LAFAYETTE TWP., NJ [September 4, 2003] - The leaders of the state agriculture departments from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania today endorsed the 3rd Annual Northeast Small Farm and Rural Living Expo as a way to help preserve farming in the Tri-State area.

The Small Farm Expo, a project involving agricultural, cultural and tourism entities from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and New York, is moving to Warren County, NJ, this year after its first two outings in Pennsylvania’s Pocono region. The two-day event will be held September 20 and 21, 2003, at the Warren County Farmers’ Fairgrounds on Route 519 in Harmony Township, NJ.

New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Charles M. Kuperus, Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis C Wolff and Deputy Commissioner Rick Zimmerman of the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets, who represented Commissioner Nathan Rudgers, met at Ken and Julie Bechtold’s Stoney Croft Farm with Small Farm Expo organizers to offer their support for the event.

"Most of New Jersey's farms are family-owned operations," said Secretary Kuperus. "While our average farm size – at 86 acres – is much smaller than the national average, our proximity to major markets offers unique opportunities for our farmers to be successful. The Small Farm Expo is designed to provide farmers with the information they need to establish and expand their small farm operations, and keep agriculture strong here in the Garden State."

"I am pleased to be here to support the 3rd Annual North East Small Farm and Rural Living Expo today," said Secretary Wolff. "As the foundation of society, agriculture is a very important industry in the United States. This Expo is a great partnership between agriculture, government, and business and is a great benefit for the industry."

New York’s Deputy Commissioner Zimmerman noted that state lines mean little to a viable agriculture industry. "The more we can collaborate and cooperate, the stronger our industry can be collectively," Zimmerman noted. "It’s an honor for me to be here with two other states and their respective secretaries for that very purpose."

Although unable to attend the news conference due to a prior commitment, Commissioner Rudgers in a statement praised the event and its purpose. "Small farms are a valuable component of New York’s agricultural industry," Rudgers stated. "Through the efforts of dedicated farm families, small scale agriculture will continue to be an important part of New York State’s rural economy."

The site of the news conference, Stoney Croft Farm, has been operating since 1986. Owners Ken and Julie Bechtold keep 15 to 20 Jersey cows that supply milk for the farm’s cheese-making operation, which produces varieties of Cheddar and Colby cheeses.

Ken Bechtold, who will be presenting a seminar on cheese-making at the Small Farm Expo, said he is looking forward to networking with other small farm operators at the event.

"This seems to be a hot ticket," Warren County Freeholder Rick Gardner said of the Expo. Gardner, who raises beef cattle on his farm in Franklin Township, NJ, noted the Small Farm Expo is needed because agriculture is diversifying. "We’re both pleased and proud that the Small Farm Expo is going to be held in Warren County this year."

The changing face of agriculture prompted the creation of the Northeast Small Farm & Rural Living Expo, noted Art Charlton, Director of the Warren County Public Information & Tourism Department and a member of the Expo planning committee.

"The Northeast is experiencing a transition from large family farms to smaller farms and part-time farms," often with one or more family member working outside the farm, Charlton said.

"People are moving to the country to buy small farms to raise their families, or they’re seeking a change in lifestyle. Many of them are new to farming, and are not hooked into the resources that have been available for many years to traditional farmers," Charlton said. "The idea of the Small Farm Expo is to hook those people up with the educational resources and with different agencies that can help them to be successful. We felt that by providing them with the information they need to be successful, they will keep their property green and in agriculture” instead of developing it."

"The Small Farm Expo is really a celebration of small farm agriculture and rural living," said Donna Foulk of Rutgers Cooperation Extension, another Expo planning committee member who spoke at the news conference.

"The Expo has a strong focus on education, with more than 90 educational workshops, demonstrations and seminars," Foulk said.

Included are livestock and commercial horticulture workshops ranging from pasture fertility to wool marketing to strawberry production or growing herbs, heirloom tomatoes or organic blueberries. Moreover, there are presentations on rural living topics that are of interest to anyone who lives in the country, not just farmers.

Those topics include alternative energy sources, woodlot management, chain saw safety and maintenance, gardening with ornamental grasses, managing rural pests, septic systems and backyard composting.

"There is something at the Small Farm Expo for anybody that has any kind of interest in the country or agriculture," Foulk remarked.

This year, the Small Farm Expo is being presented in conjunction with the Garden State Sheep Breeders’ 9th Annual Sheep and Fiber Festival, which is held every September at the Warren County Farmers’ Fairgrounds.

"We are delighted they are a partner with us," Charlton said, while Eunice Bench, the Sheep and Fiber Festival chairwoman, said the Garden State Sheep Breeders are looking forward to having a larger and more diverse audience.

The Sheep and Fiber Festival includes demonstrations on sheep shearing, sheep herding, an open sheep show, and crafters and vendors selling everything from woven products to soap made out of sheep’s milk, Bench said.

Both the expo and festival will feature livestock exhibits with all types of farm animals from alpacas to zebus.

The Small Farm Expo also includes a trade show with nearly 90 exhibitors already participating. Bob Mickel of Rutgers Cooperative Extension, another expo planning committee member, so the goal is to offer an opportunity to meet related service agencies and suppliers that small farms need to be successful.

Pennsylvania’s Secretary Wolff noted that helping small farms helps the overall agriculture industry. "Small farms are good for the consumer by providing fresh products; good for the environment by maintaining open spaces and groundwater recharge areas; and good for the agricultural economy," Wolff said.

New Jersey’s Secretary Kuperus said that while preserving land for farming is important, "We need to keep the agricultural industry viable. That’s why we’re so committed and so passionate about keeping agriculture in the Northeast, in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. A small farm expo like this is one way" to meet that goal, Kuperus remarked.

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff, New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Charles Kuperus, and Deputy Commissioner Rick Zimmerman of the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets meet at Stoney Croft Farm in Lafayette Twp., NJ, to support the upcoming Northeast Small Farm & Rural Living Expo. The event, now in its third year, will be held for the first time in New Jersey on Sept. 20-21, at the Warren County Farmers' Fairgrounds, Route 519, Harmony Twp.