SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Farmers would save their crops from waste, while also helping feed their local communities, under a new bill moving through Trenton.
In an effort to put food on the table before it spoils, this bill would provide tax credits for farmers if they donate their excess crops to local food pantries, which then send it to other community groups that help feed residents.
Farmers often produce more than they can sell, and while they can donate the excess, that lack of demand leads to smaller crops in the next growing season. Bill sponsor Assemblyman Bill Moen says this legislation, through tax incentives, would give farmers some insurance.
“I think that this would allow for farmers to just take that extra risk each year in growing additional crops that of course they would be intending to sell.”
Moen says tax credits up to $5,000 annually could help cover some of that risk. Under the bill, commercial farmers would have to produce signed documents from partnering organizations that detail the wholesale value items donated.
The bill has committee approval and it’s not yet scheduled for a full vote.