(LAFAYETTE TOWNSHIP) - Agriculture Secretary Charles
M. Kuperus today applauded the preservation of the
135-acre Scott Farm, and highlighted the importance
of Public Question #1 on the November 4th ballot to
make available more state funding for open space and
farmland preservation.
"When we invest in our land, we're making an investment in our future -
in strengthening agriculture and protecting the quality of life in communities
like this for generations to come," said Secretary Kuperus. "That is
why Public Question #1 on the November ballot is so important."
Kuperus said the constitutional amendment would make available $150 million
more to acquire and protect open space and farmland, as well as to fund
park development in densely populated cities, older suburbs and other
developed communities - without placing additional costs on New Jersey
taxpayers.
Kuperus spoke at Edward and Jane Scott's recently preserved 135-acre
farm on a hilltop overlooking a significant segment of the Highlands.
So far, four farms covering 1,019 acres in Lafayette Township have been
preserved at a cost of $2.2 million. The Scott farm was preserved through
the Sussex County Farmland Preservation Program for $547,000, of which
the state paid $383,000 of the cost. The easement purchase means the
land will remain in private hands but has been permanently restricted
by easement for agricultural use.
Jane Scott said it was an important family goal to see the farm permanently
preserved. Ed and Jane spent decades running an award-winning dairy operation
with Guernsey cows until selling the herd in 1998 and converting to a
full-time hay farm in preparation for retirement. The Scotts recently
contracted to sell the deed-restricted farm and plan to move nearby so
Ed can continue helping the new owner farm the land.
"Ed probably will never retire completely," Jane said. "He has
always loved farming. He was born in the house on the farm, he grew up on the
farm and he has been farming here his entire life." Jane said it would have
broken their hearts to see the land developed. "We could have made a lot
of money having houses through there. We just did not want to see that," she
said.
The State Agriculture Development Committee, established in 1983, is
an 11-member board. To date, 948 farms totaling 112,746 acres have been
preserved statewide. |