AB 1763: Food and agriculture: industry-funded standardization program: Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995: Noxious Weed Management Account.

The Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995 requires the Department of Food and Agriculture to establish a grant program to provide funds to technical assistance providers, as defined, to provide technical assistance to applicants of the Healthy Soils Program, the alternative manure management practices programs, and the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program. The act requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to make available not less than 5% of the funds appropriated to the department for those programs, but not more than $5,000,000, to the technical assistance grant program, as specified. The act limits the technical assistance grants to up to $100,000 annually for no more than 3 years for a total grant of not more than $300,000 per technical assistance provider. The act requires the department to establish criteria and guidelines for technical assistance providers to qualify to receive grants.

This bill would expand the definition of technical assistance providers to include qualified California public colleges and universities, groundwater sustainability agencies, and irrigation districts. The bill would name the technical assistance grant program the Climate Smart Agriculture Technical Assistance Grant Program. The bill would also change the $5,000,000 cap on the moneys available for these technical assistance grants to 20% of the funds appropriated to the department for the programs subject to the technical assistance. The bill would change the technical assistance grant limit to $250,000 annually for no more than 4 years for a total grant of not more than $1,000,000 per technical assistance provider for each of the programs. The bill would authorize the department to establish criteria and guidelines for technical assistance providers to qualify to receive grants. The bill would authorize the recovery of reasonable costs for the grant program.

Existing law provides that there is within the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund the Noxious Weed Management Account, the funds of which are made available to eligible weed management areas or county agricultural commissioners for the control and abatement of noxious and invasive weeds. Existing law requires a weed management area, as defined, to be formed in a county or other geographic area as a condition of eligibility for funds from the Noxious Weed Management Account. Existing law requires each weed management area to create a cost-share integrated weed management plan for the management of noxious weeds within that area and requires the plan to be submitted to the Department of Food and Agriculture for review, approval, and funding.

This bill would eliminate the requirement that integrated weed management plans be cost sharing and instead require integrated weed management plans to prioritize a cost-share plan, if feasible, and would make a conforming change.

Existing law, until January 1, 2025, requires the Secretary of Food and Agriculture to create an industry-funded standardization program for purposes of implementing and enforcing provisions relating to fruit, nut, and vegetable standards. Existing law requires the secretary to adopt regulations reasonably necessary to carry out those provisions, including establishing assessment rates and procedures for payment of assessments. Existing law establishes specified assessment rates per container for commodities that are not otherwise subject to a mandatory inspection fee, and per container for commodities that are subject to a mandatory inspection fee, to be deposited in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund and used for implementing and enforcing the provisions specified above. Existing law requires the secretary to exempt any commodity subject to those provisions if a petition representing a specified percentage of the producers is submitted to the secretary, as specified.

This bill would eliminate the January 1, 2025, repeal date of the standardized program provisions, thereby extending the program indefinitely.