CA AB 2734

Title: Agriculture: Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995.
Author: Damon Connolly

Summary
AB 2734, as introduced, Connolly. Agriculture: Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995. Existing law, the Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995, requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to establish and oversee an environmental farming program to provide incentives to farmers whose practices promote the well-being of ecosystems, air quality, and wildlife and their habitat. The act requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to convene the Scientific Advisory Panel on Environmental Farming, as prescribed, for the purpose of providing advice to the secretary on the implementation of the Healthy Soils Program and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program and assistance to federal, state, and local government agencies on issues relating to the impact of agricultural practices on air, water, and wildlife habitat, as specified.This bill would require the panel to consult with the California Organic Products Advisory Committee in relation to certified organic producers and the Healthy Soils Program, as specified.The act requires the department, in consultation with the panel, to establish and oversee a Healthy Soils Program to seek to optimize climate benefits while supporting the economic viability of California agriculture by providing incentives, including loans, grants, research, and technical assistance, and educational materials and outreach to farmers whose management practices contribute to healthy soils and result in net long-term on-farm greenhouse gas benefits. Existing law authorizes the Healthy Soils Program to also include the funding of on-farm demonstration projects that further the goals of the program.This bill would require the department to provide grants of up to 5 years for on-farm demonstration projects. The bill would require the department to establish an advance payment rate of up to 50%, as specified, for incentive payments made pursuant to the program, and would authorize the department to consider regional variation in input costs when setting incentive payment rates.The act establishes the Climate Smart Agriculture Technical Assistance Grant Program to provide funds to technical assistance providers to provide technical assistance to applicants of the Healthy Soils Program, the Alternative Manure Management Program, and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program.This bill would require the department to allow equipment sharing, as specified, to be funded as part of the grant awards under the Climate Smart Agriculture Technical Assistance Grant Program.This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2027, to establish a common application for all of the Climate Smart Agriculture incentive programs, as provided.

Status
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

Bill Documents
CA AB 2734 - 02/15/24 - Introduced
02/15/24 - CA AB 2734 (02/15/24 - Introduced)