(TRENTON) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher today marked National Agriculture Day, calling on all New Jersey residents to celebrate the important place agriculture holds in their daily lives and the economic prosperity it brings to the Garden State.

National Agriculture Day highlights the abundance provided by agriculture and the importance of farmers to New Jersey and the nation. Farmers in the State take in more than $1.1 billion from products sold at the gate each year.

“New Jersey farmers are innovative, hardworking, and productive,” Secretary Fisher said. “They do a remarkable job each year providing the best agricultural products for the people of New Jersey, as well as other locations throughout North America. National Agriculture Day is a time to recognize the efforts of all involved in the industry and to remind consumers that buying local is beneficial to so many here in the Garden State.”

According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, New Jersey ranks in the top 10 in the U.S. in production of asparagus, blueberries, bell peppers, cranberries, eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, peaches, cucumbers, squash, and sweet corn, as well as agritourism, floriculture sales, seafood catch, and seafood landings.

Agriculture plays a significant role in maintaining a strong economy and provides numerous career opportunities including farm production; agribusiness management and marketing; agricultural research and engineering; food science, processing, and retailing; banking; education; landscape architecture; urban planning; energy; and many more.

With almost 10,000 farms on approximately 750,000 acres, New Jersey farmers are stewards of the land, contributing to the health, beauty, productivity and quality of our water and soil resources for the benefit of all State residents.

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To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA1 and @JerseyFreshNJDA.