Connolly Introduces Bills to Boost Organic Farming and Healthy Soil Projects

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Assemblymember Damon Connolly (D-San Rafael) introduced Assembly Bill (AB) 937, the Organic Transition Pilot Program, and AB 947, Improving the Healthy Soils Program. AB 937 will consolidate state support for farmers seeking organic certification, creating a one-stop shop for financial assistance and providing farmers with growing market opportunities. AB 947 will expand Healthy Soils Program’s training, technical assistance, and equipment sharing capabilities, prioritizing support for small farmers and ranchers.   

“These programs provide incredibly important help for our farmers and ranchers who are promoting practices that improve the health of the food we eat and the land it’s grown on,” said Assemblymember Damon Connolly. “California should make it simple for farmers and ranchers to make the transition to organic farming, and AB 937 and AB 947 are vital to the continued success of these programs and the success of our agricultural industry.”

In support of AB 937, California Certified Organic Farmers CEO Kelly Damewood said: “We are grateful for Assemblymember Connolly’s support for organic farmers and their contributions to healthy California communities. This bill uplifts all farmers with business planning and financial assistance as they prepare their land for organic certification and is an important step to implementing California’s Climate Change Scoping Plan.”

AB 937 would require the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) to establish and oversee the Organic Transition Program by July 1, 2026. This program would award grants to nonprofit organizations that would provide incentives to farmers and ranchers to transition land to certified organic production. AB 937 would also authorize CDFA to provide funding for the preparation and implementation of conservation management plans for organic transition. 

AB 947 would expand eligible technical assistance under the Healthy Soils Program at CDFA to include training, conservation agricultural planning, and grant writing. The bill would also require CDFA to provide funds to technical assistance providers to support farmers and ranchers in the application process for grants, provide general planning and training for climate-smart and sustainable agriculture, and lease, purchase, or repair equipment that can be share regionally with farmers and ranchers. AB 947 also updates the scientific advisory panel that provides advice to the secretary on the implementation of research, incentive, and grant programs for sustainable agriculture. 

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Assemblymember Connolly represents the entirety of Marin County and Southern Sonoma County