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A3108 FISCAL ESTIMATE
LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
ASSEMBLY, No. 3108
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
DATED: MAY 20, 2026
SUMMARY
Synopsis:
Requires Department of Agriculture to take various actions
to publicize and promote community supported agriculture in New Jersey.
Type of Impact:
Annual State expenditure and revenue increases.
Agencies Affected:
Department of Agriculture and Department of Education.
Fiscal Impact
Annual
Annual State Expenditure Increase
Indeterminate
Annual State Revenue Increase
Indeterminate
�
The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) finds that this bill would
result in annual indeterminate expenditure increases for the State.� Many of
the costs imposed under the bill will depend on implementation decisions made
by the Department of Agriculture, which the OLS cannot anticipate.� These
include the scope and medium of the required advertising campaign, the scale of
promotional events related to the annual Community Supported Agriculture Week,
and whether website development will be performed by existing staff or
contracted out.��
�
The bill allows the department to solicit and raise funds from
contributions and label sales, which would result in an indeterminate annual
State revenue increase.� Funds would be deposited in the existing New Jersey
Farm Products Publicity Fund to cover promotional expenses and other costs
under the bill.
BILL DESCRIPTION
����� This bill would require the department to take certain
actions to publicize and promote community supported agriculture in the State.�
Community supported agriculture is a method of on-the-farm direct sales and
marketing in which the retail sale to a consumer of a share of the agricultural
output of a commercial farm is effectuated through a paid subscription
service.�
����� The bill requires the department to establish a
website dedicated to community supported agriculture programs, to use all
available means to advertise and promote community supported agriculture in the
State, and to develop, print, and distribute promotional and marketing labels
to farmers.�
����� The bill would also require the department to
establish and annually observe a week of promotional events to be known as
Community Supported Agriculture Week, which is intended to highlight and
promote the value and importance of community supported agriculture.� The week
would be celebrated on an annual basis, throughout the State, during the last
full week in February, and would be observed through the holding of relevant
promotional events.�
����� The bill would further require the department, through
the State�s existing Farm to School and Agricultural Literacy programs, to adopt
rules and regulations encouraging schools in the State to obtain fresh, locally
grown or produced agricultural products for school meals by subscribing to, and
becoming participants in, a community supported agriculture program, and to
work in cooperation with the Department of Education to ensure that school
curricula address the value and importance of community supported agriculture.�
Only products sold through the Community Supported Agriculture program would be
permitted to be labeled as Community Supported Agricultural products.� In
addition, the bill would require the State�s existing Farm to School website to
be updated with certain additional information.� The bill would also require
the existing State website that serves as a clearinghouse for farmers, and that
currently provides a list of schools, school districts, and food banks that
have a need for produce or dairy products, to additionally provide a list of
schools and food banks that are interested in participating as subscribers in a
community supported agriculture program.�
����� The bill authorizes the department to solicit and
receive funds, either as direct contributions, or from the sale of labels, or
the right to use labels authorized by the department, or from any other source,
for the purposes of advertising and promoting the value and importance of
community supported agriculture in the State.� Any funds received for the
purposes of the bill are to be deposited in the State�s existing New Jersey
Farm Products Publicity Fund to cover the expenses of printing and distributing
labels used in identifying products being marketed and sold through community
supported agriculture, and to cover any other expenses under the bill.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
����� None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
����� The OLS finds that the bill will result in annual
indeterminate expenditure increases to the Department of Agriculture. �Initially,
there will be expenditures associated with the development and execution of a
comprehensive publicity and marketing initiative led by the department. �This
includes the establishment of a dedicated website, advertising campaigns, and
the creation of promotional materials such as labels for participating farmers.
�Overall, the total cost of implementing the publicity and marketing campaign
for community supported agriculture will depend on implementation decisions by
the department and various factors such as the scale of the campaign, the
extent of advertising efforts, and the complexity of the promotional materials.
�The OLS determines that some of these costs may be subsumed within existing
staff duties.
����� The bill also outlines mechanisms by which the
department may offset some of these costs, including soliciting and receiving
funds through direct contributions, label sales, or other sources, for
advertising and promotion purposes.� Furthermore, any funds received will be
directed to the New Jersey Farm Products Publicity Fund, a special nonlapsing
fund administered by the department, which could be leveraged to cover expenses
related to promoting community supported agriculture and implementing the
bill.� The potential for revenue generation may somewhat mitigate the overall
fiscal impact of the bill.
�����
Dedicated Internet Site:
Establishing and maintaining
a dedicated Internet page on the department�s website would require web
development services.� This could include design, content creation, and software
implementation. �The initial setup cost could range from a few thousand to tens
of thousands of dollars, depending on the complexity of the website and whether
any existing resources can be utilized.� Ongoing maintenance costs, including
updates, would also be incurred.
Marketing and Advertisement:
Paid advertising
placements, the cost of which can fluctuate depending on the selected medium
(i.e., online ads, print media, radio, or television) will result in additional
expenses.� Additionally, there will be costs associated with producing
promotional materials like flyers, brochures, posters, and digital marketing
efforts. �The OLS finds that certain costs, like those for digital marketing
and email campaigns, may be absorbed within existing staff duties.� However,
the expenses for materials such as flyers, brochures, and posters would impose an
annual increase in departmental expenditures.
����� Developing distinct promotional and marketing labels
for farmers would require design work and printing costs.� The expense may vary
with factors such as label size, material, and quantity. Additionally,
distributing these labels to participating farmers across the State would
entail delivery costs.�
Community Supported Agriculture Week:
Organizing the
annual Community Supported Agriculture Week may necessitate financial resources
for coordinating Statewide promotional events.� Encouraging schools to engage
in community supported agriculture through the existing Farm to School Program may
also require additional funding for administrative efforts.� Moreover, there
could be an additional one-time cost for the department and the Department of
Education to include information in school curricula to address the value and
importance of community supported agriculture.
Section:
Environment, Agriculture, Energy, and Natural
Resources
Analyst:
Anna Heckler
Associate Fiscal Analyst
Approved:
Thomas Koenig
Legislative Budget and Finance Officer
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the
Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to
respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980,
c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).