NJ taking garden out of Garden State?
Posted on March 31, 2008 8:41 am
New Jersey farmers are starting to worry that their state lawmakers are about to take the garden out of the Garden State.
Gov. Jon Corzine is proposing to make New Jersey the third state without a Department of Agriculture as he looks to slash spending amid chronic state budget problems.
Some argue the move will chase away farmers who persevered for generations while New Jersey grew into the nation's most densely populated state.
"Ultimately, the quality of life of all of New Jersey's citizens will suffer," said William Griffin, president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture.
New Jersey would join Alaska and Rhode Island as the only states without an agriculture department, said Charles W. Ingram, spokesman for the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture.
