Bill Text: NJ S4354 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Authorizes Secretary of Agriculture to declare agricultural emergency; requires Department of Agriculture to conduct study on funding sources available to farmers during agricultural emergency.
Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-28 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Economic Growth Committee [S4354 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-S4354-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator LATHAM TIVER
District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)
Senator NILSA I. CRUZ-PEREZ
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
SYNOPSIS
Authorizes Secretary of Agriculture to declare agricultural emergency; requires Department of Agriculture to conduct study on funding sources available to farmers during agricultural emergency.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act allowing the Secretary of Agriculture to declare an agricultural emergency and supplementing Title 4 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. The success of the agriculture industry in New Jersey is critical for protecting food supply chains, maintaining the State's history and heritage, stewarding land and other natural resources, and allowing for the proliferation of farms and agribusiness.
b. The success of the agriculture industry in New Jersey is often impacted by factors beyond the control of individuals, State, and local government. These factors include, but are not limited to, weather fluctuations, global supply chain challenges, and diseases that impact commodities.
c. Unexpected or atypical weather patterns, including, but not limited to, droughts and frosts, can have a negative impact on the yields of various agricultural commodities.
d. Diseases and illnesses can prevent commodities from reaching maturity and can limit the amount of a product available to be sold.
e. Certain products, which are imperative to the successful operations of New Jersey farms, rely on interconnected global supply chains. Interruptions in supply chains can negatively impact farmers. For example, many of the components of nitrogen fertilizer are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. As a result, the closure of the strait due to the 2026 Iran War has limited farmers' access to nitrogen fertilizer, causing the price of the fertilizer to increase dramatically. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, following the closure of the strait in February 2026, around 70 percent of American farmers cannot afford all of the fertilizer they need for the 2026 growing season.
f. In situations where the total commodity yield decreases, the price of impacted commodities increases for the consumer.
g. To ensure the vitality and long-term stability of the agriculture industry in New Jersey, steps must be taken to assist farmers when circumstances beyond the control of any individual, state, or local government have a severe negative impact on yields.
2. a. As used in this section:
"Department" means the Department of Agriculture.
"Secretary" means the Secretary of Agriculture.
b. The Secretary of Agriculture may declare an agricultural emergency for a period of up to six months. The secretary is empowered to determine specific criteria that necessitate the declaration of an agricultural emergency. The criteria may include, but are not limited to, local and national events that impact the price of fertilizer.
c. No later than 24 hours following the declaration of an agricultural emergency by the secretary, the department shall post, in a conspicuous location on the front page of its Internet Website, the following:
(1) an announcement that an agricultural emergency has been declared and the reason for the declaration of agricultural emergency;
(2) information, recommendations, and resources, including, but not limited to, opportunities to apply for funding, for farmers that specifically relate to the reason the agricultural emergency was declared, in order to mitigate harm to crops and livestock and preserve farm viability.
d. The secretary may limit the applicability of an agricultural emergency to specific areas of the State that meet the criteria established pursuant to this section.
e. The agricultural emergency declared by the secretary pursuant to this section shall remain in effect until the secretary declares that the agricultural emergency has terminated, or six months have elapsed, whichever is sooner.
f. No later than six months after the effective date of this section, the department shall conduct a study on available funding sources, including any State, federal, and private funding sources, that are available to farmers to mitigate harm during the declaration of an agricultural emergency. The department shall prepare and submit a report on the study's findings to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1). The report shall include, at a minimum: (1) a list of available funding sources, with an emphasis on funding sources that can be swiftly accessed by a farmer during an agricultural emergency; and (2) information concerning each funding source, including, but not limited to, a description of each funding source, the amount of funding available, and how a farmer may apply to receive the funds.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture (secretary) to declare an agricultural emergency for a period of up to six months. The bill would empower the secretary to: (1) determine specific criteria which would necessitate the declaration of an agricultural emergency; (2) limit the applicability of any such agricultural emergency to specific areas of the State which meet the criteria established; and (3) terminate the agricultural emergency.
This bill would require the Department of Agriculture (department), no later than 24 hours following the declaration of an agricultural emergency by the secretary, to conspicuously announce on the frontpage of its Internet website that an agricultural emergency has been declared and the reason for the declaration of the emergency. The bill would also require the department to make available on its Internet website information, recommendations, and resources to farmers that are tailored based on the reason the agricultural emergency is in effect in an effort mitigate harm to crops and livestock and preserve farm viability.
Finally, the bill would require the department, no later than six months after the effective date of the bill, to conduct a study on available funding sources, including any State, federal, and private funding sources, which are available to farmers to mitigate harm during the declaration of an agricultural emergency, and submit a report of its findings to the Governor and Legislature.
