Cal. Public Resources Code § 93590

For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions apply: (a) “Beginning farmer or rancher” means a farmer or rancher who has not actively operated and managed a farm or ranch with a bona fide insurable interest in a crop or livestock as an owner-operator, landlord, tenant, or sharecropper for more than five crop years, as determined by the United States Secretary of Agriculture and as defined in Section 1502 of Title 7 of the United States Code. (b) “Veteran farmer or rancher” means a farmer or rancher who is all of the following: (1) Has served in the United States Armed Forces, as defined in Section 101 of Title 38 of the United States Code. (2) Meets either of the following: (A) Has not operated a farm or ranch. (B) Has operated a farm or ranch for not more than five years. (3) Is a veteran, as defined in Section 101 of Title 38 of the United States Code, who first obtained status as a veteran during the most recent five-year period. (4) Is a beginning veteran farmer or rancher, as that term is used in Section 1502 of Title 7 of the United States Code.