Booker Hosts New Jersey Farm Bill Town Hall to Discuss Policies to Reform U.S. Food System

NEWARK, N.J. – Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, hosted a virtual town hall discussion on the upcoming Farm Bill — a package of federal legislation shaping the nation’s agriculture and food policy that passes once every five years — and its impact on New Jersey’s farmers, workers, and consumers in urban and rural communities. As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Booker has introduced a number of legislative proposals to reform the food system.

Booker’s New Jersey Farm Bill Town Hall brought together farmers, advocates, and policymakers from across the state to discuss how federal agriculture policies can better serve farmers in New Jersey, support local and regional food systems, and get healthy food to the people who need it most.

“In just a few months, Congress will be considering the Farm Bill that impacts everyone, from those who work so hard to grow our food, to those who harvest, process, and eat it,” said Senator Booker. “Currently, not only are we seeing a growing nutrition crisis in our country causing an explosion in diet-related illnesses, but the current food system is benefiting large corporations while consumers, independent family farmers and ranchers, and rural communities are losing out. In the upcoming Farm Bill, we have an opportunity to reform our food system by investing in our independent family farmers, addressing the root causes of diet-related disease, and moving us toward a more sustainable, humane, and just food system that makes healthy, nutritious food more available and affordable. This town hall brought together farmers, experts, and policymakers to share ideas and have a discussion that will help inform me as I continue to work to advance a Farm Bill that works for New Jerseyans.”

“The Farm Bill Town Hall that Senator Booker set up is so needed in New Jersey. The Senator, in his role as a Member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, is highly engaged in determining what is necessary to support agriculture here in the Garden State, our nutrition programs, and the ways in which that funding reaches the states. He has recognized that fundamental change is needed in many Farm Bill programs. We at the New Jersey Department of Agriculture are proud to have been working together on these issues and we look forward to continuing that important mission,” said NJ Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher.

“New Jersey’s large and diverse agriculture industry needs a comprehensive and balanced Farm Bill. We look forward to working with Senator Booker to advocate for a Farm Bill that meets the risk management, production and conservation needs of all New Jersey farmers,” said Liz Thompson, National Affairs Coordinator, New Jersey Farm Bureau.

“As the climate crisis worsens, this Farm Bill provides a vital opportunity to invest in and prioritize urgently needed climate mitigation and adaptation throughout the food system, but especially in farming and food production. Farm Bill spending must support the infrastructure, people, and organizations needed for building climate resilient food systems that ameliorate inequities. This Farm Bill is an important way for our country to set out on a path away from a food system that is destructive to the environment and human health, and toward a food and farming system that restores health for people, animals, and the planet,” said Jeanine Cava, Co-Founder and Lead Facilitator of NJ Food Democracy Collaborative.

“Funding for soil, water, and climate conservation practices are critical not only for building resilience and economic viability into farming systems but also for providing community benefits such as climate mitigation and improved water quality in local waterways,” said Laura Tessieri, Executive Director of North Jersey RC&D.

As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Senator Booker has spearheaded efforts to empower family farmers, improve the affordability and availability of nutritious foods, protect workers, and safeguard the environment. Key legislative priorities include the Climate Stewardship Act, the Farm System Reform Act, the Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act, the Industrial Agriculture Accountability Act, the Protecting America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act, the Justice for Black Farmers Act, the Office of Small Farms Establishment Act, the Child Labor Exploitation Accountability Act, Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act, the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) Improvement Act, Protecting America’s Meatpacking Workers Act, and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Reform Act. He has also brought national attention to our country’s nutrition crisis by calling on the FDA to use its authority to address ultra-processed foods, by pushing for the integration of healthy food into our healthcare system, and by championing solutions that connect fruit and vegetable farmers with people struggling with hunger and nutrition insecurity.