NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A6144
SPONSOR: Lemondes TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring instruction
in agriculture
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::
This bill requires all schools in New York State receiving public fund-
ing to provide instruction related to agriculture in elementary, middle,
and high school.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section 1 amends the education law to require all schools receiving
public funding to provide agriculture related instruction to all
students in elementary, middle, and high school. It permits the rele-
vant boards or commissions the power to craft a curriculum designed to
educate school age children in the relevant processes, practices, and
disciplines in the agriculture and conservation industries.
Section 2 sets the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION::
Agriculture is the largest and most critical industry in the entire
state and similarly the most taken for granted. Therefore, ehsuring
future generations are given an opportunity to understand its impor-
tance with respect to how the industry functions is paramount to the
future stability and economic success of the state and our food stabili-
ty and security initiatives. Children should understand the food-to-ta-
ble process, sustainability, and resource conservation skills so New
York's land and food supply can be well protected and nurtured in the
short and long term. This $3.6 billion industry requires a constant flow
of knowledge and skills from generation to generation, which is why
compulsory agriculture education is required. Last, as our population
increases it will drive land conversion development pressure commensu-
rately; requiring ever more difficult decisions regarding food
production, sustainability and security.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
01/03/24 referred to education
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS::
Minimal
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6144
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
February 26, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. LEMONDES -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring instruction
in agriculture
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 819 to
2 read as follows:
3 § 819. Instruction in agriculture. Beginning in the two thousand twen-
4 ty-six--two thousand twenty-seven school year, and in each school year
5 thereafter, the officer, board or commission authorized or required to
6 prescribe courses of instruction shall cause instruction to be given in
7 every elementary, middle, and high school under state control or
8 supported wholly or partly by public money of the state, in the disci-
9 plines necessary to be a successful farmer for the purposes of ensuring
10 children understand the origin, by-products, and farm-to-market proc-
11 esses of their food, nutrients, and clothes. Such instruction shall
12 include topic matters such as resource conservation and management
13 including food, water, forest, and land, city agriculture management,
14 food-to-table processes, sustainability practices, waste management,
15 textile production, career choices in the agriculture industry, the
16 daily life of a farmer, and culture in rural farming communities. Such
17 instruction shall be for such period of time during each school year as
18 the board of regents may prescribe and may be joined with work in the
19 sciences, mathematics, history, and/or business. Such courses of
20 instruction shall be approved by both the department of education and
21 the department of agriculture and markets.
22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04522-01-5
