Establishes agricultural apprenticeship program in DOLWD.

A4499

ASSEMBLY, No. 4499

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 9, 2026

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman� ALEX SAUICKIE

District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Scharfenberger

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes agricultural apprenticeship program in
DOLWD.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing an agricultural apprenticeship program and
supplementing P.L.1992, c.43 (C.34:15D-1 et seq.).

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� As used in this act:

���� �Beginner farmer� means an
individual with less than five years of farm management experience.

���� �Commissioner� means the
Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development.

���� �Committee� means the State
Agriculture Development Committee established pursuant to section 4 of
P.L.1983, c.31 (C.4:1C-4).

���� �Department� means the
Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

���� �Established farmer� means an
individual with at least five years of farm management experience.

���� �Farm� means a parcel or
parcels of land, whether contiguous or noncontiguous, together with
agricultural or horticultural buildings, structures, and facilities, producing
agricultural or horticultural products, and operated as a single enterprise.

���� �Host farm� means the farm
owned and operated by an established farmer.

���� �Program� means the
agricultural apprenticeship program established pursuant to section 2 of this
act.

���� �Program participant"
means an individual whose application has been accepted into the program.

���� 2.��� The Commissioner of
Labor and Workforce Development, in consultation with the State Agriculture
Development Committee, shall establish an agricultural apprenticeship program
in the Department of Labor and Workforce Development.� The purpose of the
apprenticeship program is to provide mentoring and support services to the next
generation of farmers in New Jersey.

���� 3.��� a.� The agriculture
apprenticeship program shall be comprised of two stages during which a program
participant shall complete the technical instruction and on-the-job training
necessary to obtain the relevant apprentice credential.

���� b.� Stage one of the program
shall be open to program participants who meet the qualifications established
pursuant to subsection a. of section 6 of this act.� A program participant who
completes stage one of the program shall be awarded a pre-apprenticeship
credential.� In order to complete stage one, a program participant shall have:

���� (1) 225 hours of on-the-job
training;

���� (2) 25 hours of technical
instruction; and

���� (3) demonstrated competency in
core skill areas in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner.

���� c.� (1) Stage two of the
program shall be open to program participants who meet the qualifications
established pursuant to subsection b. of section 6 of this act.� A program
participant who completes stage two of the program shall be awarded an
apprenticeship credential.� In order to complete stage two, a program
participant shall have:

���� (a) 2,700 hours of on-the-job
training over the course of 18 months on a host farm;

���� (b) 210 hours of technical
instruction; and

���� (c) pass a
commissioner-approved assessment on core skill areas.

���� (2) Stage two program
participants shall receive a stipend award through the duration of their
participation in the program.� The stipend amount and frequency of payments
shall be subject to the agreement entered into by the established farmer and
department required pursuant to paragraph 2 of subsection b. of section 5 of
this act.

���� 4.��� a.� The commissioner, in
consultation with the committee, shall establish and publish on its Internet
website the requirements for on-the-job training, technical instruction, and
core skill areas for stage one and stage two of the program.

���� b.� The technical instruction
requirements may include attending workshops, field days, conferences, farm
tours, formal classes, and farmer networking opportunities.� The areas of
technical instruction may include, but need not be limited to:

���� (1) farm business planning and
financial management;

���� (2) tractor safety and
maintenance;

���� (3) small engine repair;

���� (4) food safety;

���� (5) integrated pest
management; and

���� (6) soil testing.

���� c.� The core skill areas that
program participants are to be assessed on may include, but need not be limited
to:

���� (1) crop planning;

���� (2) harvesting;

���� (3) handling livestock;

���� (4) business planning; and

���� (5) equipment and machinery
maintenance.

���� 5.��� a.� Any organization or
established farmer in the State that wishes to offer stage one of the program
shall apply to the department in a form and manner determined by the
commissioner, in consultation with the committee.� The organizations and
established farmers that are selected to offer stage one of the program shall
enter into an agreement with the department in which the organization or
established farmer agrees to provide the program participants with the
technical instruction and on-the-job training necessary to complete stage one
of the program.

���� b.� (1) Established farmers in
the State that wish to host a program participant in stage two of the program
shall apply to the department in a form and manner determined by the
commissioner, in consultation with the committee.� The application shall
require the established farmer to submit information demonstrating:

���� (a) that the established
farmer has:

���� (i) a vested interest in
training beginner farmers;

���� (ii) the capacity to support a
program participant through mentorship;

���� (iii) made a commitment to
sustainable farming practices; and

���� (iv) prior experience managing
employees, apprentices, or interns; and

���� (b) the host farm:

���� (i) has been in business for
at least five years;

���� (ii) produces more than one
agricultural or horticultural product; and

���� (iii) can financially support
a full-time employee.

���� (2) The established farmers
selected for stage two of the program shall enter into an agreement with the
department in which the established farmer agrees to provide the program
participant with a stipend award, and the technical instruction and on-the-job
training necessary to complete stage two of the program.

���� 6.��� a.� To be eligible to
participate in stage one of the program, an applicant shall be a resident of
New Jersey and 14 years of age or older.

���� b.� (1) To be eligible to
participate in stage two of the program, an applicant shall:

���� (a) be 18 years of age or
older;

���� (b) be at least a high school
graduate or have earned a General Educational Development (GED) diploma;

���� (c) have prior farming
experience; and

���� (d) be physically able to
perform farm work with reasonable accommodations.

���� (2) As used in this subsection
�farming experience� includes the following:

���� (a) completion of stage one of
the program;

���� (b) full-time or part-time
employment on a farm;

���� (c) a farming internship or
apprenticeship;

���� (d) participation in a farm
training or farm incubator program;

���� (e) volunteer work on a farm;

���� (f) community or technical
college training in a related field; and

���� (g) an associate or bachelor's
degree in a related field of study.

���� 7.��� a.� An individual who
wishes to participate in the program shall submit an application to the
department in a form and manner prescribed by the commissioner, in consultation
with the committee.� The application shall include, at a minimum:

���� (1) documentation
demonstrating the individual meets the eligibility criteria for the particular
stage of the program as set forth in section 6 of this act;

���� (2) a personal statement
detailing the applicant�s interest in farming; and

���� (3) any other information the
commissioner and committee deem appropriate.

���� b.� The department may approve
applications for the program on a rolling basis, subject to the availability of
qualified organizations and experienced farmers to host program participants.�

���� c.� Upon approval of the
application, the department shall match a program participant with the
appropriate organization or established farmer.

���� 8.� The department shall
include, in each annual budget request submitted to the Legislature, a request
for the appropriation of funds in the amount which is deemed by the department,
in consultation with the committee, to be sufficient to support and continue
program operations and facilitate the achievement of program goals.

���� 9.� The department may, in
accordance with the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410
(C.52:14B-1 et seq.), adopt rules and regulations as necessary to implement
this act.

���� 10. This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would establish an
agricultural apprenticeship program (program) in the Department of Labor and
Workforce Development (department).� The purpose of the program would be to
provide mentoring and support services to the next generation of farmers in New
Jersey.� The program would be comprised of two stages during which a program
participant would complete the technical instruction and on-the-job training
necessary to obtain the relevant apprentice credential.� The bill provides
certain requirements in order to complete stage one (pre-apprenticeship
credential) and stage two (apprenticeship credential) of the program.� The bill
would require the department to publish on its Internet website the
requirements for on-the-job training, technical instruction, and core skill
areas for stage one and stage two of the program.

���� Additionally, the bill
provides certain requirements for organizations and established farmers that
wish to offer stage one or stage two of the program and eligibility
requirements for individuals wishing to apply for stage one or stage two of the
program.� Under the bill, the program applicant would be required to submit
documentation demonstrating the individual meets the eligibility criteria for
the particular stage of the program, a personal statement detailing the
applicant�s interest in farming, and any other information the Commissioner of
Labor and Workforce Development and State Agriculture Development Committee
(SADC) deem appropriate.� The department would accept program participant
applications on a rolling basis, subject to availability of organizations and
established farmers able to host program participants.� Upon acceptance into
the program, the program participant would be matched by the department with
the appropriate organization or established farmer.

���� Finally, the bill would
require the department to include, in each annual budget request submitted to
the Legislature, a request for the appropriation of funds in the amount which
is deemed by the department, in consultation with the SADC, to be sufficient to
support and continue program operations and facilitate the achievement of
program goals.

���� On March 27, 2025, the SADC
published a �Report on Cultivating the Future of Farming in the Garden State.�
This report was done on behalf of the SADC�s Next Generation Farmer Program.
The Next Gen Program Team conducted extensive research and gathered input from
New Jersey�s agricultural community in order to assess the issues facing the
next generation of farmers in the State. The program established by this bill
responds to the challenges and recommendations provided by the report by
providing a path for new and younger farmers to learn and cultivate the
experience necessary to sustain the agricultural industry in New Jersey and
support current established farmers.