Assemblyman Alex Sauickie and Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia’s bill creating a loan program to support the next generation of farmers was passed by an Assembly committee on Monday. 

The bill (A4229) requires the state’s Economic Development Authority 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. 

“The lack of support for new farmers threatens the future success of the agriculture industry in the Garden State. Recognizing the increasing costs of farming and an aging workforce, this loan program provides the critical funding beginning farmers need to grow or start their business,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said. 

Under the bill, aspiring or new farmers with 10 or fewer years of experience or federally defined first-time farmers must live in New Jersey and have low to moderate incomes, as determined by the EDA, to be eligible for the loan. 

Nationally, there are more than a million beginning farmers with less than a decade of experience. New Jersey ranks among the bottom 15 states for the number of beginning farmers. 

“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.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the average cost to run a farm in New Jersey increased by more than 35% between 2017 and 2022.