100 years in the Garden State: NJ’s Department of Agriculture

The state is marking a milestone this week: the 100th anniversary of the state Department of Agriculture. Of course, a lot has changed over these years.

A century ago ago, New Jersey agriculture was about dairy farms, of which the Garden State had more than 3,500. Today, there are about 87 dairy farms left.

Over the years, farms evolved into grain and egg production. About 70 years ago, poultry farming was the top industry.

"Many refugees came over from Europe after the war, and they were given plots of land and they started different egg farms, and New Jersey was known as the 'egg basket' of the United States," Murray said.

Then about 50 years ago, fruits and vegetables really evolved.

Today, while fruit and vegetable production remain high on the list of New Jersey farm production, there also is agritourism and wine and beer making.

"Our farmers just are so adapted at different things," Assistant Secretary of Agriculture Al Murray said Tuesday.  "They have evolved with the different market demands and goods that the consumer is looking for."

There are now 9,100 farms in New Jersey, which operate on 720,000 acres. Their combined annual sales are rung up to more than a billion dollars, ranking New Jersey's agriculture industry in the top 10 nationally.

"Jersey Fresh," now a nationally recognized brand, was created by Art Brown, who served as state agriculture secretary for 20 years until 2001, and oversaw the advent of farmland preservation, which has now saved more than 200,000 acres.

Brown still runs a small farm in Galloway in Atlantic County.

"This year is different, just like every year is different in agriculture," he said Tuesday during a ceremony at the Statehouse.

Serving as agriculture secretary today is Douglas Fisher, who has worked in recent years to continue the Jersey Fresh brand and to help push and expand new brands: Jersey Grown for plants and trees, and Jersey Seafood.

Fisher has also worked to help expand the School to Farm Program, which exposes children to fresh fruits and vegetables at an early age.

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor on New Jersey 101.5