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In 2004, the Secretary of Agriculture convened a working group to examine and consider ways to make farmland more available, affordable, and tenure-secure to New Jersey farmers. This working group developed a package of initial recommendations for the agricultural community to consider.
Having heard from an increasing number of concerned farmers and agricultural boards, the SADC wanted to continue and broaden this discussion to solicit your ideas. Is farmland availability or affordability a problem in New Jersey? How great an issue is it? What might be some ways to improve opportunities for New Jersey farmers? The SADC visited with county boards and farmers throughout 2007 to solicit input and ideas. You can also review background information on the issues here and email your thoughts to sadc@ag.state.nj.us.
- Memo about the outreach meetings
- An introduction to the issues (and some discussion topics)
- Programs and models from other states (including information on the Option to Purchase at Agricultural Value (OPAV) mechanism used in MA and VT)
- The SADC Outreach Presentation (PDF of Powerpoint)
- Overview of the comments shared by the agricultural community
- Appendix - Related news stories, statutes/regulations, reports, and summaries
- Appendix - Table of Contents (PDF - 66 KB)
- Appendix - Topic 1 - Housing opportunities on preserved farmland (PDF - 616 KB)
- Appendix - Topic 2 - Uses of preserved farmland (PDF - 54 KB)
- Appendix - Topic 3 - Leasing farmland and tenure agreements (PDF - 18.5 MB)
- Appendix - Topic 4 - Access to land for new farmers (PDF - 1.44 MB)
- Appendix - Topic 5 - Programs and models from other states (PDF - 107 KB)
The viability of New Jersey’s agricultural industry depends on ensuring that farmland is available to new and established farmers. If farmers don’t have access to farmland, they can’t farm.
Agricultural land in New Jersey is among the highest priced in the nation. The Farmland Preservation Program helps make preserved farmland more affordable to farmers by removing the development value from the land. However, even preserved farmland may be expensive as farmers sometimes find themselves in competition with non-farmers for this land. With the increased pace of preservation and New Jersey approaching build-out, the importance of keeping farmland available for farmers is a growing concern... (read more)
What do you think about farmland availability/affordability in New Jersey?
Send your comments to sadc@ag.state.nj.us.
