Over the past 40 years, more than 250,000 acres of farmland have been preserved across New Jersey, including 31,000 acres in Burlington County. County leaders and officials celebrated the anniversary of the preservation at the Chesterfield Firehouse on June 27.
The Burlington County Commissioners celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first farms entering preservation on June 27 at the Chesterfield Firehouse, the same place former Gov. Tom Kean visited in 1985 to deliver a $412,650 check to the county.
The payment covered New Jersey’s 50% share of the cost to preserve five Chesterfield farms and put an end to a developer’s plan to build 1,100 homes on those properties. The purchases marked the first time that the development rights for New Jersey farms were acquired through the state’s fledgling farm preservation program, which was created in 1983 with the signing of the Agriculture Retention and Development Rights Act.
“Gov. Kean knew he was making history that day,” said county Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel, liaison to the county Department of Resource Conservation and the Farmland Preservation Program. “He predicted many more New Jersey farms would follow the same path as the five in Chesterfield.
“Forty years later, I can proudly say his prediction has been proven correct.”
More than 250,000 acres of farmland have been preserved across New Jersey, including 31,000 acres protected by Burlington County’s farmland preservation program and its partnership with the state Agriculture Development Committee. Another 36,000 acres have been saved by other preservation programs.
“Burlington County isn’t just where the farmland preservation program was born,” Eckel explained. “We continue to be a leader, with more than 67,000 acres of total farmland preserved. That ranks our county number one in New Jersey and in the top 10 nationally.
“It’s an extraordinary accomplishment accredited by Burlington County residents who have so vastly supported our county’s open space preservation program,” she added. “It’s also because of strong leaders and dedicated farmers that we have reached this milestone.”
Eckel and fellow Commissioner Randy Brolo participated in the anniversary ceremony along with the state secretary of agriculture, Edward Wengryn; Agriculture Development Committee Director Charles “Chuck” Roohr; Assemblywoman Andrea Katz; Assemblyman Balvir Singh; Chesterfield Mayor Shreekant Dhopte; and other local officials and farmers.
During the event, the commissioners delivered an update on the latest farmland preservation developments, revealing that the board recently voted to give preliminary approval for another four farms to enter the county’s preservation program. Burlington will now obtain appraisals and make offers to purchase the development rights for the farms to have them deed restricted to remain in agriculture.
The farmers would retain the ownership of the land. If agreements are reached with all four farms, another 478 acres would be preserved across Tabernacle, Lumberton and New Hanover.
The four farms that received preliminary approval are the Jean Throop West Farm in Tabernacle (73 acres); the Jean Throop East Farm in Tabernacle (72 acres); the D.R. Horton property in Lumberton (226 acres); and the Susan and Dennis Roohr Farm in New Hanover (107 acres).
In addition to those, county officials announced that the owners of four of the 11 county farms approved for the preservation program last year have now accepted the county’s offer. Another five owners are still considering.
In addition to applauding the county’s preservation program, officials also highlighted Chesterfield’s success. Approximately 90% of the town’s eligible farmland is now preserved both through state and county easement purchases and its landmark Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program.
Under TDR, developers are required to purchase development credits from landowners in so-called “sending areas” targeted for preservation, to build at higher density on land in the town’s “receiving zone,” where growth is encouraged. Through the smart-growth program, developers have paid to preserve thousands of acres of farmland in the rural township.
“Preservation isn’t just important for farmers,” Eckel emphasized. “It’s an investment that’s essential to our economy and our quality of life. Our board is proud to continue this mission by supporting our farmers and prioritizing preservation.”
