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Meetings

April 24, 2025 SADC Regular Meeting Agenda (click here)

Please note this is an IN-PERSON MEETING meeting open to the public.  Meeting will begin at 9am at 200 Riverview Plaza, 1st floor, Trenton NJ. 

For the convenience of the public, the meeting will be televised via TEAMS.  Please refer to the linked agenda for the meeting information and public comment instructions.

Statewide Farmland Preservation Formula

P.L. 2023, c.245 became law on January 8, 2024. The law authorizes the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) to adopt rules establishing a Statewide Farmland Preservation Formula (“Statewide Formula”) as an alternative method for the valuation of farmland to be acquired for Farmland Preservation Program (FPP) purposes. The SADC has adopted an Interim Policy (P-56) for processing applications submitted for preservation in advance of the adoption of the Statewide Formula.  

The Committee encourages those interested in farmland preservation not to wait to apply for preservation until after the Statewide Formula is adopted. The continued submission of applications will enable eligibility reviews, approvals, and additional processing that will speed up the process to closing once the Statewide Formula is adopted. For additional information and links go to our guidance section.

On October 24, 2024, SADC staff presented a formula concept, developed in conjunction with the SADC’s Future Program Subcommittee, to the full Committee. On December 5, we presented an updated version of the formula.

  • Click here to read a summary of the draft Statewide formula, and the outreach process used to develop the draft.
  • A subset of the slides presented to the Committee can be found by clicking here.

 

To view the spatial data contributing to the Statewide Farmland Preservation Formula, please see the Statewide Formula Value Reference Map developed by the SADC.

 

For Discussion Purposes Only. These formula concepts are preliminary and subject to change. Final regulations have not yet been adopted.

For more information, please contact the coordinator for the County the farm is in or SADC Chief of Acquisition Stephanie Kreiser at Stephanie.Kreiser@ag.nj.gov or (609) 913-6612. 

Next Generation Farmer Program

The SADC is actively developing a “Next Generation Farmer Program” to support the next generation of farming in New Jersey.

This includes helping next generation farmers from all backgrounds address the challenges they face when getting started, advancing, and establishing or diversifying their operations. 

It also includes supporting established farmers as they enhance their operations to be more profitable, adapt to changing conditions, and create the next generation of their farm business. 

The SADC recently adopted the Next Gen Program report, “The Next Generation of Farming in New Jersey: Report on Cultivating the Future of Farming in the Garden State”. The report is based on extensive research and outreach to the agricultural community to gather input and guide the development of the program.

For more information, please contact the Next Gen team: Senior Coordinator Brendon Pearsall at Brendon.Pearsall@ag.nj.gov or (609)-913-6610, or Assistant Coordinator Jessica Brandeisky at Jessica.Brandeisky@ag.nj.gov or (609)-913-6611.

NJ Land Link

Looking for land to farm? Have land available, looking for a farmer? Search the listings, create a listing at www.njlandlink.org.

Soil Protection Standards

STATE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Notice of New Rules Establishing Soil Protection Standards on Preserved Farmland

N.J.A.C. 2:76-25, Soil Disturbance on Preserved Farmland; N.J.A.C. 2:76-25A, Supplemental Soil Disturbance Standards

PUBLIC NOTICE

Take notice that on January 16, 2025, the New Jersey State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) authorized the adoption of new rules establishing soil protection standards on preserved farmland. The adopted new rules were published in the New Jersey Register on February 18, 2025 at 57 N.J.R. 345(a). (Click here)

The new rules were originally proposed in the New Jersey Register on August 7, 2023 at 55 N.J.R. 1573(a). (Click here)

The SADC’s proposed substantial changes to the originally proposed rules were published in the New Jersey Register on July 15, 2024 at 56 N.J.R. 1213(a). (Click here)

For more information on the proposed Soil Protection Standards rules, click here.

Special Occasion Events (SOEs) on Preserved Farms

The owner or operator of a preserved farm can apply to the farm’s easement holder for permission to hold a limited number of SOEs on the farm.

A law enacted on February 3, 2023 outlines the benefits of SOEs, the conditions they must follow, and the application and approval process that a farm must complete prior to holding them.

For more information, see the SOE guidance documents and application form developed by the SADC as well as a copy of the SOE law.

Job Opportunities

All SADC jobs are listed on the following websites:

If you have any questions or would like to be notified when these jobs open for applications, please send your resume to Heidi.Winzinger@ag.nj.gov.

Order Your Farmland Preservation Sign Today!

All preserved farmland owners may order a free new or replacement farmland preservation sign regardless of what program the farm was preserved through. (County, Municipal, Nonprofit)

Preserved Farmland Owners - Order Your Farmland Preservation Sign Today!