Secretary

As Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Charles M. Kuperus, 49, has made repositioning agriculture for its future in New Jersey a focal point of his tenure.

Protecting farmland, keeping family farms viable, ensuring the health and safety of plant and animal resources or annually distributing millions of pounds of food to New Jersey’s school children and the neediest residents are some of the daily challenges he addresses.

The Secretary has charted a comprehensive course to oversee the programs that affect the state’s 9,800 farms and a food and agriculture industry that contributes $82 billion annually to the state’s economy. Under Secretary Kuperus’ leadership, an increased emphasis has been placed on permanently preserving farmland, with more than 160,000 acres preserved through the state Farmland Preservation Program. New Jersey now leads in the nation in the percentage of its farmland that has been preserved, at about 20 percent.

In addition, Secretary Kuperus has worked hard to promote economic development to expand the marketplace for farmers. Each year, the Department has proposed a series of at least 100 economic development strategies for 10 major sectors of the agricultural industry to provide more market opportunities to farmers. Through these efforts, the number of community farmers markets, which provide direct market opportunities for farmers, has grown from 50 in 2002 to 100 in 2008. Building on the success of the 24-year-old Jersey Fresh program, the Department has developed new branding initiatives: Jersey Grown for horticultural products grown in New Jersey; Jersey Seafood for seafood harvested wild or grown through aquaculture operations in the state; and Jersey Bred for the equine industry.

Also during the Secretary’s tenure, the Department developed and implemented a school nutrition policy that is the most comprehensive in the nation, ensuring students have healthy, nutritious food choices. The policy covers pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students and limits fat and sugar content in foods offered in a la carte lines, snack bars and vending machines, school stores and as part of on-campus fund-raisers. The Department forged a partnership with the New York Jets football team to encourage students to eat the healthier offerings in their cafeterias and live more active lifestyles. The Eat Right, Move More program has resulted in 10 schools getting visits from the Department and Jets players and representatives from two schools being honored on the field at Jets games.

Complementing the school nutrition programs, the Department administers the State Food Purchase Program, which has provided $7 million over the past two years to help the state’s emergency feeding organizations purchase healthy and nutritious foods for the most vulnerable New Jersey citizens, with an emphasis on buying locally produced food first and meeting federal nutrition requirements.

Secretary Kuperus has focused on protecting and conserving our state’s natural resources. His support of a joint federal/state effort led to the successful eradication of the tree-killing Asian longhorned beetle from Jersey City, while work continues in Middlesex and Union Counties, where no beetles have been discovered since April of 2006. In addition, the Department developed an Agricultural Smart Growth Plan and Toolkit, to help towns and counties plan to include agriculture in the future of their communities.

The Secretary has made it a priority to protect the integrity of the food stream. The Department administers programs to ensure that New Jersey farms produce the highest quality products using the safest handling practices and coordinates with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on national food safety-related issues. The Produce Safety Task Force, formed after the 2006 outbreaks of E. coli in West Coast spinach, resulted in the training of more than 700 farmers in food safety basics. The Department’s Jersey Fresh program is not just a branding program but also requires producers who display the logo to meet the highest quality standards of the Jersey Fresh grading program. The Department has trained farmers in its Third Party Audit programs, which allows growers, packers and shippers of fresh produce to verify to buyers that produce has been harvested, packed and shipped in a safe and sanitary manner.

One of the Secretary’s key accomplishments in ensuring the integrity of the state’s food stream was the 2007 accreditation of the Department by the USDA to offer in-state certification services to farmers and processors who want to enter the organic market in the Garden State. With a growing demand for organic products, the Department’s or USDA’s seal ensures the product meets the stringent standards that must be met to label it organic.

Cultivating new and young farmers also has been a priority. By reaching out to people new to agriculture in the state and by encouraging a renewed approach to the varied forms of agricultural education, the Secretary has aimed to ensure that further generations of farmers will keep New Jersey green and growing. To assist in this effort, the Department has developed a Jersey Agricultural Education website to encourage young people to go into the agricultural fields and assist those who want to teach agriculture.

Secretary Kuperus was born in Sussex Borough in Sussex County, raised on the family dairy farm. Three years after graduating from Eastern Christian High School, he founded his own nursery and garden center.

From 1987 to 1992, Secretary Kuperus served on the Sussex Borough Council, where he was instrumental in planning and implementing upgrades to potable water and wastewater systems. From 1995 to 2001, he served as a commissioner on the New Jersey State Planning Commission; as chairman of the Plan Development Committee, he led the process to final plan adoption in March 2001.