Bills supporting New Jersey farmers and the agricultural industry passed with overwhelming support in the Assembly on Thursday. 

The Assembly approved measures establishing a new loan program for the next generation of farmers, protecting farmers from costly nuisance lawsuits, and recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Jersey Fresh program. All three are sponsored by Assemblyman Alex Sauickie. Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia joins him as a sponsor of the beginning farmer loan program.

“New Jersey is the Garden State for good reason and farmers need our support to ensure the future success of the industry,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said. “These bills recognize the costs of starting a commercial farm, the costs of operating a farm, and the strongly effective campaign that helped make New Jersey produce famous.” 

Under Assembly bill 4229, the state’s Economic Development Authority is required to work with the Department of Agriculture to develop a beginning farmer loan program to help state residents new to farming purchase agricultural land and machinery, or make improvements to existing farm operations. 

“New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation Program has helped protect more than 2,800 farms, but we cannot rely on that program alone to maintain the industry. We need to encourage a new generation of farmers,” Fantasia (R-Sussex) said. “For new farmers in New Jersey, a big barrier to expansion is higher costs. This loan addresses that barrier.”

The second bill responds to housing mandates in established farming communities, which have the potential to increase meritless nuisance lawsuits, says Sauickie. His bill (A4603) allows commercial farmers to recover reasonable costs and attorney fees associated with bad faith lawsuits by enhancing New Jersey’s 1983 Right to Farm Act. The act affirms accepted commercial farming practices and operations do not constitute a public or private nuisance.

“As New Jersey mandates more and more residential development in traditionally rural areas, complaints over noise or other aspects of farming operations will continue to rise. The financial costs of defending against these claims can be very hard on farmers,” Sauickie said. 

Lastly, the Assembly celebrated the success of the Jersey Fresh program by passing a resolution (ACR138) marking its 40th anniversary this year. 

“The Jersey Fresh program helped rightly distinguish locally-grown produce from other, and in my opinion inferior, produce for sale. It helped shine a light on the quality and availability of our fruits and vegetables, and our family-owned farms. It’s been a resounding success,” Sauickie said.

In 1984, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture established the Jersey Fresh program, the first in the nation state-sponsored agricultural marketing program. The Jersey Fresh label is placed on locally harvested produce to help consumers identify farm-fresh food. 

All bills are waiting to be considered in the Senate.