Yesterday, my office filed the North Carolina Farm Act of 2021 (S.B. 605). The bill has a total of thirteen sections:

Section 1 – Makes technical changes to the state’s Voluntary Ag Districts including local oversight adjustments and minimum requirements

Section 2 – Allows the waiving of a trial requirement for state forest rule violations

Section 3 – Exempts certain fires from existing burning laws

Section 4 – Modifies and clarifies overtime compensation for certain employees of the NC Forest Service

Section 5 – Adjusts punishment for timber larceny and penalties for damaging of timber or other agricultural commodities

Section 6 – Requires wood load tickets to be provided to certain wood product purchases

Section 7 – Technical change to NC Department of Agriculture law enforcement statutes

Section 8 – Requires electronic records for NC Department of Agriculture record audits

Section 9 – Increases allowable administrative expenses of the NC Tobacco Trust Fund Commission from $350,000 to $375,000.

Section 10 – Designates the NC Department of Agriculture as responsible for the design, construction, or renovation of the Department’s buildings and property

Section 11 – Directs the creation of a new General Permit for farms with Anaerobic Digester systems

Section 12 – Clarifies the expiration of drivers licenses issues to H-2A farmworkers to be three years after issuance

Section 13 – Severability and effective date

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can assist you in any way possible.