By David Kilby, Staff Writer
MONROE — The United States Department of Agriculture and Congressman Rush Holt held a workshop at Monroe Township Library recently to tell local farm owners how the department can help keep New Jersey’s land productive.
Renewable energy was discussed as one of the industries farmers can look into as they look for new ways to utilize their land in a changing world.
But the department also supports all other agricultural industries, especially smaller farms like many of those in New Jersey.
”I have a special interest in seeing New Jersey’s land continue to provide nutrition, sustenance and materials for all of us,” Congressman Holt said. “We don’t need to tell you, that’s a struggle.”
Paul Hlubik, executive director of USDA’s Farm Service Agency in New Jersey, said there are 1,900 farm operations in Rep. Holt’s district, covering about 81,000 acres. The average farm in the district is 68 acres, he said.
He said the USDA offers different avenues of support such as farm loans, conservation loans, loans for stewardship and facilities and youth loans to help the next generation support farming. The agency also has disaster recovery programs, price support programs and conservation programs, he added.
These programs include the Supplemental Revenue Assistance Program, which provides disaster relief for small farms; the State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement, which seeks to enhance wildlife habitats; the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program; and the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, which supports farmers who encourage natural foliage instead of crop growth along waterways to prevent fertilizer pollution in the water.
One of the main purposes of the presentation was to teach farmers how the USDA can support farms that provide renewable energy, said Howard Henderson, state director of development for the USDA.
The agency has programs in place that support farmers’ efforts to provide solar and wind power on their land. The USDA also advocates anaerobic digesters, which convert manure into methane gas, and other biofuels, such as ethanol, which can be extracted from corn, Mr. Henderson explained.
”Our agency does other economic development programs, but our focus here is renewable energy programs for housing, public water, sewer systems and community facilities,” Mr. Henderson said.
”The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 provides over $1 billion of mandatory funding during a five-year period to support a comprehensive approach to energy efficiency and renewable energy development in rural America,” reads the renewable energy booklet that was available for free at the workshop.
The booklet says the USDA’s efforts cover everything from research to financial support for renewable energy.
In the department’s research, it is experimenting with possible future sources of renewable energy such as fungal culture.
The department also financially supports “dedicated energy crops” such as sorghum, perennial grasses and oil crops such as algae.
Forest owners also are supported by the USDA since they can provide lumber, paper, furniture, housing components and even “bioenergy” such as ethanol, the booklet explained.
The USDA invested $6,617,851,260 in the country in rural utilities for renewable energy in 2009.
In addition to searching for renewable energy resources, the USDA also focuses on reducing the energy consumption of rural small businesses, farms and homes.
For example, USDA agencies have provided funding for solar power providers that give power to remote homes in desert and island communities in the United States.
”Some government agencies aren’t designed for rural areas,” Mr. Hlubik said.
”USDA agencies have field offices,” he said, adding New Jersey has USDA offices in Columbus and Clinton. “Most federal agencies are in D.C. or large cities or have large regional offices. Our offices are much more readily accessible to the community.”
He added, “We take great pride that we have these offices so that not just our services, but we as individuals, are accessible.”
”The agencies presented a nice overview of programs that they have available that the average farmer is probably not aware of,” said Nyna McKittrick after the presentation.
She owns farms in Colts Neck and Pemberton.
”It was very interesting to hear all the diverse programs that they can offer financial help with,” she said. “ I still wish that the programs could be streamlined and have less components to qualify.”
She added, “Many areas of agriculture in the state are struggling to find new innovations to help them keep up with the austerity that has changed people’s buying habits. If we can work together, we can come up with new innovations that are good for the industry and help with land stewardship and hold off losing farms to developers.”

