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An Act To Designate the Maine Farms Agricultural Resource Management and Sustainability Recognition Program
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 7 MRSA §162, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 356, Pt. A, §1 and amended by PL 2011, c. 682, §38, is further amended to read:
§ 162.Maine Farms Agricultural Resource Management and Sustainability recognition program
The commissioner shall establish a process for designating "Farming for Maine" farmsMaine Farm Agricultural Resource Management and Sustainability recipients according to this section. This designation provides farmers an opportunity to declarerecognize their commitment to commercial agriculturesustainable agricultural practices and long-term resource management and to increase public awareness of farming in the Stateagricultural producer commitment to best management practices.
 
1. Application.   An applicant for designation as a "Farming for Maine" farmMaine Farm Agricultural Resource Management and Sustainability recipient shall submit a completed application that has been verifiedfor verification in accordance with subsection 3 to the clerk for the municipality in which the farm is located and a copy of the application to the department. If the land is within an area under the jurisdiction of the Maine Land Use Planning Commission, the applicant shall submit the verified application to the executive director of the commission and a copy to the department. The department shall develop an application form and make the formit available through the offices of the soil and water conservation districts and private organizations and public agencies that support or represent farmers in the State.
 
2. Eligibility.   A farm is eligible for designation under this section if the following criteria are metit engages in the management of cropland or the production of livestock, specialty crops or value-added products and meets the criteria established by the commissioner as follows:
 
A. The farm consists of land classified as prime farmland, land of statewide or local importance or unique farmland by the Natural Resources Conservation Service within the United States Department of Agriculture. In counties where land of local importance has not been identified, land that is actively farmed may be eligible as provided in rules adopted under subsection 4;
 
B. The land is used forfarm is engaged in the commercial production of agricultural products; andor
 
C. AdditionalThe farm complies with additional criteria established in rules adopted under subsection 4.
 
A farm that is farmed under a lease may be designated as long as the landowner and the lessee sign the application.
 
3. Verification of eligibility.   An applicant for designation as a "Farming for Maine" farmMaine Farm Agricultural Resource Management and Sustainability recipient shall submit a completed application form together with support materials as required in rules adopted under subsection 4 to a soil and water conservation district office. Upon receipt of an application, a district office shall verify the eligibility of the farm or notify the applicant of the reasons why verification is denied. Upon request, the department shall assist a district in determining eligibilitythe department for verification of eligibility.
 
4. Rules.   The commissioner may adopt rules to further define the verification process under subsection 3 and establish additional eligibility criteria as needed for designation of "Farming for Maine" farmsMaine Farm Agricultural Resource Management and Sustainability recipients. The commissioner shallmay provide signs or certificates or develop other means of recognizing a farm that has attained designation as a "Farming for Maine" farmMaine Farm Agricultural Resource Management and Sustainability recipient. Rules adopted under this subsection are routine technical rules as defined in Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A.
 
5. Fee.  A municipalityThe commissioner may charge a fee of not more than $20 for filing a verified designation application underfees as necessary for the administration of this section.
 
SUMMARY
This bill replaces the Farming for Maine farms program with the Maine Farms Agricultural Resource Management and Sustainability recognition program to recognize sustainable agricultural practices and to increase public awareness of agricultural producer commitment to best management practices.