A 158 — Directs Dept. of Agriculture to develop and implement beginning farmer mentoring program in cooperation with certain agricultural and educational organizations and entities; appropriates $5,000,000.*

A158 1R [First Reprint] ASSEMBLY, No.

AssemblymenAssemblyman Peterson and Scharfenberger         SYNOPSIS      Directs Dept.

of Agriculture to develop and implement beginning farmer mentoring program in cooperation with certain agricultural and educational organizations and entities.entities;

 appropriates CURRENT$5,000,000. VERSION OF TEXT      Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

    AnCURRENT ActVERSION concerningOF beginningTEXT farmers     As reported by the Assembly Agriculture and supplementingNatural TitleResources 4Committee ofon theJune Revised15, Statutes.2026, with amendments.

   AN ACT concerning beginning farmers1[and] ,1 supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes, 1and making an appropriation1.

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, and1[and thenthen]1 to 58.3 years in 2012;20121, and was 58.1 years in 20221;

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;20121, and was 58.7 years in 20221;

      13. 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.

    There Theis billappropriated alsofrom would authorize the departmentGeneral toFund partner with appropriate public or private organizations or entities to accomplish the purposesDepartment of Agriculture the bill,sum includingof entering$5,000,000 intofor agreementsthe orbeginning contractsfarmer withmentoring thoseprogram organizationsdeveloped orpursuant entities to operatesection the2 program,of inthis wholeact.1 or  in     part,1[3.] under4.1     theThis generalact supervisionshall oftake theeffect department.immediately.

     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.