Barbara Davis, of the Land Conservancy of New Jersey, discussed the Gloucester County 2024 updated Farmland Preservation Plan on Jan. 14.
More farms will be preserved in Mantua, Franklin, Deptford, East Greenwich and West Deptford townships as the Gloucester County Agriculture Development Board (GCADB) unanimously approved the 2024 updated Farmland Preservation Plan during its Jan. 14 meeting in Clarksboro.
But the plan also removes a 24-acre farm previously protected to enable the landowner to build 31 homes and donate a portion of the land and infrastructure to Harrison Township for a new sewer pumping station.
Despite an objection by Tom Allen, principal planner for the State Agriculture Development Committee, all six board GCADB members voted for the updated plan after Solicitor Eric M. Campo advised that “the board has a long history of trying to work with municipalities.”
Harrison requested the removal of the farm from the Raccoon Creek Project Agriculture Development Area (ADA) so the municipality could apply for grant funding to install a pumping station, according to Barbara Davis of the Land Conservancy of New Jersey, who gave a presentation before the vote.
Allen told the board that the state believes “this is a misuse of a redevelopment area” and asked the members to deliberate this issue further.
“The landowner does not want to be part of the ADA, he wants to build 31 single-family homes,” said township Solicitor Brian Duffield, adding that the new pumping station is necessary and provides a public benefit.
Before the meeting vote, several GCADB members emphasized that the landowner has the right to do what they want with the ground under the parameters of the preservation plan. Unanimously approving the 2024 plan were West Kandle III, Russell Marino, Robert Curtis, Joel Viereck, Wally Eachus, Charles Romick and Mike Visalli.
Davis had opened the meeting describing the details of the county’s Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan, created in 2008 and first updated in 2015.
“The county is updating this plan to remain eligible for matching funds through the state’s farmland program,” explained Davis, referring to a map showing that there are 57,213 acres of farm assessed land in the county, of which 20,866 acres are preserved.
Since completion of the 2015 update, some 96 more farms were included, totaling 4,232 acres, she noted. With the 2024 update, the GCADB had designated land that has potential for long-term agricultural viability.
A new project in Mantua will include five farm parcels adjacent to the James Atkinson Memorial Park. The Pineland South Project Area in Franklin Township will be expanded with 16 farm parcels totaling 172 acres.
At the Mantua Creek project in Deptford, 344 acres of farm assessed land will be added to the ADA, while 29 acres of eligible farmland will be added to the Repaupo-Mantua Creek Project Area in West Deptford, as well as two preserved farms in East Greenwich.
Davis then showed a map of target farms, totaling 15,686 acres, of remaining unpreserved farmland that may be eligible for preservation.
“The Gloucester County Agricultural Development Board is dedicated to the preservation of the county’s productive farmland, farms and farmers,” Davis stated. “To that end, the board is committed to preserving additional farmland and providing the economic infrastructure and support of the farming community in Gloucester County.”
She said the county has 78,154 acres of prime farmland soils and the farmers are making great use of it.
“From 2017 to 2022, Gloucester County’s agricultural sales have increased by 33 percent,” Davis said.
The produce grown by the farmers includes hay and other crops, vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, grains, oilseeds and dry beans. Also included in the figures are nursery and greenhouse sales, as well as Christmas trees.
The success of the county’s farmland plan and the farmers who work the soil “has been quite remarkable,” Davis maintained.
