RELEASE: Squeezed by High Costs, Gottheimer Hosts Agriculture Roundtable with Sussex County Farmers

Resources / Press Share on RELEASE: Squeezed by High Costs, Gottheimer Hosts Agriculture Roundtable with Sussex County Farmers Farmers Hit with by High Diesel, Fertilizer, Equipment Costs, Tariffs, and Losses from Winter Freeze Announces New FROST Relief Act to Help Farmers Recover from April Freeze Outlines Farm Bill Priorities to Lower Costs, Help Specialty Crops and Give Farmers Certainty Continued Support for 4-H, FFA, and the Next Generation of Agriculture Leaders Oct 08, 2026 Press Above: Gottheimer hosts agriculture roundtable. AUGUSTA, NJ — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) hosted an agriculture roundtable with farmers from across New Jersey’s Fifth District to hear how rising diesel, fertilizer, and equipment costs, low dairy prices, and a shrinking number of farms in the Garden State are putting family farms under pressure, along with concerns about fewer cooperative plants and fewer meat processing facilities, and concerns about shrinking access to milk haulers. Gottheimer also laid out his priorities for the final Farm Bill, focusing on specialty crops, dairy, and agritourism, and asked farmers what they need to see in the final bill. “It’s because of all of you, and the more than 1,000 farms in New Jersey’s Fifth District, that families across our state and nation have fresh, high-quality, nutritious meals on the table,” said Gottheimer (NJ-5). “You do your part, every single day, rain or shine. The question for Washington is whether they’re doing everything they can for you. And right now, the clearest test of that is the Farm Bill.” Farmers are getting squeezed from every direction. For a family farm already running on razor-thin margins, those costs add up fast. When it costs more to fuel the tractor, buy supplies, and get the crop to market, even a good harvest may not be enough. Then came the freeze. Last April, a hard freeze hit right as crops were budding and blooming. Many growers lost a huge share of their harvest, including peaches, cherries, apples, strawberries, blueberries, and more, adding up to estimated losses of $300 million. For too many farmers, the help has not been there. New Jersey’s Fifth District is home to more than 1,000 farms, and New Jersey is a top-ten specialty crop state. Right now, a specialty crop grower can lose a season to a freeze and find that crop insurance does not fit the risk. Meanwhile, the Farm Bill, which last became law in 2018, has been kicked down the road with one extension after another, leaving farmers unable to plan their planting season, equipment purchases, or hiring. At the roundtable, he announced the Farmer Recovery Opportunity and Support for Temperatures (FROST) Relief Act, new federal legislation to help growers recover from the April freeze that caused an estimated $300 million in losses. The FROST Relief Act and the TEMP Act will: Create a Block Grant Program for Freeze Losses: The FROST Relief Act would create a block grant program for farmers in the 13 states hit by the April freeze: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Get Resources to Farmers Without Red Tape: The money goes to the states that were hit, so it can reach the farmers who lost their crops without months of red tape. Develop Temperature-Based Crop Insurance: The TEMP Act directs federal crop insurance to develop an affordable, temperature-based policy that covers freeze and cold-weather losses for specialty crop growers. Gottheimer’s additional actions: Fight to Expand Rural Eligibility: In April, Gottheimer offered an amendment to the Farm Bill to raise the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) population cap for “rural” eligibility from 20,000 to 50,000, so more North Jersey communities can qualify for broadband and infrastructure support. It did not make it into the House bill, and it remains a top priority for the final bill. End the Hiring Freeze at the Farm Service Agency: Gottheimer offered amendments to end the hiring freeze at the Farm Service Agency (FSA), so loans and assistance get processed faster, especially for new and beginning farmers. Restore Local Food Resources: The Administration cut more than $1 billion from the Local Food for Schools and Local Food Purchase Assistance programs. Because of those cuts, New Jersey lost $26 million in commitments that would have supported 46 local farms and food producers, including 11 in the Fifth District. Gottheimer has demanded the resources be restored and offered a Farm Bill amendment to do it. Fix the SNAP Provisions in the House Bill: As written, the House bill would force New Jersey to cover 5 percent of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits and raise the state’s share of administrative costs, adding up to $200 million a year in new costs for Jersey taxpayers. It would also push families off SNAP, stripping their children of automatic eligibility for free school meals