Bill Text: NJ S1424 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Appropriates $3 million from General Fund to Dept. of Agriculture for financial assistance to farmers whose crops have been affected by Dickeya dianthicola disease and for related research.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-02-01 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee [S1424 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S1424-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JEFF VAN DREW
District 1 (Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland)
SYNOPSIS
Appropriates $3 million from General Fund to Dept. of Agriculture for financial assistance to farmers whose crops have been affected by Dickeya dianthicola disease and for related research.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning a disease affecting New Jersey crops, supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. There is established in the Department of Agriculture a special, non-lapsing account to be known as the "Dickeya Relief and Research Dedicated Account." The account shall be credited with the moneys appropriated pursuant to section 6 of this act, and any interest or other income earned thereon. Moneys in the account shall be allocated and used only for the purposes of this act, as shall be determined by the department. No more than 10 percent of the moneys in the account shall be used for administrative purposes.
2. a. The Department of Agriculture shall provide grants, zero interest loans, low interest loans, or other forms of financial assistance to farmers who have experienced demonstrated agricultural damage or loss due to the Dickeya dianthicola disease. Eligibility for financial assistance shall be based upon financial need, the degree of agricultural damage or loss, and other qualifying and application criteria as may be established by the Department of Agriculture. Recipients of financial assistance may use it only for agricultural purposes approved by the Department of Agriculture. The terms and conditions of the financial assistance shall be established by the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury. Recipients of financial assistance shall agree to comply with the reporting requirements of section 4 of this act. Within 30 days after the effective date of this act, the Department of Agriculture shall publicize to the agricultural community the availability of the financial assistance, and commence accepting applications therefor from interested farmers.
b. The Secretary of Agriculture may adopt, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the implementation of this section; except that, notwithstanding any provision of P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to the contrary, the commissioner may adopt, immediately upon filing with the Office of Administrative Law, such rules and regulations deemed necessary to implement the provisions of this section, which rules and regulations shall be effective for a period not to exceed six months following the effective date of this act and may thereafter be amended, adopted, or readopted in accordance with the requirements of P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.).
3. Within 30 days after the effective date of this act, the Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, shall establish, and publish on its Internet website:
a. a list of best management practices for the prevention and control of the Dickeya dianthicola disease. The department shall update the best management practices periodically as new research and information on the Dickeya dianthicola disease becomes available; and
b. a list of agricultural seed and tuber suppliers whose seeds or tubers have been demonstrated, or reported by New Jersey farmers, to contain the Dickeya dianthicola disease. The department shall update the list of suppliers as often as necessary to protect New Jersey farmers.
4. Any farmer in the State who detects the presence of the Dickeya dianthicola disease on a crop shall immediately report the detection to the Department of Agriculture in a form and manner as prescribed by the department. The report shall specify the type and location of the crop affected, including lot numbers, the results of any tests performed to detect Dickeya dianthicola, the name and address of the seed or tuber supplier that supplied the infected seed or tubers, if applicable, and any other information deemed relevant by the department.
5. The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, in consultation with the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers, the State University, shall:
a. study the Dickeya dianthicola disease to better understand how the disease affects crops in the State, and how the disease can best be prevented and controlled; and
b. provide for the testing of agricultural seeds and tubers for the presence of the Dickeya dianthicola disease upon request by any farmer. The New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station or the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences may charge a reasonable fee to defray the cost such testing.
6. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture for deposit into the "Dickeya Relief and Research Dedicated Account," created pursuant to section 1 of this act, the sum of $3,000,000.
7. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would appropriate $3 million from the General Fund to the Department of Agriculture to provide financial assistance to farmers whose crops have been affected by the Dickeya dianthicola disease and to conduct research on the disease.
Dickeya dianthicola is an aggressive bacterium that can cause disease in a number of crops. Although the bacterium has existed in the United States for many years, warmer temperatures have allowed it to spread more rapidly, causing extensive damage to New Jersey's potato crop - in some cases wiping out entire fields. It is believed that the disease was shipped into the State on seeds originating from cooler climates. Dickeya dianthicola is characterized by poor emergence of crops due to rotting seed. Plants that emerge from contaminated seed typically have black stems (known as blackleg). Currently, the disease cannot be managed when present in production fields. There are no resistant crop varieties and no effective chemical control measures, and testing methods are unreliable. It is also unclear how long the bacterium survives in soil and whether it can overwinter. For these reasons, greater study of the disease is necessary.
This bill would direct the Department of Agriculture to provide grants, zero interest loans, low interest loans, and other forms of financial assistance to farmers who have experienced demonstrated loss due to the Dickeya dianthicola disease. The bill would also direct the department, in consultation with the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, to establish, and publish on its Internet website: (1) a list of best management practices for the prevention and control of the Dickeya dianthicola disease; and (2) a list of agricultural seed and tuber suppliers whose seeds or tubers have been demonstrated, or reported by New Jersey farmers, to contain the disease. The department would be required to update these lists periodically. Under the bill, any farmer who detects the presence of the Dickeya dianthicola disease on a crop would be required to immediately report that detection to the department.
Finally, the bill would direct the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, in consultation with the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences at Rutgers University, to: (1) study the Dickeya dianthicola disease in order to better understand how the disease affects crops in the State, and how it can best be prevented and controlled; and (2) provide for the testing of agricultural seeds and tubers for the presence of Dickeya dianthicola disease upon request by any farmer.
It is the aim of this bill to provide farmers with the resources and information they need to combat this destructive disease.
