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New Jersey’s grain and forage producers harvest more acres than any other agricultural commodity, but their per-acre total receipts are among the lowest in the state. Keeping those acres in active agriculture requires an innovative approach to new market opportunities that will increase demand and keep prices competitive.

At the same time, increased energy costs are placing a greater financial burden on New Jersey’s producers from all agricultural sectors, increasing the cost of doing business. Large increases have been seen especially in petroleum products, making traditional fossil fuels less attractive for farm operations.

From both the producer and consumer standpoints, New Jersey’s agricultural community would benefit from a concerted effort to pursue and advocate the use of renewable “green energy,” such as ethanol, soy diesel, wind power, solar power and biogas.

Ethanol and soy diesel, in particular, offer opportunities for the producer, as both expand the markets for producers of corn, soybeans and other crops. The ethanol plant currently under consideration in New Jersey is projected to use 14.5 million bushels of corn per year to generate 40 million gallons of ethanol annually. The process also would produce 121,000 tons of distillers’ grains for use as livestock feed and 121,000 tons of liquid carbon dioxide, which in part could be used in flash freezing operations for Jersey grown fruits and vegetables.

Solar and wind power, as used in land-based farm operations, also provide an opportunity for farmers to reduce their operational energy costs in the face of rising fossil fuel prices. Advancing technology has made both systems more affordable to implement. A study recently completed by Rutgers University for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities concluded the state could, indeed, draw 20 percent of its overall power needs from renewable sources by 2020, creating energy reliability benefits and leading to savings of as much as $330 million in health and environmental benefits from harm caused by pollution that results from traditional fuels.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that we, the delegates to the 90th State Agricultural Convention, assembled in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on January 24-26, 2005, support the continued development of renewable energy sources in New Jersey and urge the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to develop a comprehensive “green energy” strategy from both the producer and consumer perspectives that will best position New Jersey’s agricultural community to benefit from the pursuit and advocacy of renewable energy.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that we urge the Governor, Legislature and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection to support the phase-out of MTBE as a gasoline additive as proposed in S2018/A3469 and to support the use of ethanol as a replacement for MTBE.