Section 566.

(a) The department shall establish and oversee an environmental farming program. The program shall provide incentives to farmers whose practices promote the well-being of ecosystems, air quality, and wildlife and their habitat.

(b) The department may assist in the compilation of scientific evidence from public and private sources, including the scientific community, industry, conservation organizations, and federal, state, and local agencies identifying the net environmental impacts that agriculture creates for the environment. The department shall serve as the depository of this information and provide it to federal, state, and local governments, as needed.

(c) The department shall conduct the activities specified in this article with existing resources, to the extent they are available.

(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 928, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 1996.)