The
State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC)
sold two permanently preserved farms -- one in
Warren County and the other in Gloucester and Salem
counties -- at public auctions held today in Trenton. "With
today's auctions, the SADC has purchased, preserved
and resold 10 farms totaling more than 1,700 acres
of farmland in a matter of months," said Agriculture
Secretary Art Brown, Jr. "Thanks to increased funding
under Governor Whitman's million-acre preservation
initiative, we've been able to step in and buy
more of these properties that are up for sale --
farms that often face the greatest threat of development." Robert
A. LeCompte of Lebanon, Hunterdon County, offered
the winning bid of $350,000 to purchase the 136-acre
former Blazier farm located along Port Colden Road
in Mansfield and Washington Townships, Warren County.
The SADC had purchased the farm in January for
$750,000. Mr. LeCompte owns Valley Crest Farm in
Lebanon. Robert A. Kessel of Monroeville, Salem
County, placed the high bid of $310,000 to purchase
a 261-acre farm consisting of three tracts in Franklin
Township, Gloucester County, and Upper Pittsgrove
Township, Salem County. Mr. Kessel, the owner of
Kessel's Nursery, plans to expand his current 100-acre
nursery operations. The farm he purchased fronts
along both sides of Willow Grove Road, Monroeville
Road and Garrison Road in Franklin Township. A
total 107 acres are located in Upper Pittsgrove
Township. The farm was part of the 1,076-acre Sunnydale-Gracemark
properties, which the SADC purchased in January
for $4.4 million, including $750,000 in cost-sharing
assistance from Gloucester County. The SADC sold
the remainder of the properties -- five preserved
farms -- at auction in March. Altogether, the five
farms sold for $1.375 million. The SADC acquired
all of the farms in fee simple. Under this method,
the SADC purchases farms outright from willing
sellers, then resells them at auction with agricultural
deed restrictions in place. Prior to the Garden
State Preservation Trust Act, approximately 3,100
acres had been preserved under the fee simple program
over the past 10 years. Proceeds from all auction
sales are returned to the Farmland Preservation
Program and used to preserve other New Jersey farms.
The
State Agriculture Development Committee administers
the Farmland Preservation Program. To date, 419
farms totaling 62,231 acres have been permanently
protected through the program, with an additional
14,804 acres approved for preservation. |