U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue paid a visit around mid-November to the Garden State in conjunction with the New Jersey Farm Bureau's 100th anniversary.
The secretary, who was joined by Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation, toured several farms, culminating with the farm bureau banquet in Princeton, NJ.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue and Don Patterson of Patterson Farm look over Patterson Farm's spinach packingline.
Purdue visited Patterson Farm, a grain and spinach operation in Cranbury, NJ, followed by a visit to Lee Turkey Farms in East Windsor, NJ, and then to Fulper Family Farm, a dairy operation in Lambertville, NJ.
While at Patterson Farm, the secretary hosted a roundtable discussion with a group of farmers. The event gave Purdue an opportunity to gain New Jersey agricultural perspectives as well as insight about the state's third largest industry. Among the subjects discussed were labor, trade, regulations and farmer crop insurance programs.
"The work ethic and the values of the New Jersey farmers are the same we see all over the country," said Purdue. "They have particular issues with direct marketing on fruits and vegetables and some challenges coming up through Canada. We'll continue to work with them from the USDA perspective over the insurance programs they rely upon and try to get them the best benefit they can in being productive and profitable."
(Al Murray is policy consultant at the New Jersey Farm Bureau.)
