WHEREAS, the preservation of farmland in New Jersey is one of the cornerstones of maintaining a thriving agricultural land base large enough to sustain the agricultural sector of the state’s economy into the future; and

WHEREAS, farmland preservation is most attractive to farmers if they have some opportunities not traditionally or strictly related to farming remain open to them in the future to help supplement their farm income; and

WHEREAS, legislation (A-4034) has been introduced setting forth that “(a)ny person who owns qualifying land may apply for a special permit…to allow a rural microenterprise to occur on the land.”; and

WHEREAS, that legislation gives sole discretion for the review, granting or denying of those applications to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), and further provides that the SADC shall, within 90 days of receiving such an application, either approve, approve with conditions or deny the application; and

WHEREAS, the legislation establishes three categories of microenterprise activities for which application can be made, including: (Class 1), which shall include customary rural activities, which rely on the equipment and aptitude historically possessed by the agricultural community, including, but not limited to, snow plowing, bed and breakfasts, bakeries, woodworking, and craft-based businesses; (Class 2), which shall include agriculture support services, which have a direct and positive impact on agriculture by supplying needed equipment, supplies, and services to the surrounding agricultural community, including, but not limited to, veterinary practices, seed suppliers, and tractor or equipment repair shops; (Class 3) which  shall include unrelated microenterprises, which have no direct relationship with the agricultural use of the property or the surrounding agricultural community, including, but not limited to, dog boarding services, professional office space, and personal training studios; and

WHEREAS, the legislation carries with it conditions and restrictions that, in the view of the Department of Agriculture, will constrain the microenterprises sufficiently to prevent them from becoming a point of contention that diminishes public support for the preservation of farmland through the use of public funds.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the delegates to the 99^th State Agricultural Convention, assembled in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on February 5-6, 2014, do hereby support the passage by the Legislature and the signing by the Governor of A-4034.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the SADC to interpret the provisions of this legislation as broadly as possible to support the farmer and/or landowner making application under this measure, provided there is no clear evidence of degradation to the agricultural operation also occupying the property as a result of the establishment of the microenterprise.         

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we call upon the agricultural community members who may make application under this measure to be mindful of the far-reaching implications to further support of the use of public funds for the preservation of farmland when deciding upon the types and scope of microenterprises they propose.