New Member Takes Seat on State Board of Agriculture

Warren County farmer Richard Gardner was sworn into his term on the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture today during the Board’s monthly meeting.

Gardner, representing the hay and grain industry, owns and operates Spring Ridge Farm in Asbury which consists of 225 owned and rented acres. His farm grows hay, corn, soybeans, barley and oats, while also raising 90 head of commercial beef, 1,000 broilers yearly, and 25 to 30 hogs for private customers.

“Rick’s extensive experience as a farmer and involvement with government provide an excellent background for his service to the State Board of Agriculture,” New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Ed Wengryn said. “He understands the many issues the agriculture community is facing, and his knowledge and insights will be invaluable in advancing the industry.”

Gardner is a fifth-generation farmer who has dedicated decades to agriculture and public service in New Jersey. Along with retired Agricultural Agent Everett Chamberlain, Gardner started the Warren County Livestock Association in 1981 and has been an active member of the Warren County Board of Agriculture since 1988, where he has served as President, Vice-President, and Secretary, and is still an active member. Gardner has been a member of the Rutgers Board of Managers, which included a trip to Washington, D.C., to lobby for full funding of the Land Grant Mission. Since 1994, he has been a member of the New Jersey Beef Industry Council. He is also a member of the New Jersey and American Farm Bureau, a 50-year member of the Livestock Cooperative Auction Market Association of North Jersey, where he is the director, and was co-chair of the Garden State Grazing Coalition from 1999-2005.

Gardner’s contributions extend to local government and community organizations. He was a member of the Franklin Township Planning Board from 1985 to 2002, serving as chairman from 1995 to 2002. He is a current member of the Franklin Township Open Space Commission and was a Warren County 4-H leader for several years. In 2002, he was elected to his first term on the Warren County Board of Chosen Freeholders followed by five more terms, serving from 2003, until 2021. During his time in that role, he restored the county courthouse and improved the county library system, resulting in the library headquarters being named the Richard D. Gardner Library.

Gardner is a graduate of the New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program, which included visiting Washington, D.C., and traveling to Chile to expand his governmental and international agriculture knowledge. He also holds a degree from Delaware Valley College.

Gardner joins other board members with the county and commodity groups they represent in Board President Bob Blew, Cumberland, nursery; Vice-President Lisa Specca, Burlington, vegetable; Kurt Alstede, Morris, fruit; David DeFrange II, Hunterdon, nursery; John Hart, Mercer, hay and grain; Stephen V. Lee IV, Burlington, fruit; and Joel Vierick, Gloucester, vegetable.

The State Board of Agriculture comprises eight members who serve for four years. By law, at least four of its members must represent the top commodity groups in the state, which are nursery, vegetable, fruit, and grain.