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 activity tied to local procurement.

AB 4 11, which would permit small‑scale ranchers to compost routine livestock mortalities on their property under state best‑management practices, passed out of committee on a 5‑0 vote. Assemblymember Pappin framed the measure as a practical, environmentally conscious alternative to limited rendering capacity, burial or bone piles. Laura Snell, a UC Cooperative Extension adviser who has conducted mortality‑composting research, testified that composting whole carcasses can be completed in roughly 90 days (45 days for butcher waste) and that properly managed compost does not accumulate heavy metals or reportable pathogens. Several rendering companies and Teamsters representatives registered opposition unless the bill is amended to add additional oversight or limits; they argued rendering processes provide consistent time‑and‑temperature pathogen control and noted rendering also supports union jobs.

AB 7 32, authored by Assemblymember Macedo, was advanced to the judiciary committee. The bill would give county agricultural commissioners a civil‑penalty tool (with notice, multilingual postings and a 30‑day cure period before penalties) to compel landowners to address abandoned or neglected orchards or vineyards that can harbor pests. Macedo described the civil‑penalty mechanism as a faster alternative to lien procedures, which can take years, and said the bill contains fairness provisions including ability‑to‑pay consideration. Opposition from the Community Alliance for Family Farmers raised due‑process and small‑farmer impact concerns; the author and supporters said the bill includes a “good faith actor” provision and multiple steps before fines are imposed.

AB 4 82, a modernization of the California Table Grape Commission, was carried by its author and supported in committee by Ian LeMay, identified as the commission’s president. The measure updates decades‑old statute text and raises the commission’s authorized assessment cap (the bill does not itself raise assessments; grower votes would be required). Committee members noted the bill aims to help table grape growers compete in global markets and support jobs in disadvantaged San Joaquin and Coachella Valley communities.

AB 9 47 would expand the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Climate‑Smart technical assistance for the Healthy Soils Program and related grant programs to broaden trainings, planning, grant‑writing and equipment‑sharing support. Brian Schaub, policy director at California Climate & Agriculture Network (CalCAN), said increasing technical assistance helps farmers, particularly small and organic producers, access multiple funding sources. Some committee members asked about statutory language tied to the state’s Farmer Equity Act; staff and the author noted the bill does not change the existing statutory definition and that prior equity legislation (cited during questions) remains in statute.

Votes at a glance - AJR 6 (file item 5): motion to approve placed on call; final committee roll recorded the measure with committee approval and placed on call for members not present during initial voting. (See actions entry.) - AB 4 11 (file item 2): passed out to the Environmental Quality Committee, 5‑0. - AB 7 32 (file item 6): passed out to the Judiciary Committee; committee action left the bill on call for additional members and the measure advanced. - AB 4 82 (file item 3): passed out to the Judiciary Committee and left on call to allow all members to cast votes. - AB 9 47 (file item 7): passed out to the Appropriations Committee (record shows the motion carried and the item left on call for remaining members).

Why it matters: committee action bundles near‑term program and regulatory changes with broader questions about capacity in the state’s food and agricultural systems. Members and witnesses linked federal funding decisions, local procurement, disease and pest control, and on‑farm disposal options to farm viability, rural jobs and student nutrition.

The committee recessed after the roll call and left a number of measures on call to permit additional members to vote. Further committee or floor action will determine final enactment.