Editor’s Note: This article by Jonathan Amira appears in the Fall 2023 edition of the NJSBA Young Lawyers Division’s Dictum. YLD members can read the full issue here.
Jason Krisza, a New Jersey State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Trustee-At-Large, is on the Corporate and Health Law groups at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A., where he represents health care providers and individual health care professionals as well as businesses and business owners in a variety of legal disputes, business transactions, and regulatory matters affecting their operations. A graduate of Syracuse University College of Law School, Krisza has been named to New Jersey's "Rising Stars" list since 2017, Chambers USA since 2018, and "Ones to Watch" by Best Lawyers in America in 2023.
Outside of practice, Krisza lives on and operates a 20-acre farm, where he also raises crops and livestock.
1. Who or what inspired or motivated you to get into farming?
The idea of farming has always been intriguing to me. Growing up, my parents would take me to South Jersey, where we would drive past the mesmerizing rows of blueberries. My mother also took me on countless trips to the Rutgers Agricultural Museum. So I’ve grown up with a fascination and appreciation for agriculture and crops. However, I probably have to say that my childhood obsession with tractors and trucks (that I haven’t grown out of) has steered me into the life of a farmer. Regardless, I’ve always found the idea of farming appealing. A few years ago, my family and I moved to a house in South Brunswick that sits adjacent to a farm. Shortly after we moved in, the owners of the farm called it quits and we now call it Black Cat Acres.
2. Tell us what the process is like developing your own farm.
Developing a farm is a lot like developing a law firm. My brother-in-law and I hung up a shingle, started small, sought advice, and followed our vision to establish a sustainable farm located in the heart of Central Jersey. Like any venture, farming takes teamwork, long hours, and sweat. We have failed and we have succeeded. It’s the failures that make the successes that much sweeter because they teach us to appreciate what we’ve accomplished. Most recently, we developed a small-scale marketing plan during the holiday season to sell our Christmas trees and wreaths. It was exciting and challenging, and we are already looking to make some changes for the next holiday season.
3. Of all your prior extracurricular activities, what makes you stick with maintaining this one?
It is fun. I like physical labor, I like waking up early, and I like the idea of living off the land. It’s not a commercial enterprise (yet), but it’s a great way to live and be able to wake up, surrounded by land, when most of our hours as lawyers are spent indoors and surrounded by steel, glass, and concrete. Additionally, there’s the plus of being able to ride around on a tractor after my daily commute.
4. You are now an attorney with a substantial practice. How do you manage balancing the demands of your job and professional extracurriculars with raising a farm?
It is difficult, but our family works together to pick up the slack for one another when the other is busy. Sometimes there are some late hours at the office followed by later nights fixing a broken fence in the pouring rain. I treat the farm similar to the way I treat my legal practice, i.e., I always try to address problems proactively and provide for contingency plans so that when the unexpected arises, there’s a plan (and hopefully time) to address the issue. While I have a tough time heeding this advice, I try not to bite off more than I can chew.
5. What skills or lessons from farming that you believe crossed over in your practice surprised you the most?
Practicing law is a profession and farming is my hobby. However, at the end of the day, both are businesses and both of these businesses require marketing and confidence. Balancing these two businesses not only requires incredible time management skills, but also requires motivation to continue, even when things are frustrating or difficult. Moreover, farming has been a lesson in perseverance – you can’t take days off because the animals and crops need attention. Finally, farming allows me to connect with clients in different ways – goats and chickens are always a good conversation starter/ice breaker.
6. Please share with us something you have done recently in farming that you are particularly proud of, and/or a significant challenge within this activity you overcame.
We have been raising chicks since the summer of 2022; however, a fox raided the coop and had a nice meal, so we lost about a quarter of our flock. Soon after, hawks began to prey, and we lost another half of the flock. We’ve made some changes to our free ranging procedures and our chicks (now hens) have finally started laying eggs… just in time, given the rising cost of a dozen eggs.
7. What advice can you give someone who is looking at starting out in farming?
I am from the school of go big or go home, so I do not heed my own advice, but when it comes to farming, start small. It is easy to scale up your activities, but trying to scale back is difficult, overwhelming, and discouraging. There are easy ways to make farming accessible in the space you have – depending on municipal codes, you can have a few chickens in a small backyard coop, or even grow vegetables in a sunny window.