New Jersey will not deserve 'Garden State' nickname These words, "I can remember," describe one of the few true blessings of getting old, a way of going back and reliving the way it used to be. Not too many generations ago, a very large percentage of those living in New Jersey were involved in farming and 100 percent were dependent on them. Agriculture was literally the backbone of our state. It is our heritage and I am fortunate that I can look back and be proud that I was part of the foundation upon which New Jersey was built. Our Governor, out of kindness I suppose, has chosen to save us from the terrible burden of supporting our dwindling family farms and along with them, a way of life that none of us can afford to lose. What will our children have to remember? Perhaps they can recall when the last farm was developed or look back to when they tore down the last barn. Questions like; "Dad, why do they call New Jersey the Garden State?" and "What were they selling that they referred to as Jersey Fresh?" If destroying the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) is the only way our Governor chooses to save a comparatively small amount of spending, I would suggest he first look at the huge salaries of his appointees and those who indiscriminately procure and pay for services hired by the state. For almost 80 years, the NJDA has been representing the needs of agriculture in our state government. Who will be there when new rules, regulations and laws are introduced that will adversely affect our efforts to continue farming? Who else will work to supply funding and appropriations for all the existing farm and preservation programs? It all comes down to who else will care? They have been doing a great job with a relatively small budget and work force, so why fix something that definitely is not broken? The agriculture community needs the voice of our NJDA and it needs to be as one cohesive unit. I have been honored to serve, for almost seven years, as chairman of the Manalapan Township Agricultural Advisory Committee. We have worked, along with ever-changing members of the Township Committee, to save as much as we can of the farmland left in Manalapan. Hand in hand with the Monmouth County Agricultural Development Committee, the State Agricultural Development Committee's Preservation Incentive Grants and Green Acres Open Space acquisitions, we have preserved close to 1,000 acres. Our farm, Misty Meadow, is part of that total. We have worked hard, but I want to take this opportunity to thank those who really deserve the credit, those who stepped up and said, "my farm will not be gone." They cared enough to sign off on almost everything they owned in order to preserve their love of the land. Dare we ever forget people like this? Call your congressmen and representatives, call anyone you think can help, and it sure won't hurt to pray. Old guys, like old fools, will be forgotten, but I wonder if our Governor would like to be remembered as "the last Garden State Barn Burner?" Don Holland Democratic candidate for Township Committee Manalapan