“I’ve told so many people that [
Jerry Miller; Charles Kuperus
Owner, farmersonly.com; New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture, respectively
Jerry Miller of Ohio likes playing match maker. That's why he launched the website farmersonly.com. Miller created the site in May after listening to a divorced farmer speak of her dating woes who had tried other online dating sites but couldn't find a Mr. Right who understood her rural lifestyle.
Did you know that New Jersey is:
(1) First in the nation in the production of fresh market blueberries [2nd overall]; (2) Fourth in the nation in the production of cranberries, peaches and spinach; (3) Eighth in the nation in the production of tomatoes [first in taste!] (4) The number-one exporter of produce to Quebec [sixth to Ontario]? That's why New Jersey is The Garden State.
The Guys welcome New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Charles Kuperus to talk about the wonderful bounty of New Jersey produce. Most New Jersey farms, even the largest, are family owned and operated. The Department of Agriculture is responsible for the "Jersey Fresh" program, one of the first such state run programs in the nation and certainly one of the most successful.
The program helps connect producers with markets. An example is the farm market at Journal Square in Jersey City where every week a farmer from Vineland drives up with 2 truck loads of his produce and sells out every week. Another successful market was run by teenagers in front of City Hall in Bayonne. There has also been an explosion of roadside farm stands - 45 new stands opened in the past year.
MP3 Available: Click here to listen, right click to download.- Links
Podcast Date: 2/1/2006
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