Chapter 20

Section 1. There shall be a department of agricultural resources under the supervision and control of a board of agriculture. The board shall consist of 13 members to be appointed by the governor, who shall be from diverse geographic regions of the commonwealth and shall represen…

Section 19. Any person aggrieved by a decision of the commissioner may, within ten days after such decision, appeal therefrom, by petition to the superior court in the county he resides in, or the county of Suffolk. The court shall hear such petitions speedily in accordance with …

Section 2. The position of commissioner shall be classified in accordance with section forty-five of chapter thirty and the salary shall be determined in accordance with section forty-six C of said chapter thirty, and the commissioner shall receive traveling expenses incurred in …

Section 22. Notwithstanding the requirements of sections forty F to forty I, inclusive, of chapter seven, the department may acquire non-development covenants for terms of limited duration. The department shall adopt regulations to carry out the provisions of this section. Non-de…

Section 23. (a) The secretary of environmental affairs shall establish a program to assist the commonwealth in the acquisition of agricultural preservation restrictions as defined in section 31 of chapter 184, for land actively devoted to agricultural or horticultural uses pursua…

Section 24. (a) There shall be an agricultural lands preservation committee in the department of agricultural resources. The committee shall consist of the commissioner of agricultural resources, who shall be the chair, the secretary of environmental affairs, the secretary of hou…

Section 25. The agricultural lands preservation committee shall prepare an annual report. The report shall include the number and geographic distribution of applications accepted and rejected, the acreage and costs of purchases, and such other information as will enable the progr…

Section 26. Land under agricultural preservation restrictions, while actively devoted to agricultural, horticultural or agricultural and horticultural use as defined in sections 1 to 5, inclusive, of chapter 61A, shall be assessed for general property tax purposes at values no gr…

Section 27. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department may offer farm viability technical assistance and implementation funding to an owner of land subject to an agricultural preservation restriction, as defined by section 31 of chapter 184 if such…

Section 28. (a) For the purposes of this section and section 29, the following words and phrases shall have the following meanings:— ''Agriculture'', farming in all of its branches and the cultivation and tillage of the soil, dairying, the production, cultivation, growing and har…

Section 29. There shall be established and set upon the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Farm Capital Linked Loan Fund, consisting of revenues received under subsection (b) of section 28, including any interest or investment earnings on such monies and…

Section 3. The commissioner shall be the executive and administrative head of the department and shall have charge of the administration and enforcement of all laws which it is the duty of the department to administer and enforce, and shall direct all inspections and investigatio…

Section 30. (a) There shall be established a Massachusetts dairy promotion board which shall consist of 9 members: 1 of whom shall be the secretary of administration and finance or his designee; 1 of whom shall be the commissioner of the department of agricultural resources or hi…

Section 31. There shall be established and set upon the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the Dairy Promotion Trust Fund, consisting of revenues received pursuant to subsection (d) of section 30, including any interest or investment earnings on such monies …

Section 32. There shall be established and set upon the books of the commonwealth an Agricultural Inspection and Infrastructure Trust Fund, consisting of: (i) fee revenues from apiary inspections under sections 32 and 35 of chapter 128, poultry inspections under section 124 of ch…

Section 33. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the secretary of energy and environmental affairs shall establish a program to acquire by purchase, gift, lease, eminent domain or otherwise lands and waters and easements therein to protect and conserve land…

Section 4. The commissioner, with the approval of the board of food and agriculture, may appoint an assistant commissioner and with like approval may remove him.

Section 5. The position of assistant commissioner shall be classified in accordance with section forty-five of chapter thirty and the salary shall be determined in accordance with section forty-six C of said chapter thirty, and the assistant commissioner shall receive traveling e…

Section 6. The commissioner shall organize the department into divisions and bureaus and shall assign to said divisions their functions. The commissioner, with the approval of the board, may appoint a director to each division and a chief to each bureau thereunder, to have charge…

Section 6A. There shall be established an intern scholarship program which shall be administered by the commissioner. The commissioner, subject to appropriation and grants from other sources, may grant scholarships providing for the payment of room, board, tuition and other fees …

Section 6B. There shall be in the department a committee to be known as the equine advisory committee which shall consist of seven members to be appointed by the commissioner. Two members shall be nominated by the Massachusetts Farm Bureau Federation, one by the Massachusetts Ass…

Section 6C. (a) There shall be established a Massachusetts food policy council, hereinafter referred to as the council. The council shall consist of 18 members, 1 of whom shall be a member of the house of representatives; 1 of whom shall be a member of the senate; 1 of whom shall…