New Jersey Growers Unite Against Budget Cuts

Earlier this year, I attended the annual meeting of the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey (VGANJ), held in Atlantic City. It turned out to be one of the most informative conferences I’ve attended in quite a while. The folks at VGANJ, along with Rutgers University, do a great job in making sure the program represents a cross-section of several important issues facing the industry. Needless to say, food safety, alternative energy sources, and direct marketing were at the top of this year’s agenda.

While it’s known as “The Garden State,” New Jersey is hardly near the top of the list of vegetable producing states, at least in terms of volume. However, with a handful of the nation’s largest metropolitan markets within driving range, growers in the state have managed to carve out a successful niche. We have profiled many of these growers in the pages of this magazine.

That’s why it was such a surprise when the New Jersey Department of Agriculture recently came under the microscope of Gov. John Corzine, who announced earlier this year he was considering getting rid of the department as a budget-saving measure.

Growers are all too familiar with what seems like an annual battle in preserving funding for university research and Extension programs. But slashing an entire agriculture department? That’s a different story.

Helping More Than Just Growers

Outside of networking with their peers, Extension is arguably the most valuable resource growers have at their disposal. At the same time, with its broader scope, a state agriculture department may slide under the radar. However, take a look at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Web site, and you’ll find the following list of programs it offers, in addition to its core mission of supporting production agriculture:

• Feeding schoolchildren;
• Distributing surplus food to needy citizens;
• Conserving soil and water resources;
• Protecting farmland from development and preserving it for agriculture use;
• Expanding export markets for fresh and processed agricultural products; and,
• Administering agriculture and food education.

What do each of these have in common? All of them not only help growers maintain a profitable business environment, they also help foster the connection between the agriculture industry and the public.

Fortunately, as we’ve found out, New Jersey’s vegetable growers, and other producers, are well aware of this fact. Immediately following Gov. Corzine’s proposed budget cuts, there was outcry from the industry, including a letter-writing campaign to state political leaders and a rally in the state capital attended by nearly 1,500 growers and associates (the New Jersey Farm Bureau, by the way, should be commended for organizing the event in a very short window).

Their efforts did not go to waste, as at press time, it looks like the department will be spared. While Corzine is still looking to get a handle on the state’s budget, it seems as if his office received the message — loud and clear — that New Jersey’s agriculture industry is vital to its economy.

What’s the lesson in all this? Ask any grower in the state, and they’ll tell you it’s that you can indeed make a difference on an important issue when you make your voice heard. Just a whisper of rumors regarding budget cuts sent shockwaves through the state’s ag industry. Remember this when you’re thinking about how to deal with labor reforms, Farm Bill prospects, etc. After all, silence can be deafening.