Senate Economic Growth Committee to Hold Hearing on Economic Challenges in Agriculture 

Trenton – The Senate Economic Growth Committee will meet Thursday, December 15^th, at 10:30 A.M. in Committee Room 4 for a hearing on the current state of agriculture and the economy. Invited guests will speak on the economic issues and financial challenges confronting New Jersey’s agriculture industry.

“A crucial tool in drafting effective legislation is education. By interacting directly with economic and agriculture experts, this hearing will allow all members of the Committee to understand the current challenges that face the State’s agriculture,” said Senator Nilsa Cruz-Perez, Chair of the Senate Economic Growth Committee. “The purpose of this hearing is to outline these challenges so we can effectively combat them.”

Invited guests include:

• Brian Schilling: director of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, associate extension specialist in agricultural policy and associate professor at Rutgers University;
• Paul Hlubik: farmer, Policy Committee chair on the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture;
• Keith Dickinson: farmer, farm financial advisor, economist, business consultant for Farm Credit East;
• Caroline Etsch, Farmer, Chair of New Jersey Farm Bureau Women’s Leadership Committee;
• Leonard Grasso: farmer in Mullica Hill-Gloucester County, served as the Gloucester County Board of Agriculture and the New Jersey Peach Council;
• Ed Wengryn: Field Representative/Research Associate; and
• Ashley Kerr: Field Representative/ Research Associate.