July 2 , 2007

Farming program cultivates future Garden State leaders

By BRANDON LAUSCH
Staff Writer

From the halls of power in Trenton to the sacred grounds of Rome, they have traveled. From South Jersey's packing plants to the fields of the state's largest standardbred horse farm, they have explored.

Within the past two years, the 24 graduates of the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program's Class VI -- including five with ties to Central Jersey -- have embarked on an intense series of multi-day field trips and seminars designed to further groom them into the leading farmers and agribusiness professionals of tomorrow.

Judging by their reactions to the program during a series of recent interviews, the grads agree the time was well-spent.

"I think it's a wonderful opportunity. If you apply and you're accepted, to be able to expand your network of (contacts) in this industry and to also make a lot of great and new friends, you can't measure what you learn from it," said Benjamin Thompson, a loan officer for First Pioneer Farm Credit in Hunterdon County. "It's intensive, but well worth it."

The Program

The two-year program, created in 1995, is supported by a four-way partnership among the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, the New Jersey Farm Bureau, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the New Jersey Agricultural Society.

Students pay $3,000 in tuition to attend the program, though the true cost nears $10,000, according to officials. Donations and grants, as well as fundraisers from prior classes, offset the difference.

Twelve years after its inception, the program now boasts nearly 130 graduates, said Mary Nikola, director of leadership and organizational development at Rutgers Cooperative Extension. This year's class was honored at a graduation ceremony last month at the New Jersey Museum of Agriculture.

During the recruiting process, Nikola said, program organizers search for a diverse collection of agricultural leaders who represent both sexes, different age ranges, assorted commodities or services and various areas of the state.

Selected students then collaborate for two years by addressing issues facing agriculture (governmental regulation, property taxes) while honing leadership skills (public speaking, team building). The classmates then blend the two together by touring farms and production facilities throughout the state.

Each class also travels to Washington, D.C., and ventures to another country to see how America stacks up to foreign agriculture production. Past excursions have included Spain, Costa Rica, Germany and Mexico, among others. This year featured a trip to Italy.

Nikola, who leads the program, said that upon completing the dozen multi-day seminars spaced out over two years, students leave with a vast web of contacts and a broader picture of agricultural production in New Jersey and beyond.

"I'm hoping that we're going to see this person five years from now or three years or 10 years, getting involved, making a statement, committed," Nikola said of a typical program graduate. "Not that they're going to bail out and move to Pennsylvania."

Farming challenges

Meredith Compton, who grew up in Hillsborough and now farms 150 acres in Pittstown with her husband, Jeremy, said the biggest issues facing her operation are farmland affordability and often cumbersome government regulations.

Taking trips to Trenton and Washington through the program, Compton said, allowed her to develop valuable relationships with representatives who may help her fight causes when necessary. Just a few weeks ago, the state secretary of agriculture was out at her farm, Peaceful Valley Orchards, Compton said.

Jill Koehler, a specialist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service, agreed that cultivating relationships with officials helps. But, Koehler said, "for any industry in agriculture in New Jersey, you have to be proactive."

"You can't expect somebody to fight your fight or to speak up for your industry," said Koehler, who has worked in Hunterdon County but is now based in Hackettstown.

Despite the obstacles, Compton said she's staying in New Jersey because of its strong history of agriculture-based tourism and dense population, both of which are conducive to retail and pick-your-own farms such as hers.

"When you buy local, buy direct from the farmer or buy Jersey fresh, you're getting the freshest quality," Compton said. "One of the most important things to know, to be aware of, is when New Jersey farmers grow their stuff, generally they're not growing for shipping, for longevity. They're growing the best crops that are ready to eat."

Compton, like her fellow graduates, repeatedly emphasized that New Jersey farmers and service providers will thrive through cooperation and collaboration. The common goal, the graduates said, is keeping agriculture viable in the Garden State.

Said Nikola: "From the guys and gals I've met along the way, they're passionate about it ... It's a lifestyle. It's so admirable. That's the joy for me; this whole community of agriculturalists is one big family."

Brandon Lausch can be reached at (908) 707-3175 or blausch@c-n.com.

To learn more about the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program through the state Agricultural Society, visit:
http://www.njagsociety.org/njaldp/njaldp.htm