New Jersey Department of Agriculture may be casualty of budget cuts
New Jersey Department of Agriculture may be casualty of budget cuts
New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine has proposed a state budget that would cut spending by $500 million, reduce the workforce by about 3,000 people and close three departments, including the one that is most visible to the fresh produce industry: the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.
The governor, who outlined his proposals in a speech to the New Jersey Legislature Tuesday, Feb. 26, also proposed closing the state departments of Commerce and Personnel, as well as cutting expenses for services such as hospitals and colleges.
However, the outcome of those proposals is far from certain.
As Al Murray, the state's assistant secretary of agriculture, explained to The Produce News the day after the governor's speech, public hearings must be held, and both the Senate and Assembly could make any number of changes to his proposals. A revised budget could then be sent to the governor, who could use his line-item veto power to undo any changes the legislature made. But the legislature could restore any changes the governor might veto with a two-thirds override vote.
Gov. Corzine's proposal calls for the elimination of the three departments by July 1. Existing functions already budgeted for would presumably not be affected, such as the very visible and popular sponsorship of the Eastern Produce Council's June 3 meeting, according to Mr. Murray.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture currently has a budget of about $26 million, but its core functions, such as inspections, would still need to be done, Mr. Murray noted. The current budget includes about $800,000 for the state's popular Jersey Fresh promotional program.
The governor's budget for fiscal 2009 slashes that in half, to about $400,000, but the fact that any money at all is still being proposed would seem to indicate that Gov. Corzine recognizes the importance of Jersey Fresh, which has long been recognized as one of the premier promotional programs in the United States.
As might be expected, the cost-cutting proposals have not been warmly received by agricultural interests in the state. As Mr. Murray put it, "I have to say, the farm community is not taking this sitting down."
The New Jersey Farm Bureau has taken the lead in denouncing the cuts. "Closing the NJDA saves the state budget very little money, since most of its vital services will need to be transferred to other state agencies," Richard Nieuwenhuis, president of the farm bureau, said in a statement. "After all the essential functions are reassigned, this could mean a savings of as little as $300,000 or $400,000."
He continued, "We feel very strongly that this is unjustified and an error in judgment, let alone being hugely demoralizing to everyone in agriculture. NJDA has always been an exceptional agency, which operates efficiently and delivers vital support services to the farming community as well as to the public. This is an agency that contributes tangibly to the quality of life in New Jersey, something few other state agencies can have said about them. The agricultural community highly values having both a Cabinet member and experienced staff representing agriculture's interests."
The farm bureau noted that the New Jersey Department of Agriculture also supports community farmers markets that bring fresh local produce to residents across the state. Closing it would be counter-productive in these days of shipping food across the country and corresponding food-safety and carbon footprint concerns, it said.
The New York Times reported that in his 25-minute speech, the governor used some variation of the word "cut" at least 28 times and elicited applause only twice: when he entered the Assembly chamber -- and when he left.
The governor, who outlined his proposals in a speech to the New Jersey Legislature Tuesday, Feb. 26, also proposed closing the state departments of Commerce and Personnel, as well as cutting expenses for services such as hospitals and colleges.
However, the outcome of those proposals is far from certain.
As Al Murray, the state's assistant secretary of agriculture, explained to The Produce News the day after the governor's speech, public hearings must be held, and both the Senate and Assembly could make any number of changes to his proposals. A revised budget could then be sent to the governor, who could use his line-item veto power to undo any changes the legislature made. But the legislature could restore any changes the governor might veto with a two-thirds override vote.
Gov. Corzine's proposal calls for the elimination of the three departments by July 1. Existing functions already budgeted for would presumably not be affected, such as the very visible and popular sponsorship of the Eastern Produce Council's June 3 meeting, according to Mr. Murray.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture currently has a budget of about $26 million, but its core functions, such as inspections, would still need to be done, Mr. Murray noted. The current budget includes about $800,000 for the state's popular Jersey Fresh promotional program.
The governor's budget for fiscal 2009 slashes that in half, to about $400,000, but the fact that any money at all is still being proposed would seem to indicate that Gov. Corzine recognizes the importance of Jersey Fresh, which has long been recognized as one of the premier promotional programs in the United States.
As might be expected, the cost-cutting proposals have not been warmly received by agricultural interests in the state. As Mr. Murray put it, "I have to say, the farm community is not taking this sitting down."
The New Jersey Farm Bureau has taken the lead in denouncing the cuts. "Closing the NJDA saves the state budget very little money, since most of its vital services will need to be transferred to other state agencies," Richard Nieuwenhuis, president of the farm bureau, said in a statement. "After all the essential functions are reassigned, this could mean a savings of as little as $300,000 or $400,000."
He continued, "We feel very strongly that this is unjustified and an error in judgment, let alone being hugely demoralizing to everyone in agriculture. NJDA has always been an exceptional agency, which operates efficiently and delivers vital support services to the farming community as well as to the public. This is an agency that contributes tangibly to the quality of life in New Jersey, something few other state agencies can have said about them. The agricultural community highly values having both a Cabinet member and experienced staff representing agriculture's interests."
The farm bureau noted that the New Jersey Department of Agriculture also supports community farmers markets that bring fresh local produce to residents across the state. Closing it would be counter-productive in these days of shipping food across the country and corresponding food-safety and carbon footprint concerns, it said.
The New York Times reported that in his 25-minute speech, the governor used some variation of the word "cut" at least 28 times and elicited applause only twice: when he entered the Assembly chamber -- and when he left.
