By Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

Farming remains one of New Jersey’s top industries. We are happy to report that the Assembly Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee, of which Assemblywoman Peterpaul is a member, advanced several pieces of our co-sponsored legislation to support the relationships between farmers, small businesses, and consumers.

The Commerce, Economic Development and Agriculture Committee also passed our bill to require that state government agencies offer optional service for businesses to receive certain notices electronically. Notices such as violations, underpayment notifications, and employee unemployment claims are a few examples of the information that would be streamlined under the bill.

Small businesses are the backbone of our local economy.  It’s gratifying to see the link between farmers and local businesses continue to grow stronger. These legislative initiatives provide sources of enjoyment for consumers and bring customers to Main Street retail and entertainment districts.

Two of the bills address the relationship between craft alcohol beverage retailers and Garden State farmers that supply them with locally grown ingredients. One of the bills establishes the "Jersey Craft Beverage Retailer Promotion and Grant Program" within the NJ Economic Development Authority. The bill directs the EDA to work with the Division of Travel and Tourism to encourage, advertise, and promote the craft alcohol beverages manufactured in the state, and the retailers that promote and sell them. The proposal includes creating a signage program for eligible alcohol beverage license holders to use in promoting their products. The bill also creates a grant program to assist with capital improvements or the purchase of goods and services.

To support these goals, another of our bills permits alcoholic beverage license holders to sell Jersey Fresh alcoholic beverages. The Jersey Fresh program has successfully helped farms, food producers, and other businesses promote their New Jersey-grown products and enhance their brands. This bill permits the holder of a limited brewery license, farm brewery license, plenary winery license, farm winery license, cidery and meadery license, and craft distillery license to sell Jersey Fresh alcoholic beverages at retail to consumers for consumption on-or-off premises. As defined in the bill, Jersey Fresh products would include any alcoholic beverage that is composed of at least 51 percent agricultural or horticultural products grown in New Jersey.

We also support fresh, healthy, locally grown food being used in school meals. Our legislation would require the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Farm-to-School Local Food Procurement Reimbursement Grant Program to reimburse school districts for costs expended in sourcing and procuring local foods for students. It would appropriate $4.5 million to cover the loss of funding from the federal government for the program. 

Monmouth County has many farms providing a diverse range of fresh products to area residents and earlier this month we went with the NJ Department of Agriculture to explore farms located in the 11th Legislative District. We visited the Fir Farm, the Overbrook Farm, Battleview Orchards. The Fir Farm offers premium, pesticide free, freshly harvested NJ hops to local breweries and home brewers for the brewing of regionally distinct beer. 

It’s exactly the kind of relationship between local farms and businesses we want to nurture and support.

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