The U.S. Department of Agriculture in October 2002 implemented new regulations mandating that any organic agricultural product must meet USDA standards in order to be sold as organic, guaranteeing consumers the highest quality organic agricultural products when they bear the USDA organic seal. States using accredited organic certification programs will be able to enforce these regulations on behalf of the USDA, ensuring the integrity of the organic label.

For more than a decade, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture has worked with the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA-NJ) to certify organic producers and handlers. Recently, the Department drafted legislation and rules and regulations allowing the Secretary to establish a state organic program that will allow New Jersey to enforce the new federal organic regulations and certify organic farms. The program will also provide farmers who are transitioning to organic production and are in the process of completing the three-year qualifying period the ability to market their products as transitional. In doing so, farmers will not have to wait to realize the increased prices this niche market supports. The Department advocates the quick passage of this legislation.

In keeping with the goals outlined in its strategic plan, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture continues to identify strategies to ensure the economic viability of the state's organic industry as well as the agricultural industry as a whole.

STRATEGIES

• Promote Cost-Sharing
  • Inform growers that federal funds are available through September 2003 to help offset inspection and certification costs. Through a cost-sharing agreement with the Department and USDA, each production operation is eligible for a reimbursement of up to 75 percent of its certification costs, not to exceed $500. The Department is submitting an application to USDA for a similar agreement to extend beyond 2003.
    
    
• Improve Marketing
  • Integrate organic products into the Department's Jersey Fresh Marketing Program using a Jersey Fresh Organic logo, enabling the state's organic industry to benefit from a widely recognized trademark that identifies their produce as locally grown organic products.
    
  • Take the Jersey Fresh campaign to specialty retailers such as Whole Foods and Wild Oats. By some estimates, more than 60 percent of total organic sales occur in specialty retail chains, but these stores buy only small amounts of local produce.
    
    
• Educate Growers About Regulatory Requirements
  • Prepare and distribute a series of fact sheets outlining the legal and regulatory requirements for production and sale of organic products, including on-farm processed products, eggs, poultry and meat, milk, and cheese.
    
    
• Assist in Addressing Labor Issues
  • Continue the commitment to programs that support worker training, keep workers healthy and safe, and address issues such as farm labor housing.
    
  • Support reform of policies and procedures addressing temporary agricultural worker visas at the federal and state level.
    
  • Encourage farmers to take a pro-active approach to learning about their responsibilities at both the federal and state levels to ensure worker safety.