Authorizes Secretary of Agriculture to declare agricultural emergency; requires Department of Agriculture to conduct study on funding sources available to farmers during agricultural emergency.

S4354

SENATE, No. 4354

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 28, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� LATHAM TIVER

District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)

Senator� NILSA I. CRUZ-PEREZ

District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)

SYNOPSIS

���� Authorizes Secretary of Agriculture to declare
agricultural emergency; requires Department of Agriculture to conduct study on
funding sources available to farmers during agricultural emergency.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to declare
an agricultural emergency 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:

���� a.���� The success of the
agriculture industry in New Jersey is critical for protecting food supply
chains, maintaining the State�s history and heritage, stewarding land and other
natural resources, and allowing for the proliferation of farms and
agribusiness.

���� b.��� The success of the
agriculture industry in New Jersey is often impacted by factors beyond the
control of individuals, State, and local government.� These factors include,
but are not limited to, weather fluctuations, global supply chain challenges,
and diseases that impact commodities.

���� c.���� Unexpected or atypical
weather patterns, including, but not limited to, droughts and frosts, can have
a negative impact on the yields of various agricultural commodities.

���� d.��� Diseases and illnesses
can prevent commodities from reaching maturity and can limit the amount of a
product available to be sold.

���� e.���� Certain products, which
are imperative to the successful operations of New Jersey farms, rely on
interconnected global supply chains. Interruptions in supply chains can
negatively impact farmers. For example, many of the components of nitrogen
fertilizer are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, the closure
of the strait due to the 2026 Iran War has limited farmers� access to nitrogen
fertilizer, causing the price of the fertilizer to increase dramatically.
According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, following the closure of the strait
in February 2026, around 70 percent of American farmers cannot afford all of
the fertilizer they need for the 2026 growing season.

���� f.���� In situations where the
total commodity yield decreases, the price of impacted commodities increases
for the consumer.

���� g.��� To ensure the vitality
and long-term stability of the agriculture industry in New Jersey, steps must
be taken to assist farmers when circumstances beyond the control of any
individual, state, or local government have a severe negative impact on yields.

���� 2.� a.� As used in this
section:

���� �Department� means the
Department of Agriculture.

���� �Secretary� means the
Secretary of Agriculture.

���� b.��� The Secretary of
Agriculture may declare an agricultural emergency for a period of up to six
months. The secretary is empowered to determine specific criteria that
necessitate the declaration of an agricultural emergency.� The criteria may
include, but are not limited to, local and national events that impact the
price of fertilizer.��

���� c.���� No later than 24 hours
following the declaration of an agricultural emergency by the secretary, the
department shall post, in a conspicuous location on the front page of its
Internet Website, the following:

���� (1)� an announcement that an
agricultural emergency has been declared and the reason for the declaration of
agricultural emergency;

���� (2)� information,
recommendations, and resources, including, but not limited to, opportunities to
apply for funding, for farmers that specifically relate to the reason the
agricultural emergency was declared, in order to mitigate harm to crops and
livestock and preserve farm viability.

���� d.��� The secretary may limit
the applicability of an agricultural emergency to specific areas of the State
that meet the criteria established pursuant to this section.

���� e.���� The agricultural
emergency declared by the secretary pursuant to this section shall remain in
effect until the secretary declares that the agricultural emergency has
terminated, or six months have elapsed, whichever is sooner.

���� f.���� No later than six
months after the effective date of this section, the department shall conduct a
study on available funding sources, including any State, federal, and private
funding sources, that are available to farmers to mitigate harm during the declaration
of an agricultural emergency.� The department shall prepare and submit a report
on the study�s findings to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to
section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1).� The report shall include, at a
minimum:� (1) a list of available funding sources, with an emphasis on funding
sources that can be swiftly accessed by a farmer during an agricultural
emergency; and (2) information concerning each funding source, including, but
not limited to, a description of each funding source, the amount of funding
available, and how a farmer may apply to receive the funds.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill would authorize the
Secretary of Agriculture (secretary) to declare an agricultural emergency for a
period of up to six months.� The bill would empower the secretary to: (1)
determine specific criteria which would necessitate the declaration of an
agricultural emergency; (2) limit the applicability of any such agricultural
emergency to specific areas of the State which meet the criteria established;
and (3) terminate the agricultural emergency.

���� This bill would require the
Department of Agriculture (department), no later than 24 hours following the
declaration of an agricultural emergency by the secretary, to conspicuously
announce on the frontpage of its Internet website that an agricultural emergency
has been declared and the reason for the declaration of the emergency.� The
bill would also require the department to make available on its Internet
website information, recommendations, and resources to farmers that are
tailored based on the reason the agricultural emergency is in effect in an
effort mitigate harm to crops and livestock and preserve farm viability.

���� Finally, the bill would
require the department, no later than six months after the effective date of
the bill, to conduct a study on available funding sources, including any State,
federal, and private funding sources, which are available to farmers to mitigate
harm during the declaration of an agricultural emergency, and submit a report
of its findings to the Governor and Legislature. �