A 1639: Requires the establishment of a plant-based agriculture grant program to assist small and medium-sized farms transition to plant-based agriculture.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1639 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 10, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. ROSENTHAL, BORES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Agriculture AN ACT to amend the agriculture and markets law, in relation to requir- ing the establishment of a plant-based agriculture grant program The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The agriculture and markets law is amended by adding a new 2 section 16-c to read as follows: 3 § 16-c. Plant-based agriculture grant program. 1. For purposes of this 4 section, the following definitions apply: 5 (a) "Expert assistance" means assistance from an agricultural scien- 6 tist, climatologist, pedologist, horticulturist, hydrologist, or agro- 7 nomist for assessment, design, planning, and best management practices 8 of a land-use transition to plant-based agriculture. 9 (b) "Feed crop" means a crop that is grown for livestock consumption. 10 (c) "Livestock" means poultry, cattle, dairy cows, sheep, swine, goat, 11 or fish. 12 (d) "Plant-based agriculture" means any farming that uses crops for 13 growing inputs for plant-based products and does not include livestock 14 farming, dairy, or any crop production for livestock feed. 15 (e) "Program" means the plant-based agriculture grant program. 16 (f) "Technical assistance" means outreach, education, expert assist- 17 ance, legal support for contractual barriers, project planning, project 18 design, grant application assistance, buyer expertise and packaging 19 assistance, project implementation, or project reporting assistance 20 provided to a farmer to improve their successful participation in the 21 program. 22 (g) "Technical assistance provider" means organizations with demon- 23 strated technical expertise in designing and implementing agricultural 24 management practices. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD03939-01-5 
 A. 1639 2 1 (h) "Small farm" means a farm with an annual gross cash farm income of 2 less than three hundred fifty thousand dollars. 3 (i) "Midsize farm" means a farm with an annual gross cash farm income 4 between three hundred fifty thousand and nine hundred ninety-nine thou- 5 sand nine hundred ninety-nine dollars. 6 2. The department shall establish a plant-based agriculture grant 7 program to assist small and medium-sized farms transition to plant-based 8 agriculture. Such program shall, at a minimum: 9 (a) Provide grants to persons farming on small to midsize farms to 10 transition the use of the land from raising livestock or growing feed 11 crops to plant-based agriculture. 12 (b) Develop best practices for transitioning land used for raising 13 livestock or growing feed crops to plant-based agriculture. 14 (c) Provide technical assistance, in consultation with technical 15 assistance providers, to persons farming on small to midsize farms. 16 3. The department shall require an applicant for a grant to submit the 17 following to the department in the application: 18 (a) a description of any crops currently produced on the farm; 19 (b) a description of the land that will be transitioned from raising 20 livestock or growing feed crops to plant-based agriculture; 21 (c) a plan that demonstrates how the applicant will transition such 22 land to plant-based agriculture using the best practices developed by 23 the department pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision two of this 24 section; 25 (d) a description of what the farm will transition to producing using 26 plant-based agriculture; 27 (e) a projected timeline for the completion of the transition; and 28 (f) any other information the department deems necessary. 29 4. Grants shall be awarded on a competitive basis through a request 30 for proposal process which shall set forth the standards for the 31 selection process, the required project proposal format, costs eligible 32 for funding, project implementation, reporting requirements, and such 33 other provisions as the department may deem necessary or beneficial in 34 implementing the program. 35 5. The department shall require a person who receives a grant to 36 provide a report, in consultation with a technical assistance provider, 37 to the department that demonstrates that the grant recipient is transi- 38 tioning to plant-based agriculture. 39 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.