2-07-2025 8:41am

FOUR RECIPIENTS HONORED FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE

Donnella Tilery Editor

(TRENTON) – The New Jersey State Board of Agriculture presented three Distinguished Service to Agriculture Citations to four individuals during the 110th New Jersey State Agricultural Convention earlier this week.

Those honored at the Joint Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey and State Agricultural Convention Dinner Banquet on Wednesday, February 5, were former New Jersey Department of Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher and farmers Richard and Rosina Byma, and John Rigolizzo Jr. (posthumously).

“The dedication and service that each of these individuals have given to New Jersey agriculture make their recognition well deserved,” NJDA Secretary Edward Wengryn said. “Their common thread of using their roles and resources to educate and advance our industry provide a solid foundation for the future of agriculture here in the Garden State.”

Douglas Fisher of Gloucester County served as the seventh New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture from 2009 until his retirement on July 1, 2023. The State Board of Agriculture’s appointment of Fisher as Secretary was approved by Governor Jon S. Corzine on Feb. 10, 2009. At the time, he was serving as a member of the General Assembly. Governor Chris Christie issued a statement in January of 2010 supporting Fisher’s continued service and Governor Philip Murphy accepted the State Board of Agriculture’s recommendation for Fisher to continue as Secretary in January of 2018.

Fisher has been the treasurer of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), President of Food Export-Northeast, and President of the Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture. In 2014, he was awarded the Thomas W. Kelly New Jersey Food and Council Government Service Award; in 2010, he received an Honorary American FFA Degree; In 2009, he was given the South Jersey Freeholders Southern Star Award; in 2008, he was named the Legislator of the Year by the New Jersey Nursery and Landscape Association; and in 2005, New Jersey Farm Bureau named him Legislator of the Year.

As a state legislator, Fisher was the prime sponsor of the law to ban harvesting of Horseshoe Crabs, which enhanced the survival of many endangered migratory shorebirds in the Western Hemisphere. He also introduced the original bill to limit the use of handheld cell phones in motor vehicles.

Richard and Rosina Byma of Sussex County have been dairy farmers for more than 50 years. They farm more than 600 acres of land they rent and own. The Bymas have made it their mission to educate the public about dairy farming as they have given tours of their farm and facilities.

The Bymas and their four children have been active in 4-H and at the New Jersey State Fair and Sussex County Farm and Horse Show for decades. This has included Rosina being director of the Open Dairy Show for many years. Rosina has organized, guided, and managed the dairy show and the dairy barns and is known for her generosity by helping 4-Hers and anyone who has questions.

Rich has served as director of the milking parlor at the fair for decades. The milking parlor is a popular educational and interactive exhibit at the fair. He has also been a member of the Fair Foundation for many years, raising money for improvements to the fairgrounds. The Bymas were instrumental in the construction of the agriculture areas at the fair, including all of the barns and the milking parlor.

The Byma’s son, Henry, who was New Jersey’s Outstanding Young Farmer Award winner in 2015, is dedicated to working on the farm and in 2007, along with Rich and Rosina, and his wife Christine and grandson Richard, formed the company By-Acres Holsteins making it a fourth-generation dairy farm.

The Bymas have promoted agriculture and the dairy industry by hosting several events throughout the years. These have included a venison dinner each March, an on-farm greenhouse that sells plants throughout the summer, and Rosina’s interior painting business in the winter.

John Rigolizzo Jr. was honored posthumously after passing away on November 11, 2024. A Camden County resident, he was a fifth-generation farmer of vegetables and field corn for retail and wholesale markets. He was known for helping local, state, national and international farmers to improve their well-being. He served on numerous committees and organizations on behalf of the agricultural community.

Rigolizzo served with many industry and local groups. They included being a Director and Past President (1996-2002) of the New Jersey Farm Bureau, a Past President, Director and Treasurer of the Vegetable Growers Association of New Jersey, and a Past Chairman and Commissioner for the Camden County Mosquito Commission. He also served with the American Farm Bureau, the Global Farmer Network, on the Farm Family Board of Directors, the State Agriculture Development Committee, the Camden County Peach Festival, the Camden County Agriculture Development Board, and the New Jersey Agricultural Society.

John was bestowed several awards over the years. They included the New Jersey Agricultural Society Distinguished Service Award, the New Jersey Agricultural Society Gold Medallion Award, a Bergen County Distinguished Service Award, the Bishop Eustace Excalibur Award for Excellence and Achievement, a Gloucester County Distinguished Service Award, a Farm Family Certificate of Appreciation, an Honorary FFA Degree, and the Art West Distinguished Service to New Jersey Farm Bureau honor.

John was also a volunteer board member of Truth About Trade & Technology which supports the use of biotechnology in agriculture. John wrote articles for numerous publications to help educate the public about many of the issues that farmers and the agricultural community face.

Organizations who qualify to send delegates to the New Jersey State Agricultural Convention may nominate a state farmer for the Distinguished Service Award. For more information, visit https://www.nj.gov/agriculture/about/sba/guidelin.html.