madam chairman , i rise in strong support of the butterfield-scott-baca-reyes amendment . 
this amendment increases the funding to the 2501 socially disadvantaged farmer and rancher program by $ 2 million from $ 5.935 million to $ 7.935 million . 
these grants are meant to provide outreach and technical assistance to encourage and assist socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers to own and operate farms and ranches and participate in agricultural programs . 
this assistance includes information on application and bidding procedures , farm managements , and other essential information to participate in agricultural programs . 
these grants may also be awarded to hispanic serving institutions , tribal colleges and historically black colleges and universities that engage in outreach to minority farmers . 
this program helps to mitigate a long history of unequal treatment of minority farmers and ranchers . 
the usda has already paid over $ 1 billion to settle discrimination lawsuits . 
by investing in the 2501 program , we can improve relationships between the usda and socially disadvantaged farmers and prevent future lawsuits . 
this is a small investment that could potentially save millions in the future . 
i urge my colleagues to vote `` yes '' on the butterfield-scott-baca amendment . 
