Author: agswinz

New Jersy Farmland Preservation Program

November 8, 2007

State agriculture development committee (SADC)
technical bulletin

Mark Your Calendars for Upcoming Survey Workshops!

The SADC will hold a series of workshops on the “Ins and Outs of
Surveys for Successful Farmland Preservation Closings.” Our goal is to achieve better communication among staff, surveyors, legal counsel and title companies to eliminate survey errors. By addressing common survey mistakes we see over and over again, we hope to minimize the need for multiple reviews of the same document at both the state and county
levels, and prevent delays in the preservation process that cause
frustration for landowners and funding partners alike.
We will hold the workshops at the following times at North, Central and Southern locations:
November 19th,1 to 4 p.m., hosted by the Warren CADB at its office in Oxford (40 people max.)
December 11th, 1 to 4 p.m., SADC office, Health and Agriculture Building Auditorium in Trenton (50 + people)
January 16th, 1 to 4 p.m., hosted by the Salem CADB at its office in Salem (45+ people max.)
Please plan to attend one of these workshops along with your surveyors, legal counsel, consultants and any staff who review surveys to be submitted to the SADC. We encourage you to submit any concerns you have about the survey/title process, common problems or other issues to Gail Harrje at Gail.Harrje@ag.state.nj.us so we can address them or incorporate them into the agenda for discussion.
Please RSVP to Cathy Sinibaldi at the SADC at (609) 984-2504 or catherine.sinibaldi@ag.state.nj.us .

Survey errors hold up your closings!

Some Dirt on Current PIG Funding

If your funding need for active-list farms in the process of being certified or considered for final approval by the SADC is more than your current grant funds will cover, you’re not alone: Many PIGs across the state are in the same pen!
Please note the SADC will not grant final approval to more farms than your current PIG grant balance allows.
We highly recommend all local funding partners (normally the municipality and county) communicate as soon as possible and strategize on a plan to cover the shortfall of SADC grant funds on those projects. Then let us know which farms to process first to draw down your available funds.
If you choose to apply SADC grant funds toward a project that needs more than is currently available, please be aware that coming back for additional funding for that project in subsequent years is not an option.
Example: If you require $500,000 in SADC grant funds for the Jones Farm and you have only $300,000 available after you fund all the other farms on your list, you may utilize the $300,000, but you will have to find a way to fund the $200,000 shortfall. At this time, relying on the SADC to provide a grant for the $200,000 at a later date is not an option.
Finding another funding partner to bridge the gap is one option to salvage current funds. If funds remain unused, then they will be re-appropriated next summer. Please try to use your current funds by June 30, 2008! Refer to the SADC’s Transition Policy P-50 and “Implementation Details for SADC’s New County and Municipal Planning Incentive Grant Programs” approved by the SADC on September 27, 2007. See our website at http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/sadc/sadc.htm.
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For more information or if you need an updated accounting of your current funds please contact stefanie.miller@ag.state.nj.us.

Spend your money! Plan ahead to get more funding!

News of Note
New Septic
Policy Adopted

This policy provides relief for landowners who have residential or agricultural structures on non-severable exceptions, but find they are unable to place or replace their septic system within the boundaries of the exception. See the policy and download the application at http://www.state.nj.us/agriculture/sadc/pol49.pdf

If you have questions, comments or would like to be removed from our email list, contact Heidi Winzinger at heidi.winzinger@ag.state.nj.us or call 609-984-2504.