The Burlington County Commissioners celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first farms entering preservation on Friday and announced that another 478 acres of county farmland may soon be protected.
Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel and Commissioner Randy Brolo participated in Friday’s anniversary ceremony along with New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Edward Wengryn, State Agriculture Development Committee Director Charles “Chuck” Roohr, New Jersey Assemblywoman Andrea Katz, New Jersey Assemblyman Balvir Singh, Chesterfield Mayor Shreekant Dhopte and other local officials and farmers.
The ceremony was held at the Chesterfield Firehouse, which is the very same location Gov. Tom Kean visited in June 1985 to deliver a $412,650 check to Burlington 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.
In the ensuing four decades, more than 250,000 acres of farmland have been preserved across New Jersey, including 31,000 acres in Burlington County that were 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.
“In Burlington County, we recognize the vital importance of agriculture to our economy, environment and quality of life,” said Commissioner Eckel, the liaison to the County Department of Resource Conservation and the Farmland Preservation Program. “It’s why we continue to target more farms and open space for protection. It’s good policy for our farmers and the agriculture industry and it’s also a win for our residents who value living in a county with a green landscape and freshly grown food.”
Commissioner Brolo also praised the preservation program.
“Burlington County is where the farmland preservation program was born and we continue to lead the state, and rank in the top 10 nationally, with more than 67,000 acres in total farmland preserved,” Commissioner Brolo said. “It’s an extraordinary accomplishment and a credit to Burlington County residents who have steadfastly supported Burlington County’s open space preservation efforts and our many dedicated farmers. Even as we celebrate four decades of preservation, we know the job of protecting our farms is not complete, so we remain committed to saving more of the remaining farmland and open space for current and future generations.”
Targeting another 478 acres for preservation
During the anniversary event, the Commissioners delivered an update on the latest farmland preservation developments, revealing that the board voted last week to give preliminary approval for another four farms to enter the county’s preservation program. The County 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:
- Jean Throop West Farm in Tabernacle, 73 acres
- Jean Throop East Farm in Tabernacle, 72 acres
- D.R. Horton property in Lumberton, 226 acres
- Susan and Dennis Roohr Farm in New Hanover, 107 acres.
In addition to those four farms, the County officials announced that the owners of four of the 11 County farms approved to enter the farmland preservation program last year have now accepted the County’s offer. Another five owners are still considering.
“The agreements we’ve reached amount to another 306 acres of preserved farmland, and we remain hopeful that more farmers will ultimately decide to enter preservation,” said Eckel. “This is how we can guard against overdevelopment and ensure that agriculture remains a strong, viable industry in Burlington County and New Jersey.”
In addition to applauding Burlington 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 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.
“I’m very proud of both Burlington County and Chesterfield for all that they’ve contributed by preserving land. In fact, Chesterfield’s percentage of preserved farms is the highest of any town in the state. That’s an extraordinary achievement,” said Assemblywoman Katz. “South Jersey’s beautiful farms help make our region a special place to live, and these preservation programs help ensure the farms remain here for generations to come.”