TRENTON, N.J. – Farmers who lease their land can qualify for a state grant to install fencing to protect their crops from wildlife thanks to a measure sponsored by Assemblymen Alex Sauickie and Kevin J. Rooney and signed into law Monday. The legislation (A5486/S3916) permits farmers who lease land for agricultural or horticultural purposes to apply for a grant from the State Agriculture Development Committee or the Department of Agriculture with permission from the owner. It expands a 2021 grant program that provides matching funds for fencing on unpreserved farmland and certain farms in the Pinelands and Highlands. Preserved farmlands already qualified for a similar grant under a 2017 law. However, all previous grant programs required the farmers to be landowners. “All farmers deserve an opportunity to protect their valuable produce, especially from New Jersey’s destructive white-tail deer,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said. “This law helps farmers secure their annual harvest so they can stay in this state for the long term and continue to contribute to New Jersey’s prized agricultural industry.” To qualify, farmers must receive written permission from the landowner and agree to continue to use the land for eight years. If a commercial farm does not qualify for the SADC’s farmland stewardship fencing grant program, it will be eligible for the agriculture department’s matching grant program. Applicants could receive a grant equal to 50% of the project costs, not to exceed $50,000.

“Millions of dollars in lost crops each year can be directly attributed to wildlife and the overpopulation of deer. More than half of New Jersey farmers report that deer are responsible for most of the yearly damage to their crops,” Rooney (R-Bergen) said. “This law will equip farmers with the tools they need to ensure we keep the garden in the Garden State.”