Bill Text: NY A07020 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Expands the young farmer advisory board on agriculture to become the beginning farmer advisory board on agriculture.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to agriculture [A07020 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A07020-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7020

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 10, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. LUPARDO -- (at request of the Department of Agri-
          culture  and  Markets)  --  read once and referred to the Committee on
          Agriculture

        AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets  law,  in  relation  to  the
          beginning farmer advisory board on agriculture

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 309-a of the agriculture and markets law, as  added
     2  by chapter 129 of the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
     3    §  309-a.  [Young]  Beginning farmer advisory board on agriculture. 1.
     4  There shall be established within the department the  [young]  beginning
     5  farmer advisory board on agriculture, to advise and make recommendations
     6  to  the  state agencies on state government plans, policies and programs
     7  affecting agriculture, as outlined below, and in such areas as its expe-
     8  rience and studies may indicate to be appropriate. The department  shall
     9  provide necessary secretariat and support services to the board.
    10    2.  The  [young]  beginning farmer advisory board on agriculture shall
    11  consist of [twenty] twenty-two members, [ten] to  be  appointed  by  the
    12  [governor,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of the senate and assembly,
    13  selected] commissioner for their experience  and  expertise  related  to
    14  areas  of  board responsibility. The board shall be comprised of diverse
    15  members of the agriculture industry as follows:
    16    (a) Of the [twenty] twenty-two members appointed to the board:
    17    (1) one shall be from the department;
    18    (2) one shall be from the empire state development corporation;
    19    (3) one shall be an officer of the Future Farmers of America (FFA);
    20    (4) one shall be from the department of labor;
    21    (5) one shall be an urban farmer;
    22    [(5)] (6) one shall be from the New York Farm Bureau;[ and
    23    (6) fifteen shall be from the general  public  appointed  as  follows:
    24  five  to  be appointed by the temporary president of the senate, five to

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD05979-01-3
        A. 7020                             2

     1  be appointed by the speaker of the assembly, and five to be appointed by
     2  the governor.]
     3    (7) one shall be from the Cornell Small farms program;
     4    (8) one shall be from the United States department of agriculture;
     5    (9) one shall be an organic farmer;
     6    (10) one shall be a veteran farmer;
     7    (11) one shall be from the Young Farmers coalition;
     8    (12)  one  shall  be a member of a group identified in the most recent
     9  United States department of agriculture census of  agriculture  that  is
    10  currently underrepresented in farm ownership; and
    11    (13)  ten  shall be entry level farmers or novice farmers, agriculture
    12  service providers, financial and legal service providers to farm  opera-
    13  tors,  Cornell Cooperative Extension representatives, advocacy organiza-
    14  tion representatives, academics, agricultural leaders, and/or others who
    15  can contribute to the work of the advisory board on  issues,  including,
    16  among  others:  access  to  land and capital, grants, business planning,
    17  farm processes and government programs.
    18    (b) Each member shall:
    19    (1) be interested in the preservation and development  of  agriculture
    20  and preservation of the agricultural way of life in New York;
    21    (2)  be [under the age of forty-five years old at the beginning of the
    22  member's term] actively involved in  farming,  agricultural  activities,
    23  agricultural  research  and/or  providing  services  to the agricultural
    24  community in the state;
    25    (3) [derive at least fifty percent of  the  member's  personal  income
    26  from farming or agricultural activities in the state;
    27    (4)] be a resident of the state; and
    28    [(5)]  (4)  be appointed for a term of three years and may serve until
    29  their successors are chosen; provided,  however,  that  of  the  members
    30  first appointed, six shall serve for a term of one year, six shall serve
    31  for a term of two years and eight shall serve for a term of three years.
    32    (c) Members shall serve without salary but shall be entitled to
    33    reimbursement of their ordinary and necessary travel expenses.
    34    (d) The members of the board shall meet [quarterly] twice a year.
    35    3.  The  duties  and  responsibilities of the [young] beginning farmer
    36  advisory board on agriculture shall include, but not be limited to:
    37    (a) annually electing from its members a chairperson,  a  vice  chair-
    38  person,  and  a  secretary of the advisory board at the advisory board's
    39  first meeting of the calendar year;
    40    (b) communicating to the [general] public, the federal government, and
    41  the state government the importance of [young and] beginning farmers  to
    42  agriculture in the state;
    43    (c)  [identify]  identifying  issues relating to [young and] beginning
    44  farmers in the state and provide timely advice to the commissioner,  the
    45  governor  and  the relevant state agencies, with regard to the promotion
    46  of agriculture as a career path and the economic development  of  [young
    47  and aspiring] beginning farmers;
    48    (d)  [produc  an  annual] producing a biennial report and provide such
    49  report to the governor, the temporary president of the  senate  and  the
    50  speaker of the assembly on or before the end of each calendar year. Such
    51  report  shall  identify and prioritize policy issues which affect [young
    52  and aspiring] beginning farmers; and
    53    (e) establish committees, as necessary, to develop  projects  relating
    54  to the aspects of life for [young and] beginning farmers in the state.
    55    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.