The
State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC)
today auctioned a 276-acre Salem County farm back
into private ownership with deed restrictions that
protect both the agricultural and historic value
of the property -- a first under the state Farmland
Preservation Program. "The preservation of this
farm serves a two-fold purpose," said Agriculture
Secretary Art Brown, Jr., who chairs the SADC. "It
protects the land forever from nonagricultural
use but, at the same time, we've been able to protect
an important piece of New Jersey's history." Both
farmland and historic preservation are important
components of Governor Christie Whitman's million-acre
open space preservation program. The former Strang
farm in Mannington and Alloway townships was purchased
by Surryya Manhas of Flushing, N.Y., for the high
bid of $355,000. The SADC purchased the farm for
$619,000 in March through its fee simple program.
Under this program, the SADC buys a farm outright
from a willing seller, then resells it at auction
with an agricultural easement that permanently
preserves the land for farming.
The SADC also placed a second easement on the farm to ensure protection
of its historic structure - a 2-1/2 story vernacular Greek Revival-Italianate
style brick house built in 1864. Preservation New Jersey earlier this
year had included the house on its list of the 10 most endangered historic
sites in the state. This marked the first time that the SADC added
deed restrictions to a farm to protect historic value. Proceeds from
all auction sales are returned to the state Farmland Preservation Program
and used to preserve other New Jersey farms. The SADC administers the
state Farmland Preservation Program. To date, 466 farms totaling 68,103
acres have been permanently preserved under the program.
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