"The preservation of these 13 farms means that nearly 1,200 more acres of Burlington County farmland will remain open and productive," said Secretary Brown, who chairs the SADC. "That's great news for everyone who lives in Burlington County, and for New Jersey's agricultural industry, which depends on a stable land base to survive." The SADC purchased the Limm farm yesterday for $650,000 under its fee simple program. Under this program, the SADC purchases farms outright from willing sellers, deed restricts them to ensure permanent agricultural use and resells the farms at auction to the highest bidders. Besides ensuring permanent preservation of the land, this program also provides other farmers with opportunities to purchase land at affordable prices that reflect only farmland value, not development potential. The grants issued today reimburse Burlington County for approximately 70 percent of the purchase price for the development rights on the 12 additional farms. The grants were issued under the SADC's county grants program. Under this program, landowners sell their development rights to the county. They continue to own the land, but give up the right to develop it for anything other than agricultural purposes.