As farm owners battle rising inflation and labor costs, not to mention extreme heat, Assemblyman Roy Freiman (D-Somerset) and Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen) are sponsoring a bill that would allow farms located on preserved farmland to host “special occasion” events like weddings and concerts. The lawmakers say the measure would give farmers increased income stability.
But not everyone is in favor of the bill — and the preservation of farmland seems to be the issue. Amy Hansen, policy manager at the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, says the bill undermines the purpose of protecting land from nonagricultural uses.
“We helped create this program that has helped, which is paid for by taxpayers. And we are worried that this gives back commercial rights to the landowners. That is not originally the intention of the program,” said Hansen. Sarlo said a conditional veto is being worked on to change some of the language in the bill.
