of the Agricultural Research Service, cooperative extension and the land-grant university systems, non-land-grant colleges of agriculture, or nonprofit organizations for—

(1) the conduct of regional research on the profitability of small farms;

(2) the development of educational materials;

(3) the conduct of workshops, courses, and certified vocational training;

(4) the conduct of mentoring activities; or

(5) the provision of internship opportunities.