Chester’s Kurt Alstede Joins New Jersey Board Of Agriculture

CHESTER, NJ — Kurt Alstede, General Manager of Alstede Farms, was recently sworn in for a seat on New Jersey’s State Board of Agriculture.

Alstede took his oath during the Board of Agriculture’s reorganization meeting on July 28 at the Horse Park of New Jersey, along with Lisa Specca of Specca Farms in Bordentown.

The two are filling seats that Erick Doyle of Stanton and Alfred Natali of Cape May Courthouse, had sat in, with their terms up in 2021. According to the roster from 2021, Doyle and Natali were the board’s president and vice president.

“Lisa Specca and Kurt Alstede offer a wide range of experience and expertise that will greatly benefit the farmers and the entire agricultural community in our state,” New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher stated in a news release.

“Their perspectives will aid in the continued advancement of agriculture in the Garden State,” Fisher added about Alstede and Specca.

Alstede also serves on Morris County’s Board of Agriculture and was president of that board from 2003 to 2004. He is a director on Farm Credit East and is a member of New Jersey’s Farm Bureau. He has also been with the New Jersey State Committee of the Farm Service Agency and New Jersey Agricultural Leadership Development Program.

Alstede Farms, one of the farms which drives agritourism to the region, regularly staffs 30 full-time employees and approximately 200 in seasonal jobs.

In the role of president and vice president of the board, David DeFrange of Frenchtown was elected president and Ernest Beier of Mickleton, vice president, at the reorganization meeting.

Each of the board’s eight members fulfill a four-year term, with a minimum of four of them representing “the top commodity groups in the state,” said Jeff Wolfe, a spokesman for the Board of Agriculture.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.