New Jersey Farm Bureau News

Proposed regulations, they claim, would eliminate urban beekeeping and severely restrict the practice in most suburbs

Honeybee colonies worldwide have come under attack in recent years by the mysterious colony collapse disorder and vicious mite infestations. Now, in New Jersey, state regulations aimed at backyard beekeepers could become another threat to the bee population.

The proposed regulations would, among other changes, ban individuals from maintaining hives on properties of less than a quarter acre and place a two-hive limit on beekeepers with anywhere from a quarter acre to five acres of land.

Click here to read the full article at NJ Spotlight.

Agriculture has always been a keystone of the state’s economy; if no longer dominant in dollars, it certainly still plays a significant role in the Garden State’s image. The Department of Agriculture’s transition report underscores that fact, with its advisory committee hoping to enhance New Jersey’s public image by supporting agritourism efforts and bringing back the sidelined and underfunded Jersey Fresh program.

Click here to read the full story as published int he Star Ledger.

Governor’s advisory committee wants more state support for agri-tourism, a revived Jersey Fresh program, and to get more people involved in farming.

Agriculture has always been a keystone of the state’s economy; if no longer dominant in dollars, it certainly still plays a significant role in the Garden State’s image. The Department of Agriculture’s transition report underscores that fact, with its advisory committee hoping to enhance New Jersey’s public image by supporting agritourism efforts and bringing back the sidelined and underfunded Jersey Fresh program.

Click here to read the rest of this story from njspotlight.com

Gov. Phil Murphy said it on the campaign trail and again after his inauguration: He wants to gradually hike New Jersey’s minimum wage to $15.

His odds of success are high with a Democrat-led legislature supportive of the proposal.

But not every worker should celebrate.

State Sen. President Steve Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said the potential increase may exempt farm workers, noting that the modern agricultural industry can be a tough business for owners.

“I’m not putting the farming community out of business,” he told Politico last week. (Sweeney’s district is in South Jersey, where the state’s farming industry is concentrated.)

Click here to read the full story from whyy.org