Frelinghuysen, NJ – Located within Frelinghuysen Township in rural Warren County, the tiny unincorporated community of Marksboro may have fewer than 200 residents, but it also has something that very few other New Jersey towns have — a local, independent flour mill. At River Valley Community Grains, based at Marksboro Mills, miller Larry Mahmarian and his partners are fulfilling their mission to encourage regenerative, restorative agricultural practices while bringing together farmers, bakers, and the community in a working space that benefits both their participating farmers and the public.

Frelinghuysen, NJ – When most people hear the term “food processor,” they picture a small kitchen appliance, but within the food system, a processor is a critical and often unseen link between the producer and the consumer. In the United States, 83 percent of agricultural production lies in the hardworking hands of family farmers and ranchers, but corporate control of the production chain results in those farmers receiving an average of only 15 cents on the retail dollar for their products. Off-farm expenses, i.e., processing, manufacturing, distribution, and wholesale and retail marketing, mean that back on the farm, producers are left without much to put in the coffers or reinvest in their next season’s work. 

Atlantic County, NJ - Food systems can be complex entities, often finding the consumer far removed from the producer. Long-haul shipping brings fruits and vegetables across oceans and continents, eggs appear uncannily uniform in their factory-farm cartons, and meat, fish, and fowl, diapered and wrapped in plastic, greet shoppers from neat rows in grocery store coolers.

Trenton, NJ – The Trump administration and its Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) dealt New Jersey’s food system a devastating and disappointing blow in March with the cancellation of more than $26 million in funds slated for the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and Local Food for Schools (LFS) cooperative agreement programs. These programs, administered by the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS), allow organizations like food banks and schools to purchase food directly from local producers.