New Jersey secretary of agriculture to step down in December
New Jersey secretary of agriculture to step down in December
New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles M. Kuperus is stepping down. He submitted his resignation Oct. 24 to Gov. Jon S. Corzine, effective Dec. 31, and plans to return to his family's farm in Sussex County, NJ.
"When I became secretary of agriculture seven years ago, my goal was to accelerate the preservation of farmland, strengthen the industry to allow agriculture to thrive, and encourage the next generation and welcome new people into agriculture in our state," Mr. Kuperus said in a press release. "I am proud of the many accomplishments of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture toward those goals during my tenure."
He added, "Although I am stepping down as secretary of agriculture, I will continue to take every opportunity to champion our hard-working farm families, Jersey Fresh and all our other top-notch farm products, and all that agriculture has to offer our great Garden State."
Mr. Kuperus was vacationing overseas when The Produce News contacted the department the last week of October for further comment, but according to Al Murray, the state's assistant secretary of agriculture, the process to find a successor is already underway.
The state Board of Agriculture, an eight-member body created by statute, which serves as the policy-making entity for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, is responsible for appointing the secretary of agriculture, with the approval of the governor.
That board "met today," Mr. Murray told The Produce News Tuesday, Oct. 28. The four senior members of the state Board of Agriculture will act as a "screening committee" to choose the next secretary of agriculture.
Noble McNaughton, president of that board, would like "to have somebody in there by January 1," said Mr. Murray. "He realizes that's an aggressive target, but that's what they're shooting for."
Asked why he thought Mr. Kuperus decided to resign, Mr. Murray replied, "I think he just felt it was time to look at other opportunities -- that he'd done all that he could here -- and it was time to move on."
Mr. Murray noted that Secretary Kuperus "led the department through probably the most turbulent times we've ever had," including dealing with "austere budgets" and even an attempt earlier in the year by Gov. Corzine to eliminate the department in an effort to reduce the state's deficit. (That short-lived attempt was taken off the table by the governor after the agricultural community and others rallied to the department's defense.)
"I think he also feels that he could be more effective on the outside," said Mr. Murray. "There's a lot of things a Cabinet official can do, and there's a lot of things that someone can do outside the department as well. So I think he looks forward to a new role. I just don't think that role's been defined yet."
When Mr. Kuperus, 50, started his tenure six years ago, "he set some goals for himself," said Mr. Murray. For example, "he expanded the Jersey Fresh [promotional] program to include all farm products."
When Mr. Kuperus took over from longtime Secretary of Agriculture Arthur R. Brown Jr., Mr. Kuperus was not well known in produce circles.
"His background was primarily dairy. He grew up on a dairy farm. And then he owned his own nursery," Mr. Murray recalled. "So he never really had a produce background. But I think that over the years he served here, he really came to appreciate the fruit and vegetable side of our agricultural industry. The closeness of the people, whether it be the farmers, the retailers, the wholesalers - I know that he just truly enjoyed any kind of event that involved produce people, whether it be an Eastern Produce Council dinner or sitting at a kitchen table talking to an eggplant farmer."
EPC President Joe DeLorenzo told The Produce News, "I think he did an outstanding job. He had a great personality, and he was always cordial, and he was always looking out for the farmer and always promoting -- with enthusiasm -- Jersey Fresh."
Secretary Kuperus "will be missed," added Mr. DeLorenzo, director of produce merchandising and operations for Alpha 1 Marketing, which is the merchandising arm of Krasdale Foods, a wholesale grocer that supplies about 300 stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, primarily under the C Town, AIM and Bravo names. "I worked with him extensively for the last six years. He took over for Art Brown, who started the Jersey Fresh program, and it was a very smooth transition. He was very much involved with the retailers - along with his staff. I hope that the next secretary will pick up where Art Brown and Charles left off."
The retail executive continued, "It's very important to the state that they pick the right person, not only to the state but to the farmers, and when I say the state, I mean everbody: the farmers, the retailers and of course the citizens - the shoppers, that buy Jersey Fresh product."
"When I became secretary of agriculture seven years ago, my goal was to accelerate the preservation of farmland, strengthen the industry to allow agriculture to thrive, and encourage the next generation and welcome new people into agriculture in our state," Mr. Kuperus said in a press release. "I am proud of the many accomplishments of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture toward those goals during my tenure."
He added, "Although I am stepping down as secretary of agriculture, I will continue to take every opportunity to champion our hard-working farm families, Jersey Fresh and all our other top-notch farm products, and all that agriculture has to offer our great Garden State."
Mr. Kuperus was vacationing overseas when The Produce News contacted the department the last week of October for further comment, but according to Al Murray, the state's assistant secretary of agriculture, the process to find a successor is already underway.
The state Board of Agriculture, an eight-member body created by statute, which serves as the policy-making entity for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, is responsible for appointing the secretary of agriculture, with the approval of the governor.
That board "met today," Mr. Murray told The Produce News Tuesday, Oct. 28. The four senior members of the state Board of Agriculture will act as a "screening committee" to choose the next secretary of agriculture.
Noble McNaughton, president of that board, would like "to have somebody in there by January 1," said Mr. Murray. "He realizes that's an aggressive target, but that's what they're shooting for."
Asked why he thought Mr. Kuperus decided to resign, Mr. Murray replied, "I think he just felt it was time to look at other opportunities -- that he'd done all that he could here -- and it was time to move on."
Mr. Murray noted that Secretary Kuperus "led the department through probably the most turbulent times we've ever had," including dealing with "austere budgets" and even an attempt earlier in the year by Gov. Corzine to eliminate the department in an effort to reduce the state's deficit. (That short-lived attempt was taken off the table by the governor after the agricultural community and others rallied to the department's defense.)
"I think he also feels that he could be more effective on the outside," said Mr. Murray. "There's a lot of things a Cabinet official can do, and there's a lot of things that someone can do outside the department as well. So I think he looks forward to a new role. I just don't think that role's been defined yet."
When Mr. Kuperus, 50, started his tenure six years ago, "he set some goals for himself," said Mr. Murray. For example, "he expanded the Jersey Fresh [promotional] program to include all farm products."
When Mr. Kuperus took over from longtime Secretary of Agriculture Arthur R. Brown Jr., Mr. Kuperus was not well known in produce circles.
"His background was primarily dairy. He grew up on a dairy farm. And then he owned his own nursery," Mr. Murray recalled. "So he never really had a produce background. But I think that over the years he served here, he really came to appreciate the fruit and vegetable side of our agricultural industry. The closeness of the people, whether it be the farmers, the retailers, the wholesalers - I know that he just truly enjoyed any kind of event that involved produce people, whether it be an Eastern Produce Council dinner or sitting at a kitchen table talking to an eggplant farmer."
EPC President Joe DeLorenzo told The Produce News, "I think he did an outstanding job. He had a great personality, and he was always cordial, and he was always looking out for the farmer and always promoting -- with enthusiasm -- Jersey Fresh."
Secretary Kuperus "will be missed," added Mr. DeLorenzo, director of produce merchandising and operations for Alpha 1 Marketing, which is the merchandising arm of Krasdale Foods, a wholesale grocer that supplies about 300 stores in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania, primarily under the C Town, AIM and Bravo names. "I worked with him extensively for the last six years. He took over for Art Brown, who started the Jersey Fresh program, and it was a very smooth transition. He was very much involved with the retailers - along with his staff. I hope that the next secretary will pick up where Art Brown and Charles left off."
The retail executive continued, "It's very important to the state that they pick the right person, not only to the state but to the farmers, and when I say the state, I mean everbody: the farmers, the retailers and of course the citizens - the shoppers, that buy Jersey Fresh product."
