Upper Freehold lauded as state leader in preserving farms
By Joanne Degnan, Managing Editor
During a Salem County event to mark the state’s milestone of reaching 200,000 acres of preserved farmland, Upper Freehold received special recognition for having the most preserved farms of any municipality.
Deputy Mayor Steve Alexander accepted the award Oct. 9 on behalf of the Upper Freehold Township Committee. Upper Freehold has 93 farms totaling 9,219 acres that have been preserved since 1985 with state, county and local funds through the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program.
The statewide farmland preservation milestone was celebrated in Upper Pittsgrove at Cassaday Farms, one of the state’s largest vegetable farms and whose recent preservation helped New Jersey reach the 200,000-acre mark.
”The preservation of 200,000 acres of farmland is an extraordinary achievement that underscores New Jersey’s continued reputation as a national leader in farmland preservation,” state Agriculture Secretary Douglas Fisher said.
”This accomplishment would not have been possible without the strong commitment of all the farmland preservation partners all levels of government, the nonprofit community, farm owners and the voters who have consistently supported farmland preservation funding,” he said.
The State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) administers New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation Program, which was established in 1983.
During 2012, the SADC helped permanently preserve 4,379 acres of farmland statewide in its march to the 200,000-acre milestone including 634 acres in Upper Freehold. The state paid 60 percent of the cost of purchasing development easements for these local farms, with the county and township paying the remainder.
Under the program, landowners retain ownership of the land, but sell future development rights. The sale price is based on the difference between what a developer would pay for the land and what it is worth as farmland.
Once the property is preserved, a permanent deed restriction is placed on the property preventing it from being used for anything beside agriculture. The deed restriction is binding on the current owner and any future owner of the land.
The 634 acres of farmland saved in Upper Freehold in 2012 were part of the $27.8 million Princeton Nurseries deal, the largest joint farmland preservation and open space acquisition initiative in the state’s history.
The agreement involved a total of 1,900 acres in Upper Freehold, North Hanover and Hamilton townships. The transaction involved $11.4 million for farmland preservation easements on a total of 900 acres in the three communities.
The remaining 1,000 acres included in the Princeton Nurseries land deal were purchased outright for $16.4 million and preserved as open space. Funding for the open space acquisitions came from the state, local and county governments in Mercer, Monmouth and Burlington counties, and nonprofit open-space organizations.

