LAUTENBERG: SENATE COMMITTEE PASSES MORE THAN $1 MILLION TO STRENGTHEN NEW AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS IN NJ

LAUTENBERG: SENATE COMMITTEE PASSES MORE THAN $1 MILLION TO STRENGTHEN NEW AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS IN NJ
Measure Includes $250,000 for Statewide Gypsy Moth Eradication Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) today announced the Senate Appropriations Committee recently approved the FY 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill, which would bring more than $1 million for agriculture projects in New Jersey.  Included in the proposed funding is $250,000 to bolster New Jersey's gypsy moth suppression program and preserve thousands of acres of threatened trees.  The bill will next be considered by the full Senate. 

"New Jersey's ecosystem is suffering as more and more communities struggle to combat tree-ravaging gypsy moths.  This funding would help protect thousands of acres of New Jersey trees that currently stand threatened.  Investing in New Jersey's farmers will encourage the growth nutritious fruits and vegetables and sustain our local markets.  Funding in this bill would achieve these goals, and I am proud to have helped take such an important step to secure it," said Sen. Lautenberg, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Agriculture Funds for New Jersey

· $250,000 for statewide gypsy moth eradication activities. A joint study carried out by the Department of Agriculture and the N.J. Forest Service in the late summer of 2008 found that more than 30,900 acres of trees were killed by consecutive defoliation by gypsy moth caterpillars. This year, 74 municipalities and local agencies are planning to participate in New Jersey's gypsy moth suppression program with more than 45,000 acres of residential, state and federal forested properties in 17 counties for treatment to protect trees from damage by gypsy moth caterpillars.

· $236,000 for Conservation Technical Assistance in New Jersey.  The funds will be used for technical staff on state farms to address urban neighbor complaints; develop and implement conservation practices to protect water quality in streams to benefit residents and enhance wildlife; and to train staff to perform conservation planning in accordance with new animal waste management rules affecting 7,000 animal owners.

· $550,000 for the Rutgers University Marucci Center for Blueberry & Cranberry Research in Chatsworth.  New Jersey is the nation's second largest producer of highbush blueberries and the third largest producer of cranberries. In 2007, New Jersey-grown blueberries and cranberries brought in more than $110 million in farm sales. Successful cultivation of blueberries and cranberries requires ongoing research to develop disease and insect resistant varieties and to develop environmentally-sound pest control management strategies.  This center supports growers in New Jersey and nationally by breeding varieties of fruit with improved quality and pest resistance; developing technologies that minimize pesticide use, thereby decreasing environmental impacts; and investigating value-added products, including enhancement of beneficial health properties.

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