HOWELL – In a ongoing effort to preserve farmland in Howell, the Mon-mouth County Board of Freeholders has announced that 15 additional acres of farmland have been acquired.
The newest acquisitions are the Brooklyn Cowboy Farm, a standardbred boarding and training operation, and the Peacock Farm, an ornamental nursery farm.
Development rights to both farms were secured within the last two months.
According to a press release from the freeholders, the Brooklyn Cowboy Farm is within 10 miles of two preserved farms and five active acquisition projects. The Peacock Farm is less than a half-mile from a farm that will be preserved in July. Both properties are near the Manasquan Reservoir.
Freeholder Director William C. Barham applauded the acquisitions.
“The county is excited that Howell is preserving farms at such a rapid pace and is committed to working with the township on future farmland preservation efforts,” he said. “Farmland preservation allows us to continue growing the local produce that so many county residents enjoy throughout these summer months and supports an important sector of the Monmouth County economy.”
The Monmouth County farmland preservation program is overseen by the Monmouth County Agriculture Develop-ment Board (MCADB) and administered by staff of the Monmouth County Planning Board. Land owners who participate in the program sell the development rights of their properties for a value determined by two independent appraisers. The property remains in private ownership and can be used for any agricultural purpose.
“The preservation of farmland in Monmouth County creates many benefits for agricultural industry producers and consumers in addition to protecting the environment and maintaining the rural character of Monmouth County,” MCADB Chairman Joseph McCarthy said. “Without the financial support of the freeholders, we could not have preserved the 106 farms comprising 9,835 acres that have been protected so far all across the county.”
Freeholder Lillian Burry agreed.
“The preservation of these farms will further strengthen the agricultural industry in Howell, where numerous farms have been preserved in the past few years,” she said. “We are pleased to be working with such a committed farmland preservation partner.”
The farms were preserved through the Planning Incentive Grant (PIG) farmland preservation program. PIG provides state grants to eligible counties and municipalities to purchase agricultural easements on farms in designated project areas. This arrangement empowers local municipalities to take the lead in safeguarding their farmland resour-ces. The recent acquisitions were a cooperative effort on the part of the Mon-mouth County Board of Freeholders, the Monmouth County Planning Board, the State Agriculture Development Commit-tee, the township of Howell and the Monmouth Conservation Foundation.
“We are grateful for the financial and technical support of Monmouth County and the state of New Jersey that enables us to continue our preservation efforts,” said John Costigan, chairman of the Howell Preservation Task Force. “With the support of our community and the Board of Freeholders, we will be able to preserve many more acres of this threatened resource.”
The Board of Freeholders currently provides financial resources in support of farmland preservation efforts to 10 municipalities. The Monmouth County Planning Board provides technical support. Those municipalities comprise most of the county’s remaining farmland and its overall land base.