2007 Farm Bill Offers New Jersey Great Opportunity

NJCF is working with Environmental Defense, the Wilderness Society and the New Jersey Congressional delegation to increase conservation and nutritional program funding as well as support for smaller, environmentally sustainable farms in the 2007 Farm Bill.

A Tewksbury Township farm, Hunterdon County (Photo: Beth Davisson) Click for Full Photo

The 2007 Farm Bill could provide unprecedented resources to help New Jersey protect its farmland, combat sprawl and protect wetlands. One of the most successful Farm Bill programs in our state, the Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program has helped permanently preserve over 100 New Jersey farms. The Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP), another program administered under the Farm Bill, provided nearly $5.18 million to NJCF to preserve and restore approximately 2,200 acres of wetlands in the heart of the Pine Barrens on the Franklin Parker Preserve. And landowner demand for funding from WRP in New Jersey far exceeds the annual supply.

A proposed new U.S. Department of Agriculture suburban and community forest protection program could save threatened private forestland in the Highlands, while increased program funding for conservation programs such as the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program would help landowners protect natural resources.

The "farm to cafeteria" program is an innovative program proposed in the 2007 Farm Bill. If implemented, it would provide schoolchildren in New Jersey with greater access to healthy fruits and vegetables, and increase marketing opportunities for New Jersey farmers.

Amy Hansen [About] Policy Analyst NJ Conservation Foundation 1 (800) LAND-SAVE amy@njconservation.org

Each year, the United States increases its imports of organic products because demand exceeds domestic production. The 2007 Farm Bill could help reverse that trend by supporting transition to organic agriculture for more farmers in the U.S. through the Environmental Quality Incentive Program.

Changing federal farm policy will not be an easy task, but NJCF is working with many interested groups and individuals to advocate for a 2007 Farm Bill that would bring meaningful aid to New Jersey.