Below is a letter Bob wrote to the Gloucester County Times regarding
Gov. Corzine's plan to eliminate New Jersey's Dept. of Agriculture in
an effort to cut costs. The letter was printed on March 10, 2008.
I am a second generation Gloucester County farmer writing in regard to
Governor Corzine's proposal to eliminate the N.J. Department of
Agriculture. I believe this to be a short-sighted fix which will have
grave consequences for New Jersey's future.
The N.J. Department of Ag. provides critical support for farmers like
myself, along with the general public. Their many responsibilities
include food safety, livestock and poultry disease monitoring, plant pest
control and the Jersey Fresh marketing programs. Just recently, they
supported the USDA effort to recall beef products that were distributed to
county schools. The Dept. of Ag. supports community farmers markets, and
is a leader in school nutrition, with 637,000 school lunch participants.
It also oversees the certification process of organic growers.
In these days of high transportation costs and threat of terrorism, it is
vital that abundant supplies of safe, local, reasonably priced food be
available to our residents.
It should be noted that during the July, 2006 state government shutdown,
52% of NJDA employees were considered essential, and required to report
to work. The average required attendance for all other state agencies was
only 28%. Why then, is this department being singled out unfairly for
elimination?
Voters have overwhelmingly supported farmland preservation efforts in this
state. N.J. has spent nearly $1.1 billion dollars to preserve farmland.
The Dept. of Ag. is the go-to agency and overseer for the taxpayers'
investment.
Governor Corzine's budget cut proposal actually costs the state more
than it saves. The total budget for the NJDA in 2006 was $353 million,
93% of which was paid with federal funding. The state portion came to
only $25 million. These funds are responsible for a $1 billion dollar
industry. According to reports, savings could be as little as $341,000
(the approximate salary of just two managerial state employees).
Ironically, Corzine grew up on a farm in the Midwest. It appears that the
governor has completely forgotten his roots. If he has his way, New Jersey
will be the third state in the nation without a Department of Ag., the
other two being Alaska and Rhode Island. Under Jon Corzine's astute
leadership, we can all say farewell to the Garden in The Garden State. I
urge everyone who opposes the termination of the Dept. of Ag. to call or
write your representatives. You can look them up at
www.njleg.state.nj.us.
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