New state laws help farmers, agrotourism

County agricultural commissioners will be better able to force absentee landowners to clean up any neglected orchards or vineyards after the passage of Assembly Bill 732. These neglected areas have impacted nearby farms and orchards, according to the California Farm Bureau. They attract pests, for one, which means active farms have to work harder to keep the bugs out.

Two new laws were also signed this year to give California farmers and ranchers more options for disposal of organic waste.

Assembly Bill 411, authored by Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo, will allow small-scale, on-farm livestock carcass composting under specific guidelines. A limited number of livestock carcasses can be addressed on the rancher’s own property instead of having the carcasses hauled to a rendering plant.

Farmers are also now able to increase the amount of material they can send to composing facilities under Senate Bill 279, authored by state Sen. Jerry McNerney, D-Stockton. The law was created to provide more options for discarded orchards and vineyards in the San Joaquin Valley, where agricultural burning is no longer permitted.

Another bill allows farmers to connect to agrotourism through less regulatory red tape, allowing them to host overnight campers.