Hillsborough teen to be state’s first agricultural envoy

Allison Giraldi named New Jersey

Agricultural Fair Ambassador 2003
By:Sally Goldenberg
   Allison Giraldi’s grandparents half-jokingly coined her the "cow whisperer," a simple statement of her ability to successfully strap a harness on a cow. She said her good rapport with animals has earned her the ability, as well as the title of New Jersey Agricultural Fair Ambassador.
   "I feel like it’s my own element," Allison said of her skills with farm animals. "It’s just me and them."
   A Riverside Drive resident, Allison has spent her 18 years living and working on her family’s farm. She recently won the new statewide honor of New Jersey Agricultural Fair Ambassador 2003 at a Freehold conference.
   Her duties entail attending the state’s 20 annual agricultural fairs and representing agricultural interests, said state Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Kim Maialetti.
   Specifically, Ms. Maialetti said, Allison may judge contests and give speeches at the fairs.
   "It’s kind of whatever the individual fairs would like her to do," Ms. Maialetti added.
   Allison, who lives and works on the Norzdale Farm, said she is acclimated to farm life and wants to use her position to impress upon New Jersey residents the importance of keeping farming afloat in the state.
   She hopes to convince people, "the Garden State is not the Garden State anymore," she said.
   "I want to aim at younger people," she added.
   As a lifelong Hillsborough resident whose family farms 150 acres in the township, Allison has seen the once rural community transform into a stream of shopping centers and traffic.
   The life of farmers is in danger in New Jersey and she will use this opportunity to voice her concerns throughout the state, she said.
   "I think we definitely need to preserve a lot of farm land," she said. "I would like people to realize more, the farmers need help." For example, she added, she wants to encourage people to buy produce at farmer’s markets, rather than large supermarkets.
   In addition, the senior at St. Peter the Apostle High School in New Brunswick said she wants to educate people about the life of farming and dissuade them from the notion that she is a "red-neck" or a "hick," she said.
   "People in general need a better knowledge about agriculture," she said, relaying an anecdote about a friend from her urban school who was shocked to see cows running on Allison’s farm.
   The state’s first agricultural ambassador in recent memory, who is en route to Pennsylvania State University, said she wants to expand on her love of animals. At Penn State, she hopes to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a veterinarian — perhaps while living in a barn on campus.
   Her role on her family’s farm has revolved around caring for animals, which range from horses to chickens, she said.
   In addition, the varsity athlete works with horses at Hidden River in Neshanic, rides in rodeos throughout the tri-state area and holds executive positions in five 4-H clubs.
   The Somerset County 4-H Fair nominated her for the statewide agricultural honor.
   "They do live on a farm and so it is her life," said county 4-H Fair coordinator Barbara Navatto.
   Her interest in caring for animals — which she admits to prefer doing on a farm rather than in a veterinary office — spawned from her oft-ill pony, Tony. Each Thanksgiving for several years, Tony the pony needed emergency medical assistance, she said, peaking her interest in caring for animals.
   "I can communicate fine with people," she said. "With animals it’s different. It doesn’t matter what you look like or who you are."