It’s great to be back addressing the state of New Jersey’s produce industry for readers of The Produce News and to take this look-ahead to our upcoming produce seasons.

I wrote for the New Jersey edition of this publication two years ago, when I had just been chosen by the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture and appointed by the Governor to be only the eighth person to be our state’s Secretary of Agriculture. Last year, due to unfortunate health issues, I missed the chance to address you all in these pages. It is great to be back.

I am beyond excited to be staying on in this position under our new Governor Mikie Sherrill, who has discussed with me the full commitment of this administration in making our state’s agriculture and economy even stronger than before. 

Our new Governor fully grasps both the historic importance of agriculture here, as evidenced by the nickname The Garden State, as well as the immense chances we have to grow agricultural enterprises even more as we head into the future. Yes, there is a legacy, but there is equally a future of untapped opportunities, buoyed by a wealth of younger people, some of them first-time, beginning farmers, entering the industry with new ideas and approaches.

Much like the way farms develop in our agriculture industry, Governor Sherrill is committed to making government more efficient, hyper-focused on customer service, and more effective in reducing energy costs not only for our farmers, but for all the consumers of their products as well. This is a real change in economics as consumers save on energy, they more flexibility in spending to reduce food security concerns and the ability to support our local farmers.

As has been the case, our major objective here at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture is to create, innovate and expand the connections between farmers and their markets, and this is where you, as major players in the produce industry, play such a vital role.

Let’s face it, our farmers are producing  some of the best-tasting, highest-quality fruits and vegetables in the nation, but if our marketing isn’t strong, if our messaging about how great this produce is doesn’t resonate the way it needs to in order to make us leaders in the industry, we could see a lot of that fantastic produce go unsold.

Fortunately, we have the solid grounding of our 42-year-old Jersey Fresh promotion and quality-grading program, the first of its kind in the nation, along with all of its spinoffs doing the same for production across numerous other categories, to keep what our farmers produce being seen and heard about by consumers.

From billboards to radio commercials, from social-media engagement with consumers to the tried-and-true point-of-purchase materials we provide to grocery stores and supermarkets that feature Jersey Fresh produce, we strive to leave no stone unturned in getting our messaging out to the consumers about the freshness, quality and enjoyment of those products.

This summer, we’ll be embarking upon a new public-outreach venture that is very exciting for all of us who are fans of both Jersey Fresh produce and the national pastime, baseball. For one game, the Jersey Shore BlueClaws will become the Jersey Tomatoes, complete with special uniforms, etc., as a way of showing fans their appreciation of our farmers’ efforts. I am extremely honored to have been asked to throw out the first pitch at that game on Thursday, August 6. 

We continue to expand the marketing opportunities for our many smaller farmers. Helping them gain access to school and institutional food networks and bringing New Jersey produce into our schools through our Farm to School program is a huge part of that. At the department, we are working to connect our farmers with all distribution systems for the purchase of New Jersey farm products. The goal is to make sure the investment in the purchase of food for our needy citizens reaches the farm gate and our farmers. 

We are also a state with a population of 9 million and have over 100 million people within 150 miles of our borders. It is time the Jersey Fresh program educated a new generation of consumers about the benefits of the bounty the Garden State produces on our nearly 10,000 farms. 

That’s why we so deeply value our relationships with the buyers, brokers and produce managers who turn our messaging into the reality of produce markets locally, regionally, nationally and even in other countries having Jersey Fresh in stock and ready for purchase.

As always, we’re available any time of day to answer your questions and make connections between you and the farmers who make this all possible, literally from the ground up.

Now, the job of the NJDA is not only to promote what our farmers create, but also to help them make the creation itself more environmentally friendly, energy-conscious, and connected to their local communities as much as possible.

I’ve been fortunate — both in my former role with the New Jersey Farm Bureau and in this position as Secretary — to work on legislation regarding dual-use solar-on-farmland programs to help meet New Jersey’s renewable energy goals.

With energy costs (especially fuel) putting massive strain on our farmers, we need to continue exploring all ways of incorporating a wide array of energy options on the farm. There is no “single bullet” form of energy that can be affordable, clean and safe, and farmers are uniquely positioned to have their farms also host energy-generation projects that help them lower their own energy costs. This is a field we are committed to focusing on moving forward.

One of the more exciting opportunities is how we are working with our State Board of Public Utilities and Rutgers University’s Agriculture Experiment Station, to establish farming that occurs in and around solar panels, ensuring that a variety of agriculture and horticultural crops can be produced on the land. 

We know how important it is that our farmers feel the state is investing in their success. As a state, we have preserved more than one-third of our tillable land for future agricultural use. We seek to preserve more than 500,000 acres and we are more than halfway there. Stable funding and a new valuation formula that helps preservation compete with development on a more level playing field will ensure we do. 

At the end of the day our mission comes down to two things: people and food. Whether we are helping the farmers produce the products and find markets for them or assisting the consumer who’s looking to purchase the States great produce items, we want to be driving that engine. That’s true for any season or crop, from our peaches, blueberries, tomatoes and sweet corn in mid-summer, to our apples, greens collards, kale and cabbages into the fall.

We also cannot forget to look for all the opportunities for our farmers to sell into far-flung markets as well as those close by. We continue to work with Food Export-Northeast, a network of nonprofit organizations offering education, global connections, strategy and financial assistance for food producers in our area who want to tap more into export markets. 

As one might expect, the Secretary of Agriculture in the Garden State is always looking for the most beneficial opportunities for all of our producers, those making value-added products from our farm output, and all who seek to make the entire world aware of our great Jersey Fresh products.

We appreciate the relationship with all of you throughout the produce industry in helping us make that happen.