Meetings

June 26, 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, authorizing 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 rules were published April 7, 2025 and the Statewide Formula is now effective!

Please review this Guidance Document to learn more.

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 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. 

SADC Proposed Amendment and New Rule

STATE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE 

Soil And Water Conservation Project Cost-Sharing

Proposed Amendments: N.J.A.C. 2:76-5; Proposed New Rule: N.J.A.C. 2:76-5.10

The State Agriculture Development Committee (“SADC” or “Committee”) proposes to amend existing rules and to adopt a new rule at N.J.A.C. 2:76-5 governing cost-share grants for soil and water conservation projects available to landowners or farm operators whose land is enrolled in the State’s farmland preservation programs.

The purpose of the proposed amendments and new rule is to provide more financial assistance to farmers for soil and water conservation projects, as the complexity and the costs of such projects have increased since the last rulemaking amendments were adopted in 2004.

Additionally, the rulemaking provides opportunities for farmers to work with private consultants to implement conservation measures. While the existing rules provide for technical assistance through agreements with the United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS),

Federal assistance can be limited based on the availability of USDA-NRCS personnel to provide professional conservation planning services.

The proposed rule was published in the New Jersey Register on June 2, 2025 at 57 N.J.R. 1067(a) with a 60-day public comment period ending on August 1, 2025.  Public comments may be submitted to:  Charles Roohr, Executive Director, State Agriculture Development Committee, P.O. Box 330, Trenton, NJ 08625-0330, or through email to SADC@ag.nj.gov.

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.

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.

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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!