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The purpose of the Department of Agriculture's Smart Growth Plan is to chart the course for the future of agriculture in New Jersey. The plan will serve as a statewide roadmap as the Department moves forward with its farmland preservation efforts, natural resources conservation priorities and economic development activities. The Department's plan will be integrated into the Governor's comprehensive Smart Growth Plan for New Jersey.

The Department's plan addresses five major areas:

  • Farmland Preservation

  • Innovative Conservation Planning

  • Economic Development

  • Agriculture Industry Sustainability

  • Natural Resource Conservation

A sufficient land base must exist for agriculture to remain viable in New Jersey. Of the approximately 1.7 million acres of remaining undeveloped or unpreserved open space in New Jersey, 1.2 million acres are actively devoted to agricultural production. Therefore, New Jersey's farmland is in high demand by developers and others with non-agricultural interests. The Department has set forth in its Strategic Plan a goal of preserving 20,000 acres of farmland per year.

The foundation of the Agricultural Smart Growth Plan is the State Agriculture Development Committee's Strategic Targeting Project, which encourages county agriculture development boards and county planning boards to: adopt comprehensive farmland preservation plans that identify and inventory existing farmland; coordinate efforts to sustain the agricultural community within municipal and regional master plans, and generally promote the expansion of agriculture as an industry that is key to their region and New Jersey's economy.

To stem the loss of farmland to development, innovative planning and design is necessary. Maintaining the land's equity is central to the economic viability and retention of farming operations. Due to fluctuations in annual profitability, the steady appreciation in land equity is an essential component of a farmer's long-term commitment to agricultural production. This equity allows the agricultural operation the ability to use its land as collateral for operating and production loans. The development of large lot zoning permanently removes the land from agricultural production at an accelerated rate and undermines preservation programs.

The Department's approach to smart growth coordinates farmland preservation efforts with economic development strategies at the county and municipal levels. The Department's Agricultural Smart Growth Plan will include comprehensive proactive strategies that link the land, products, processing and workforce with marketing opportunities. This will strengthen the agricultural and food industry, benefiting the state's economy and the citizens of New Jersey, who will continue to enjoy New Jersey grown food and farm products and privately maintained productive open space in their communities.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, we the delegates of the 88th State Agricultural Convention assembled in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on January 29, 2003 concur with the department's strategy and its five-part approach to land use and conservation, balanced with economic development initiatives.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Department of Agriculture takes the lead in supporting and advancing equitable and feasible density-transfer methods, such as clustering, to coordinate preservation planning in conjunction with growth planning. The Department should also support and advance the use of current and new wastewater technologies to allow for the implementation of sound, innovative planning techniques.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, we are opposed to down zoning or large-lot zoning or zoning that has the practical effect of large lot zoning, because it fractures and consumes farmland, promotes land-consumptive sprawl, and adversely affects landowner equity. These zoning practices are counter productive to the principles of smart growth and should be discouraged by the Office of Smart Growth.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we encourage participation of the entire agricultural community in the smart growth planning process. We direct the Department of Agriculture to work with Rutgers University, Farm Bureau, the County Boards of Agriculture, the County Agriculture Development Boards, commodity groups, community leaders and other interested partners in the development of the Department's Agriculture Smart Growth Plan.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the Smart Growth Policy Council and the State Planning Commission to integrate the Department's Agriculture Smart Growth Plan into the State Comprehensive Smart Growth Plan to ensure a balanced approach that recognizes the importance of agriculture in New Jersey.