Bill > A4367

Introduced Session

This bill would revise certain requirements concerning grants to fund soil and water conservation projects on preserved farms. Specifically, the bill would clarify that an application for a soil and water conservation project grant would be required to be submitted to a county agriculture development board (CADB) only when the county is providing a share of the funding. If a county is not providing a share of the funding, the grant application would only be required to be submitted to the local soil conservation district, which would forward the application to the State Soil Conservation Committee. The bill would also establish provisions that would require grant recipients to pay back grant funding to a CADB or the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), in the event that the recipient did not maintain the project for the agreed upon time. The bill would establish exceptions in the case of the bankruptcy, death, or incapacitating illness of the owner, or as the result of a documented extreme weather event. Finally, the bill would also eliminate the statutory cost-share requirement for grants for soil and water conservation projects. Under current law, the landowner is required to provide 50 percent of the project costs. Soil and water conservation projects are considered "stewardship activities" under the "Preserve New Jersey Act," P.L.2016, c.12 (C.13:8C-43 et seq.) and are thus eligible to receive corporation business tax (CBT) funds that are constitutionally dedicated to farmland preservation. In order to obtain a soil and water conservation grant, landowners apply to local soil conservation districts, which assist in developing farm conservation plans and ensure projects are necessary and feasible. Applications are then forwarded to the State Soil Conservation Committee, which recommends projects to the SADC for funding approvals.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Alex Sauickie (R)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee (on 02/19/2026)

Official Document