Farm issues explored during Hopewell Township forum

Starting a farm, running a farm and selling a farm’s development rights were among issues addressed at spring Farm Forum, sponsored by the Hopewell Township Agricultural Advisory Committee.

By John Tredrea
   Starting a farm, running a farm and selling a farm’s development rights were among the many issues that formed a lively, many-faceted discussion at the spring Farm Forum, sponsored by the Hopewell Township Agricultural Advisory Committee on April 24.
   About 60 people attended the session held at the municipal building.
   Welcoming them, Lucia Stout Huebner said of the forum: "We want to build a cheering section and information network for people trying to make a living by farming and for anyone interested in farming."
   Ms. Huebner raises horses and pastured beef cattle on Beechtree Farm off Crusher Road. "One of the most important things we can do to support local farming is to buy products from local farmers," she added.
   The forum offered presentations by several speakers, including Kelly Harding, who runs Cherry Grove Farm in Lawrenceville. The pastured farm off Route 206 raises pasture-fed beef, pork and poultry.
   Mr. Harding described himself as an alternative farmer and stressed that keeping land in pasture is efficient because so much of the energy needed to produce the pasture’s grass is free.
   "Solar energy is free, making it the least expensive form of energy," he said. He said animals grazing on the pasture convert the solar energy into forms usable by humans — milk and meat.
   "This is an efficient type farming," he said. "Its efficiency gives us time to think about marketing what we produce on the farm and other problems we need to think about. For instance, New Jersey’s dense population tends to be looked at as a disadvantage to farming. But it’s not. It means we have more people here to sell our products to. Being an efficient farmer will give you time to think about what an opportunity like that represents and how you should respond to it."
   Mr. Harding said he leases the land he farms, and he advised against trying to buy a farm and learning how to farm at the same time. "That’s too much to take on," he said. "I’ve been working on all kinds of farms since I was 13 years old. The people who own the land I farm have no experience in farming, but they want to see the land keep its rural character. We’re working together to bring our respective visions to life. Frankly, I have no interest in owning the land. I’m interested in farming."
   Susan Gange’s niche in agriculture is considerably different from Mr. Harding’s. She raises orchids in a 2,400-square-foot greenhouse on 14 acres off Elm Ridge Road. She recounted the trials and tribulations of starting her orchid enterprise from scratch "It’s been worth it," she said. "Having your own business is great. You control your own destiny. What I’m doing now is the best thing for me. I’ve loved growing things since I was 12 years old."
   By way of encouragement, she said, "It’s easy to grow things in New Jersey. You just throw seeds in the ground and things grow — unless the deer eat them."
   Ms. Gange has a degree in marketing, but quit the corporate world after trying it for a few years. "Office work in advertising and market research wasn’t too fulfilling for me," she said. "So we moved here, to our 14-acre farm, in 1995 and started building our greenhouse, with no experience or training in greenhouse construction. We made probably every possible mistake along the way and dealt with the frustration of contractor no-shows. But we were able to start growing our first crop of commercial orchids in 1996."
   She advised anyone interested in building a greenhouse to investigate the matter thoroughly first. One good source of information, she said, is the Web site of Cook College (division of Rutgers University devoted to agriculture). Key issues are the amount of sun a prospective greenhouse site gets, the quantity and quality of available water, temperature control, an alarm system to warn you when the temperature in the greenhouse goes too high or low and pest control.
   The advantages, financial and otherwise, of selling development rights of farms were summarized by Wade Martin, a vice president with the financial firm, Paine Weber.
   "You can harvest development rights as well as corn, beef and orchids," Mr. Martin said. "And you can make a lot of money doing it."
   Selling development rights to land means the land will be deed-restricted, usually forever, against development. Meanwhile, the farmer who has sold those rights can continue to own, live on, and farm the land.
   Development rights can be purchased by state, county, or local government agencies, nonprofit groups (such as Hopewell Valley Friends of Open Space), or by two or more of those entities working together.
   "You have so many different options. Don’t be afraid to get an attorney and explore them," Mr. Martin said. "The worst thing that can happen is that your land will have to be sold by your heirs after you die, so they pay the estate taxes. Believe me, that can happen, and has happened — many times. Educate yourself in this area. You’ll be amazed at what your options are."