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S4334
SENATE, No. 4334
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED MAY 28, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� PARKER SPACE
District 24 (Morris, Sussex and Warren)
SYNOPSIS
���� Directs Dept. of Agriculture to develop and implement
beginning farmer mentoring program in cooperation with certain agricultural and
educational organizations and entities.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning beginning farmers and supplementing Title 4
of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� The Legislature finds
and declares that agriculture is a critically important industry in the State;
that preserving a viable agricultural base in the State will ensure that there
is sufficient fresh, locally grown produce and other agricultural and horticultural
products available for the public to consume and enjoy, which in turn
contributes to promoting the health and welfare of the people; that the public
also enjoys many aesthetic benefits from the presence of farms in their
communities; that the continuing existence of farms and farming in the State is
threatened by numerous pressures and stresses, especially in such a densely
populated and developed state as New Jersey; that one of the major issues
confronting agriculture in both the State and the nation is the increasing
average age of farmers, thus demonstrating that there is insufficient
recruitment of new or beginning farmers; that furthermore, the National
Agricultural Statistics Service in the United States Department of Agriculture
reported in its 2012 census of agriculture that nationally the average age of
the principal operator of a farm rose from 55.3 years in 2002, to 57.1 years in
2007, and then to 58.3 years in 2012; that, similarly, in New Jersey the
average age of the principal operator of a farm rose from 57 years in 2007 to
59 years in 2012; that farming cannot survive if there are too few farmers in
the State; and that, therefore, it is appropriate and necessary to create a
mentoring program whereby experienced farmers can impart their knowledge to
beginning farmers so that they will have a greater chance to succeed, thus
ensuring that agriculture will continue to be a major industry in the State, in
both the near and distant future, and that the Garden State will always prove
itself worthy of that name.
���� 2.��� a.� The Department of
Agriculture, in consultation and cooperation with the State Agriculture
Development Committee, the New Jersey Farm Bureau, the county boards of
agriculture, Rutgers the State University, the New Jersey Agricultural Society,
and any other appropriate agricultural, horticultural, or educational entities
in the State, shall develop and implement a beginning farmer mentoring program
by which experienced farmers would provide guidance, advice, and other
appropriate assistance to beginning farmers so that they and their farms may
succeed and thrive.� The department shall develop the structure of the
beginning farmer mentoring program and the roles the agricultural,
horticultural, and educational organizations and entities shall serve within
it.
���� b.��� The department:
���� (1)�� shall incorporate into
the beginning farmer mentoring program any online linking services and
resources established by the department, and shall develop further avenues and
opportunities for, experienced farmers to mentor beginning farmers, including
establishing criteria for mentoring and the eligibility of farmers to mentor or
be mentored under the program; and
���� (2)�� may partner with
appropriate public or private organizations or entities to accomplish the
purposes of this act, including entering into agreements or contracts with
those organizations or entities to operate the program, in whole or in part,
under the general supervision of the department.
���� c.���� The department shall
adopt, pursuant to the �Administrative Procedure Act,� P.L.1968, c.410
(C.52:14B-1 et seq.), any rules and regulations necessary to implement this
act.
���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately
STATEMENT
���� This bill would require the
Department of Agriculture, in consultation and cooperation with the State
Agriculture Development Committee, the New Jersey Farm Bureau, the county
boards of agriculture, Rutgers the State University, the New Jersey
Agricultural Society, and any other appropriate agricultural, horticultural, or
educational entities in the State, to develop and implement a beginning farmer
mentoring program by which experienced farmers would provide guidance, advice,
and other appropriate assistance to beginning farmers so that they and their
farms may succeed and thrive.
���� The bill also would authorize
the department to partner with appropriate public or private organizations or
entities to accomplish the purposes of the bill, including entering into
agreements or contracts with those organizations or entities to operate the
program, in whole or in part, under the general supervision of the department.
���� This bill is necessary
because, according to the latest available data, in New Jersey the average age
of the principal operator of a farm rose from 57 years in 2007 to 59 years in
2012.� A similar trend is occurring nationally.� Farming is unlikely to survive
in New Jersey if this trend continues.� Thus, it is necessary to create a
mentoring program whereby experienced farmers can impart their knowledge to
beginning farmers so that they will have a greater chance to succeed, thus
ensuring that agriculture will continue to be a major industry in the State, in
both the near and distant future.