Senate Agriculture Committee advances local-foods resolution, farm composting bill, pest-enforcement and other agriculture measures

The Senate Committee on Agriculture on an otherwise busy hearing day moved forward five measures addressing school food funding, on‑farm carcass composting, enforcement tools for neglected agricultural land, modernization of the table grape commission and technical assistance for climate‑smart farming.

AJR 6, a resolution urging federal protection for funding that supports local produce purchases for school meals and child care programs, won committee approval and was placed on call for final action. Assemblymember Agriar Curry, the bill’s author, and farmers and school nutrition leaders told the committee cuts to the federal Local Food for Schools and Child Care (LFPA/LFSCC) allocations risk local farm sales and student nutrition. Antonio Garza, who operates Feeding Crane Farm in Nevada County, said the programs had been "a lifeline for small community focused farms like mine to build a relationship with institutions and expand our sales." Leslie Pring, nutrition services director for Twin Rivers Unified School District, told the committee: "Investments in local school food funding is not merely an expense ... but it's an investment in our students, our farmers, and our communities." The author said the program’s first allocation provided over $23,000,000 in 2022–23 and warned of federal cuts described in testimony as $70,000,000; advocates said those cuts could reduce economic…