New Jersey Farm Bureau News

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Squabbles mar N.J. forest plan

For 15 years, certified forester Bob Williams watched over 5,000 acres of woodlands and wetlands in Atlantic County’s Estell Manor. He thinned trees, conducted controlled burns, and planted and fenced seedlings of the increasingly threatened Atlantic white cedar.

When the Christie administration bought the land from Lenape Farms Inc. eight months ago, Williams and the landowners who hired him were lauded by state officials for encouraging forest regeneration, reducing wildfire hazards, and protecting wildlife.

Last week, the forester returned to the site to find sections of the $10,000 fencing down, deer prints in the mud, and many of the seedlings gone.

To read the rest of the story from the Philadelphia Inquirer, click here.

NJ Farmers, others advocate legal protection for locally grown moniker

19 Aug 2013, Posted by admin in Local Farms and Food, State News

Advocates of buying locally grown food tout a range of benefits, from getting the freshest produce possible and supporting one’s own community to reducing vehicle emissions that contribute to pollution and climate change.

Click here to read the full story from the Times of Trenton.

NJ Farm Bureau President Wants Definition for ‘Locally Grown’

05 Aug 2013, Posted by admin in Local Farms and Food, State News

The New Jersey State Board of Agriculture has proposed rules that would govern what farmers can label as “Locally Grown.” New Jersey Farm Bureau President Ryck Suydam told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider that having a specific definition will help customers trust their farmers more.

Click here to read more, and for a video from NJ Today.

Wheat Rises on Revived Global Demand; Corn Gains, Soybeans Fall

30 Jul 2013, Posted by admin in Economics and Prices, News

Wheat futures rose in Chicago, heading for the biggest gain in three weeks, on signs that demand from importers improved after prices tumbled. Corn climbed from a 33-month low, and soybeans fell.

Click here to read the full story from Bloomberg.com.

With Too Much Rain in the South, Too Little Produce on the Shelves

29 Jul 2013, Posted by admin in Weather

Major rain fall, especially in the South, affecting produce in the stores.

Click here to read more from the New York Times.

Owner of Happy Valley Berry Farm in Stow Creek gives locals more than just produce

25 Jul 2013, Posted by admin in Local Farms and Food

Shirely Kline, owner of Happy Valley Berry Farm, doesn’t create art with paint or clay — instead she uses seeds and soil.

Going down the dirt driveway at Kline’s farm, you eventually enter a cornucopia of raspberries, blackberries, tomatoes, herbs, spinach — an Edenof fresh produce. A major reason Kline’s farm has become so popular among local residents is because Kline does not use pesticides to grow her produce.

Click here to read more from the South Jersey Times.

Christie should sign bill on managing state forests

25 Jul 2013, Posted by admin in Science and Environmental Issues, State News

Gov. Christie should sign the Healthy Forests Act legislation on his desk (A-2837/S-1085) that would establish a forest stewardship program for responsible woodland management on state-owned forestland. NJFB President Ryck Suydam explains why in a letter to the editor.

Click here to read more from the Opinion section of the Asbury Park Press

House GOP continues to move on nutrition title bill

25 Jul 2013, Posted by admin in National News

While House Republicans are expected to continue closed door meetings on how to proceed with a stand-alone nutrition title bill, some conservative members expressed doubt Wednesday that they could get enough votes to approve it.

Click here to read more from Agri-Pulse.

N.J. voters may not get to vote on $200M per year open space funding

24 Jul 2013, Posted by admin in State News

New Jersey residents may not get a chance to vote on a referendum this November asking if the state should dedicate up to $200 million a year to preserve open space.

Click here to read the full story from the Star Ledger.

Sign of Hope Seen in House for Immigration Overhaul

24 Jul 2013, Posted by admin in National News

As House Republicans took a tentative step forward on an immigration overhaul this week and raised the possibility of citizenship for those brought to the United States illegally as young children, immigration advocates found themselves pondering a new question: Is the potential concession as far as many House Republicans are willing to go, or are they slowly inching their way toward a broader compromise?

Click here for the full story from the New York Times.