Special agriculture license plate

Special license plates that promote California agriculture could soon begin appearing on vehicles including cars, trucks, trailers and motorcycles.

The state Department of Food and Agriculture, which unveiled the design for the special plates, said money collected through their sale would benefit youth leadership development, career awareness and training activities primarily serving secondary students enrolled in state-adopted agricultural education programs throughout California.

The plates incorporate a design that includes a sunrise over a fertile green field. Superimposed over the field are the words, "Food, Fiber, Fuel, Flora." The word "agriculture," in red block letters, runs along the bottom of the plate underneath the license number.

The state Department of Motor Vehicles will begin issuing the special plates once it has received 7,500 paid pledges from vehicle owners. According to CDFA, anyone who has a currently registered California automobile, truck, trailer or motorcycle may order the agriculture license plates, including commercial vehicles.

The plates cost an additional fee above normal registration fees. For a randomly numbered set of plates, the cost is $50 to order the special plates and $40 per year to renew. For personalized plates, the cost is $98 to order and $70 a year to renew; personalized plates are limited to six characters.

If the license plate program falls short of the 7,500 pledges required, people who have ordered the plates will be given the option to receive a full refund or to give the agriculture license plate campaign more time to gather the required pledges.

Information about the special interest license plate may be found online at www.calagplate.com.