MA S55

Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency must develop and maintain a plan for supporting agricultural, seafood, and processed food production during emergencies, coordinated with multiple state departments and updated every 5 years

Creates a full-time Food System Coordinator position to inventory state food programs, track metrics, eliminate duplicative efforts, and coordinate outreach to underserved communities

Establishes a Next Generation Farmers Fund with $3,000,000 annually from the Workforce and Competitiveness Trust Fund to provide agricultural workforce development grants to higher education institutions, vocational schools, and community organizations

Creates a Food Security Infrastructure Grant Program to fund capital improvements for food producers, processors, distributors, emergency food organizations, school meal programs, and urban farms

Strengthens farmland preservation by giving the Department of Agricultural Resources a secondary right of first refusal to purchase Chapter 61A land proposed for sale or conversion, requires a central registry of all agricultural land, and adds agritourism to zoning exemptions for agricultural uses