AB 2166 Summary

• Establishes the Agricultural Growth Council to coordinate regulatory requirements across state agencies, with authority to suspend conflicting regulations for farmers when compliance is impossible.

• Creates the Agriculture Technology Innovation Institute to promote and administer tax credits for farmers deploying agricultural technology (such as water/energy efficiency improvements or farm labor automation) from 2020-2024.

• Provides tiered tax credits ranging from $10-$50 per acre for agricultural technology deployment, with annual caps ranging from $4,950 for farms under 100 acres to $50,000 for farms 2,000+ acres.

• Requires county agricultural commissioners to survey Internet accessibility gaps on farms and mandates the Department of Food and Agriculture to create a website resource providing farmers comprehensive regulatory guidance.

• Directs appropriations totaling approximately $69 million for agricultural programs including the Buy California Program ($1.5M), plant pest management ($45M), the Agriculture Technology Innovation Institute ($20M), and UC agricultural research ($10M annually).