"This is a true win-win situation that is in serious danger of folding due to the President's funding cuts.  Through this innovative and mutually beneficial program, low-income residents are able to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at a reasonable rate and farmers are provided with a venue to sell their fresh produce," said Andrews.  "I applaud the good service that the young people employed by AHEC and their advisors are providing for the community and will fight in Washington to ensure that the federal money is in place to support this initiative."   

This program and others sponsored by the 25-year-old AHEC are in danger of being eliminated because President Bush has proposed a cut in federal funding from the current level of $37.8 million to $7 million--an 81% cut in funding.  In July, Rep. Andrews wrote to the Chairman of the House Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee in opposition to these funding cuts and instead urged that the Chairman increase funding to approximately $45.2 Million or 20% over its current levels.

As part of an entire day devoted to improving agriculture in the Garden State, Rep. Andrews was joined by New Jersey Agriculture Secretary Brown and local cranberry farmers at the Zallie Shoprite in Clementon to promote the health benefits of cranberries and the proliferation of cranberry farms in South Jersey.  Congressman Andrews announced that he has been working to protect the New Jersey Cranberry Farmers by preventing large growers from flooding the market with fruit and driving New Jersey farmers out of the market.  

Despite a dramatic increase in the popularity of cranberries given their anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial effects, since 1996, cranberry prices have dropped well below the $35 per barrel production costs from $69.50 per barrel to a dismal $15 per barrel.  This significant drop is attributed to overproduction stemming from rapid growth of Wisconsin cranberry farms, which have accounted for over a quarter of the Nation's cranberry farms since 1994.  This supply overload has been extremely harmful for NJ cranberry farmers who typically maintain smaller farms and cannot absorb these significant losses.

In order to protect the NJ Cranberry Industry and preserve the long-term stability of cranberry prices nationwide, Rep. Andrews along with fellow members of the NJ Congressional Delegation supported a 32% reduction in the amount of cranberries that are permitted to be sold for this upcoming growing season. This will help restore the vitality of a cranberry industry that saw a huge drop in the total value of production from a high of $33.9 million in 1997 to a now much lower figure of $9.3 in 2000 despite an increase in production over that time period.  As a result, cranberry prices will remain stable and will not be subject to the price spikes and drops born by huge increases and subsequent reductions in supply. 

Next Andrews and Secretary Brown met with Mr. A.L. Gaventa owner of Cedarville Farms in Logan Township to highlight the success of a $3,800 United States Department of Agriculture Environmental Quality Incentives Program grant which enables farmers like Mr. Gaventa to reduce water consumption to irrigate their crops and limit pollution-causing run-off through innovative technologies.  Under this program, Mr. Gaventa was able to afford the cost of converting his old overhead irrigation system to a new trickle system that substantially reduces the amount of water needed to irrigate his crops, saving him money and significantly reducing runoff of harmful fertilizers and pesticides, saving the environment.  

Rep. Andrews and Secretary Brown concluded the day by meeting with Mr. Wally Eachus and other South Jersey dairy farmers at the Wellacrest Farms in Pitman to discuss efforts to include South Jersey dairy farms within the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact.  This designation would entitle NJ Dairy Farmers to the same cooperative agreement shared among dairy farmers of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, that allows farmers of these states to set a floor for the price they receive for the milk they produce.  The Northeast Dairy Compact established by Congress in 1996 is attributed with preserving regional dairy farming and ensuring the availability and affordability of fresh milk for consumers living in more urban areas.  In addition the Compact also promotes the preservation of open space and farmland throughout the United States.  Rep. Andrews has cosponsored legislation, H.R. 1827, which reauthorizes the Northeast Interstate Dairy Compact allowing the addition of Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania as well as permitting the establishment of the Southern Dairy Compact, a Pacific Northwest Dairy Compact, and an Intermountain Dairy Compact.