A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT to provide representation of Forestry and Nursery interests on the Board of Agriculture.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  G.S. 106.2 reads as rewritten:
"§ 106‑2.  Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services established; Board of Agriculture, membership, terms of office, etc.
(a)	Board established. – The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is created and established and shall be under the control of the Commissioner of Agriculture, with the consent and advice of a board to be styled "The Board of Agriculture."
(b)	Membership; qualifications. – The Board of Agriculture shall consist of the Commissioner of Agriculture, who shall be ex officio a member and chairman thereof and shall preside at all meetings, and of 10 other members from the State at large, so distributed as to reasonably represent the different sections and agriculture of the State. The Commissioner of Agriculture and the members of the Board of Agriculture shall be practical farmers engaged in their profession. In the appointment of the members of the Board the Governor shall also take into consideration the different agricultural interests of the State, and shall appoint members with the following qualifications:
(1)	One member who shall be a practical tobacco farmer to represent the tobacco farming interest.
(2)	One member who shall be a practical cotton grower to represent the cotton interest.
(3)	One member who shall be a practical truck farmer or general farmer to represent the truck and general farming interest.
(4)	 One member who shall be a practical dairy farmer to represent the dairy and livestock interest of the State.
(5)	 One member who shall be a practical poultryman to represent the poultry interest of the State.
(6)	One member who shall be a practical peanut grower to represent the peanut interests of the State.
(7)	One member who shall be experienced in marketing to represent the marketing of products of the State.
(8)	One member who shall be actively involved in forestry to represent the forestry interests of the State.
(9)	One member who shall be actively involved in the nursery business to represent the nursery industry of the State.
(c)	Terms; vacancies. – The members of such Board shall be appointed by the Governor by and with the consent of the Senate, when the terms of the incumbents respectively expire. The term of office of such members shall be six years and until their successors are duly appointed and qualified. The terms of office of the five members constituting the present Board of Agriculture shall continue for the time for which they were appointed. In making appointments for the enlarged Board of Agriculture, the Governor shall make the appointments so that the term of three members will be for two years, three for four and four for six years. Thereafter the appointments shall be made for six years. Vacancies in such Board shall be filled by the Governor for the unexpired term."
SECTION 2.  This act becomes effective July 1, 2013, and applies to appointments to the Board of Agriculture made on or after that date.