New Data Shows NJ Fails Miserably At Being The Garden State

It feels like everybody in New Jersey is trying get a chicken coop for their backyard. A bunch of my friends now have chickens. Some of them I'd never expect to want any parts of that, but here we are. That got me thinking...hobby farming the latest trend sweeping through New Jersey's newest homeowners?

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Hobby Farming In New Jersey

Hobby farming is when people grow their own food or raise animals on a small-scale farm, often for personal use rather than profit. Over the last few years, it's become popular because many people want to have control over what they eat. With concerns increasing every single day about harmful ingredients and chemicals in store-bought food, hobby farming is a solution that allows people to grow healthier, organic produce and raise animals in a way that aligns with their values. It’s also a way to connect with nature, reduce stress, and enjoy a more sustainable lifestyle.

They don't call New Jersey "The Garden State" for nothing, right? ....RIGHT?

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Apparently, gardening and farming aren't the first two things that come to mind when the majority of the country thinks of Jersey. New data has been collected by LawnLove.com that is able to determine the best states for hobby farming in all of America. Jersey's standing is a joke. We're nowhere even close to the top. You'd think we'd at least be in the top 20, right? South Jersey's FULL of farmland.

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When forming the list, everything from land and environmental conditions to agricultural resources and legal policies had to be considered. Why plenty of people have small hobby farms (or something smaller-scale), New Jersey's lack of available land really hit our ranking where it hurts.

Nope. As a matter of fact, we fall in at number 34 out of 48. They left out Hawaii and Alaska from the survey. That's shocking for us NJ residents to hear considering our state's nickname is literally 'The Garden State.' Is it time the state found another one? Sure, not all of us have a lot of land, but we do what we can. Sidebar: did they even analyze South Jersey at all?