Agriculture: Healthy Soils Program: organic production.

The Cannella Environmental Farming Act of 1995 requires the Department of Food and Agriculture, in consultation with the Scientific Advisory Panel on Environmental Farming, 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. Existing law requires the department, if it elects to fund those on-farm demonstration projects, to establish a technical advisory committee to review those applications for scientific validity and the proposed project's potential to achieve greenhouse gas benefits. This bill would additionally authorize the Healthy Soils Program to include the funding of organic farming projects that further the goals of the program and require the department to establish the technical advisory committee if it elects to fund those projects, as specified. The bill would require the department to support and incentivize organic production by providing grants of up to 5 years to certified organic farmers and ranchers, as defined, and during farmers' or ranchers' 3-year organic transition period, as described, and to prioritize applicants who propose to implement multiple healthy soils practices and certified organic farmer or rancher applicants. The bill would require the department to provide grants of up to 5 years for on-farm demonstration projects. The bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2026, to submit a report to the Legislature on how the program incentivizes farmers and ranchers to implement multiple healthy soils practices, including incentivizing farmers and ranchers to transition to organic production.