1. (a) The Commissioner of Agriculture may pay, not more than fifty per cent of the cost in advance, or reimburse any farmer for part of the cost of compliance with a comprehensive farm nutrient management plan, farmland restoration and climate resiliency plan or a farm resources management plan, provided such plan has been approved by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection. The Commissioner of Agriculture, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture, may certify for payment or reimbursement comprehensive farm nutrient management or farm resources management plan practices that have been approved by the Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection pursuant to this section. The total federal and state grant available to a farmer shall not be more than ninety per cent of such cost. In making grants under this subsection, the Commissioner of Agriculture shall give priority to capital improvements made in accordance with a comprehensive farm nutrient management plan, a farmland restoration and climate resiliency plan or a farm resources management plan prepared pursuant to section 22a-354m.

2. (b) The Commissioner of Agriculture may pay, not more than fifty per cent of the cost in advance, or reimburse any farmer for part of the cost to develop, implement and comply with a farm resources management plan or a farmland restoration and climate resiliency plan, including for the costs of farm equipment purchases, provided such plan has been approved by the commissioner. Such reimbursement or payment shall not exceed fifty per cent of the cost of such plan or twenty thousand dollars, whichever is less, except any such reimbursement or payment for such a plan on any state-owned land or any municipally owned land with an agricultural lease of five years or longer shall not exceed ninety per cent of the cost of such plan or twenty thousand dollars, whichever is less. The Commissioner of Agriculture may pay or reimburse any nonprofit organization, soil and water conservation district, The University of Connecticut Extension Services or any municipality to:

   1. (1) Provide technical assistance, (2) distribute grant funding to producers, (3) coordinate training programs, (4) coordinate projects that pilot or demonstrate conservation practices, (5) create tools that help reduce barriers to accessing assistance for conservation practices on farms, (6) establish equipment-sharing programs, or (7) other activities that will increase the number of farmers who are implementing climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices. Such plan may require agricultural restoration and climate-smart agricultural and forestry plans, practices and purposes, as defined in section 22-6d.
3. (c) For purposes of this section, “farmer” includes, but is not limited to, any lessee or franchise holder of a state or town shellfish bed and “farmland restoration and climate resiliency plan” means a conservation plan of the United States Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, a conservation plan of a soil and water conservation district established pursuant to section 22a-315 or a conservation plan approved by the Commissioner of Agriculture. “Farmland restoration and climate resiliency plan” includes agricultural restoration purposes, as defined in section 22-6d, and conservation and restoration plans for leased or franchised shellfish beds.

(P.A. 74-258, S. 1, 3; P.A. 75-335, S. 1, 2; P.A. 85-266, S. 1, 2; P.A. 89-305, S. 28, 32; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-2, S. 8, 203; P.A. 97-234, S. 1; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e); P.A. 04-65, S. 1; 04-189, S. 1; P.A. 11-80, S. 1; Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 11-1, S. 14; P.A. 15-22, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 121; P.A. 22-118, S. 145.)

History: P.A. 75-335 made reimbursement for 50% of cost of completion of component of farm waste management system optional rather than mandatory; P.A. 85-266 made the maximum grant 75% of the cost of a component, rather than 50% of the cost but not more than $3,500; P.A. 89-305 required agriculture commissioner to give priority for grants to capital improvements made in accordance with farm resources plan; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 94-2 changed provision requiring completion of a farm waste management system for reimbursement by agriculture department to compliance with a farm resources management plan and added reference to certifications made by environmental protection department, effective July 1, 1994 (Revisor's note: In 1995 an obsolete reference to “such component” of a farm waste management system was changed editorially by the Revisors to “such plan” in keeping with substitution of farm resources management plans for farm waste management systems and their components); P.A. 97-234 changed reference to the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service to the Farm Service Agency; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced Commissioner of Agriculture with Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-65 added provisions re comprehensive farm nutrient management plan, deleted requirement for certification by federal Farm Service Agency, added provision authorizing certification for payment by Commissioner of Agriculture in cooperation with U.S. Department of Agriculture and changed total federal and state grant amount limit from 75% to 90% of cost, effective May 10, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004; pursuant to P.A. 11-80, “Commissioner of Environmental Protection” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Commissioner of Energy and Environmental Protection”, effective July 1, 2011; Oct. Sp. Sess. P.A. 11-1 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a) and amended same to make technical changes, and added Subsec. (b) re reimbursement for part of the cost associated with a farm resources management plan intended to restore farmland, effective October 27, 2011; P.A. 15-22 amended Subsec. (b) by including in reimbursable costs implementation and compliance with farm resources management plan and development, implementation and compliance with farmland restoration plan and adding exception to provision re 50 per cent reimbursement limit for management or restoration plan on state-owned or municipally owned land with agricultural lease of 5 years or longer, added Subsec. (c) re definition of “farmland restoration plan”, and made technical changes; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (c) by adding definition of “farmer” and redefining “farmland restoration plan”; P.A. 22-118 amended Subsec. (a) to add provision re advancing not more than 50 per cent of the cost of such plans, add reference to farmland restoration and climate resiliency plan and made a conforming and a technical change, Subsec. (b) to add provision re advancing not more than 50 per cent of the cost of such plans, add reference to farmland restoration and climate resiliency plan, add reference to costs of farm equipment purchases, add provision authorizing payments or reimbursements to nonprofit organizations, soil and water conservation districts, The University of Connecticut Extension Services or any municipality to provide technical assistance, distribute grant funding to producers, coordinate training programs, coordinate conservation practices, create tools to reduce barriers to accessing assistance for conservation practices, establish equipment-sharing programs or other activities that increase the number of farmers implementing climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices and made conforming changes and amended Subsec. (c) to define “farmland restoration and climate resiliency plan”.