Bill > A5047

Introduced Session

This bill establishes in the Department of Agriculture the "New Farmers Improvement Grant Program," to provide matching grants for farm improvements to beginning farmers investing in diversification of their farming operations and innovations for the sustainability of those operations. The bill defines "beginning farmer" as a person who desires to engage in farming and has never farmed before, who has engaged in farming in the State for 10 years or less as of the effective date of the bill, or who qualifies as a first time farmer pursuant to federal law at 26 U.S.C. s.147(c)(2). To date, the State of New Jersey has spent $1.148 billion to preserve farmland in the Garden State. New Jersey cannot rely only on the success of land preservation to preserve farming. The State must take further action to preserve its farmers as well. Currently, the average age of a farmer in the United States is 57.5 years. The national average age has increased by 1.6 percent annually since 1994, on average, according to the 2017 Census of Agriculture conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture. The average age of a New Jersey farmer is 59.7 years, according to the same report. The State-wide average age has increased more drastically at 2.72 percent annually since 2002, on average.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

John Armato (D)*,  Vincent Mazzeo (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture Committee (on 11/19/2020)