Beginning farmers could get matching grants for upgrades

In New Jersey, getting a farm off the ground can mean buying equipment, putting up structures or making changes that only pay off over time. A bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia and Assemblyman Mike Inganamort would establish the New Farmers Improvement Grant Program in the Department of Agriculture to help beginning farmers cover those costs.

The grants would be matching money, so the state would not pay for a project outright. Farmers would have to put up their own share too, which makes the program less of a handout than a way to stretch limited cash a little farther.

A narrow lane for new growers

The bill defines a beginning farmer broadly enough to catch someone who wants to farm and has never farmed before, someone who has farmed in the state for 10 years or less, or someone who qualifies as a first-time farmer under federal law. It also says the farmer must be 18 or older and materially and substantially involved in day-to-day production.

• The farm would have to be 150 acres or less.
• The land would have to be entirely in New Jersey.
• The operation would need at least $10,000 in gross sales in the prior calendar year.
• The farmer would have to take part in day-to-day production, not just own the land.