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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2730
Sponsored by Representative BOICE (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced.The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act creates a new program to encourage beginning farmers and ranchers. The Act
creates a new fund for the program.(Flesch Readability Score: 79.3).
Establishes a beginning farmer and rancher incentive program in the State Department of Ag-
riculture. Requires the department to establish types of incentives to provide to beginning farmers
andranchers.
Establishes the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Incentive Fund.Continuously appropriates
moneys in the fund to the department for purposes of the incentive program.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to incentives for beginning agricultural operators.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1. (1) There is created in the State Department of Agriculture a beginning
farmer and rancher incentive program for the purpose of assisting beginning farmers and
ranchers in this state. The department shall prescribe by rule:
(a) Participant eligibility criteria, including the types of farmers and ranchers who may
participate in the program.
(b) The terms and conditions of participation in the program.
(c) The types of incentives that may be provided, including but not limited to:
(A) Loan repayment subsidies;
(B) Stipends; and
(C) Scholarships for students at institutions of higher education based in this state who
are enrolled in training programs aimed at preparing students to be farmers and ranchers,
if:
(i) The scholarship funds are distributed equitably among schools offering the training
programs, based on the percentage of Oregon students attending those schools; and
(ii) The maximum scholarship for each student does not exceed the highest resident tui-
tion rate at publicly funded farming or ranching training programs in this state.
(d) If the funds allocated to the program from the Beginning Farmer and Rancher In-
centive Fund established under section 2 of this 2025 Act are insufficient to provide assist-
ance to all of the applicants who are eligible to participate in the program, the priority for
the distribution of funds.
(e) The financial penalties imposed on an individual who fails to comply with terms and
conditions of participation.
(2) The department may enter into contracts with one or more public or private entities
to administer the beginning farmer and rancher incentive program or parts of the program.
(3) The department shall decide no later than September 1 of each academic year the
NOTE:Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 2766 HB2730
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distribution of funds for scholarships that will be provided in the next academic year.
(4) The department may receive gifts, grants or contributions from any source, whether
public or private, to carry out the provisions of this section. Moneys received under this
subsection shall be deposited in the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Incentive Fund estab-
lished under section 2 of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 2. The Beginning Farmer and Rancher Incentive Fund is established in the
State Treasury, separate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the Begin-
ning Farmer and Rancher Incentive Fund shall be credited to the fund. The fund consists
of moneys appropriated to the fund by the Legislative Assembly and gifts, grants or other
moneys contributed to the fund by any source, whether public or private. Moneys in the fund
are continuously appropriated to the State Department of Agriculture to carry out section
1 of this 2025 Act.
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