Bill > S442

This bill aims to promote agriculture in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The key provisions are: 1) It establishes an Agricultural Resolve and Security Fund to support various agricultural programs, including agricultural education, sustainable agriculture, pest management, land preservation, animal disease control, and more. The fund can receive monies from gifts, grants, federal reimbursements, pesticide product registration fees, and interest earned. 2) It creates a Massachusetts Veterans and Warriors to Agriculture Program Fund to enhance the education, training, employment, income, productivity and retention of veterans working in agriculture. 3) It modifies various tax classification and assessment laws related to forestland, agricultural land, and recreational land to provide more flexible eligibility criteria and application deadlines. 4) It allows farmers to deliver raw milk directly to consumers, permits shared animal ownership agreements for small-scale farmers, and establishes guidelines for farmers markets on public lands. 5) It directs the state to develop a farmland protection and viability plan to inventory state farmland, review state policies, and set goals for farmland conservation and access.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/190/S442