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SADC Awards First Planning Incentive Grants for
Farmland Preservation
 
For Immediate Release: May 25, 2001 Contact:

Hope Gruzlovic
(609)292-8896
hope.gruzlovic@ag.state.nj.us

     

The State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) today awarded planning incentive grants totaling nearly $1.8 million to Monmouth County - the first grants issued under a new program designed to make it easier for counties and municipalities to preserve large blocks of farmland that will help promote the long-term viability of New Jersey's agricultural industry. "Planning incentive grants are an important new tool to help counties and municipalities preserve farmland in designated project areas through a streamlined application process," said Agriculture Secretary Art Brown, Jr., who chairs the SADC. "These grants to Monmouth County are the first of hundreds more that will help municipal and county governments play a more active role in targeting and preserving critical farmland." Rather than applying to preserve farms individually, municipalities and counties identify project areas consisting of multiple farms. Planning incentive grants encourage careful planning of these project areas, joint applications between municipalities and counties, and funding coordination among all levels of government - including the use of installment purchases and other innovative funding techniques. The program also for the first time enables municipalities to apply directly to the SADC for funding, providing them with an opportunity to play a more active role in the preservation process. To date, the SADC has received a total of 43 applications to preserve as many as 856 farms totaling more than 50,000 acres under this program. Nine of those applications were sponsored by counties while 34 applications were submitted by municipalities. The two grants awarded by the SADC today will help preserve approximately 240 acres of farmland in Roosevelt Borough and Millstone Township, Monmouth County.