Michael
Catalano of Salem is the proud new owner of the
former Geck Farm in Mannington Township, Salem
County. The 172-acre farm was auctioned back into
private ownership by the State Agriculture Development
Committee (SADC) on March 24. Mr. Catalano outbid
three other bidders for the property, offering
$270,000 for the farm. Closing on the property
is expected in the next 60 days. Mr. Catalano,
a third-generation vegetable farmer, owns Catalano
Farms. He and his son John, who farm approximately
700 acres in the area, plan to expand their operations
with today's purchase. The State Agriculture Development
Committee had purchased the farm in December 1999
as part of Governor Whitman's one-million-acre
open space initiative, which calls for the preservation
of an additional 500,000 acres of New Jersey farmland
over the next decade. The purchase price was $481,000.
The SADC resold the farm at public auction with
a deed restriction that permanently preserves the
property for agricultural use. Proceeds from the
sale will be returned to the Farmland Preservation
Program and used to preserve other New Jersey farms.
Statewide, 414 farms totaling 61,725 acres have
been permanently protected under the Farmland Preservation
Program, with almost 15,187 additional acres pending
preservation.
|