BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 2504


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          Date of Hearing:  April 13, 2016


                          ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE


                                  Bill Dodd, Chair


          AB 2504  
          (Committee on Agriculture) - As Amended March 31, 2016


          SUBJECT:  Seed Advisory Board:  assessments:  alfalfa seed  
          producers.


          SUMMARY:  This bill would allow the Seed Advisory Board (SA  
          Board) to advise and make recommendations on assessments to fund  
          research to benefit the alfalfa seed industry to the Secretary  
          of the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). 


          EXISTING LAW:  The SA Board advises CDFA and makes  
          recommendations on matters pertaining to the California Seed  
          Law.  The SA Board is required to advise on the scope of the  
          program funded by the seed industry and recommend the dollar  
          volume assessments that, when combined with registration fees,  
          provide adequate funds to support the program.


          FISCAL EFFECT:  Unknown.


          COMMENTS:  Alfalfa is California's tenth largest commodity with  
          a farm gate value in 2014 of $1.4 billion.  Alfalfa hay is  
          planted on approximately 875,000 acres in the state.  Currently  
          in California there is less than $25,000 dedicated to alfalfa  
          seed research by the Alfalfa Seed Production Research Board.   








                                                                    AB 2504


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          Nationally, alfalfa ranks third in value at $10.7 billion,  
          behind only corn and soybeans.  There is only $2.1 million  
          allocated for alfalfa research by the federal government.  





          The University of California (UC) is a leader in alfalfa and  
          forage research.  UC Davis is currently researching deficit  
          irrigation systems and their effect on alfalfa production.   
          Supporters state a dedicated funding stream is necessary to  
          continue important investigations into alfalfa production and  
          that funding source should be dictated and recommended by  
          representatives of the alfalfa seed industry. 





          AB 2504 does not prescribe an assessment.  It allows the SA  
          Board, which is made up of labelers and sellers of seed, to make  
          recommendations to CDFA, if the SA Board decides there is a need  
          to fund alfalfa seed research


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:




          Support


          California Farm Bureau Federation (sponsor)












                                                                    AB 2504


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          Opposition


          None on file.




          Analysis Prepared by:Victor Francovich / AGRI. / (916) 319-2084