New Jersey Department of Agriculture

The $82 billion food and agriculture complex is one of New Jersey’s largest industries, ranking after pharmaceuticals and tourism in the economic benefits it brings to the state.

In 2005, the state's 9,800 farms generated cash receipts totaling $857,601,000. The nursery/greenhouse/sod industry remained the leading commodity group with cash receipts of  $362.1 million. Cash receipts for fruits and vegetables totaled $262.7 million, followed by equine at $115 million. Field crops brought in $51.9 million while the dairy industry generated $29.3 million. Sales of poultry and eggs were valued at $22.7 million.

Retaining productive, taxpaying farmland is critically important to all New Jersey residents since agriculture is the largest single source of the scenic vistas we all enjoy throughout the year. Productive farmland covers 790,000 acres.

Farmers in the Garden State produce more than 100 different kinds of fruits and vegetables for consumers to enjoy either fresh or processed here in New Jersey and elsewhere in the Northeast, in Canada and in many countries around the world.  Nationally, New Jersey is one of the top ten producers of cranberries, blueberries, peaches, bell peppers, cucumbers, snap beans, spinach, squash, tomatoes and lettuce.

In addition, growers also produced hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of specialty crops that added a unique flavor to the Garden State’s bounty. Vineyards, for example, are a growing segment of the industry, enabling the state’s 20 vintners to develop a wide variety of award-winning New Jersey wines.

Fish and seafood are also a valuable commodity with tons of bluefish, tilefish, flounder, hake, shellfish and other species harvested annually. With its catch sold here at home and in foreign markets around the world, the commercial fishing industry adds another $159 million to the value of agriculture in New Jersey.

Visit the New Jersey Department of Agriculture website for more information.

Top 5 agriculture commodities, 2006

 

Value of receipts
thousand $

Percent of state total
farm receipts

Percent of US value

1. Greenhouse/nursery

390,365

42.3

2.3

2. Horses/mules

99,000

10.7

7.5

3. Blueberries

83,720

9.1

15.0

4. Peaches

35,700

3.9

7.0

5. Dairy products

23,450

2.5

0.1

 

All commodities

923,933

 

0.4

Farm income and value added data

 

2005

2006

 

Number of farms

9,800

9,800

 

 

Thousands $

       Final crop output

680,844

765,211

+     Final animal output

180,778

157,575

+     Services and forestry

148,391

139,630

=   Final agricultural sector output

1,010,013

1,062,417

 

-      Intermediate consumption outlays

391,150

398,078

+     Net government transactions

-26,843

-40,760

=   Gross value added

592,020

623,578

 

-      Capital consumption

112,510

116,238

 

=   Net value added

479,510

507,340

 

-    Factor payments

194,795

201,946

         Employee compensation (total hired labor)

178,795

183,858

         Net rent received by nonoperator landlords

-19,395

-22,089

         Real estate and nonreal estate interest

35,395

40,177

 

=   Net farm income

284,715

305,394


http://www.nj.gov/agriculture


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