Ernst Farm helps county top 10,000-acre mark
Upper Freehold has more than 7,000 acres in preservation

Monmouth County Freeholder Lillian G. Burry (l), Upper Freehold Mayor Stephen Fleischacker and the state's agriculture secretary, Charles M. Kuperus, announce the preservation of the Ernst Farm at a special ceremony held on the Jonathan Holmes Road property in Upper Freehold on May 22.

UPPER FREEHOLD - With 7,054 acres permanently protected, the township is the leading municipality for preserved farmland in the state.

Members of the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders and state Secretary of Agriculture Charles M. Kuperus visited the Ernst Farm in Upper Freehold on May 22 to announce the county's preservation of its 10,000th acre of farmland. The event also marked a milestone for Upper Freehold - topping 7,000 acres of preserved land, according to a press release from the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders .

"The county is thrilled to reach the 10,000-acre milestone," Freeholder Deputy Director Lillian G. Burry said in the press release, referring to the preservation of the Ernst Farm.

The Ernst property is a field crop farm on Jonathan Holmes Road that Martin Bullock has been farming for the past 40 years, according to the press release.

Bullock said in the release that he began farming the land with his father.

"I'm thrilled to see the parcel preserved, as it is an important component of a 1,600-acre block of protected farmland between Clayton Park and Jonathan Holmes Road," Bullock said. "Farms in this block include Low Meadow Farm, Zion Farm Nursery, Perretti Farms, Fair Winds Farm and my family's farm, Bullock Farms."

The 131-acre farm was preserved under the Planning Incentive Grant (PIG) program through a partnership among Monmouth County, the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) and Upper Freehold Township. The PIG program is intended to preserve areas of reasonably contiguous farmland by providing grants to eligible counties and municipalities to purchase agricultural easements on farms in project areas they have designated, according to the press release.

Kuperus, who chairs the SADC that administers the state Farmland Preservation Program, said in the press release, "With every farm we preserve, we are helping to protect our rural, working landscapes, maintain the character of a community and keep agriculture strong."

Kuperus continued, "The preservation of 10,000 acres is a major step toward guaranteeing that future generations will be able to continue to enjoy all that Monmouth County's farmland has to offer."

Burry called the county's preservation of more than 10,000 acres "the culmination of more than 20 years of effort on the part of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Monmouth County Agriculture Development Board, our government and nonprofit partners and, of course, our local farmers who desire to preserve their farms."

Monmouth County is the seventh county in the state to have preserved at least 10,000 acres. It has received about $75 million in state farmland preservation funding - which is the second highest county total - since the inception of the Farmland Preservation Program in the state. To date, 120 farms covering 10,140 acres have been preserved in Monmouth County.

Burry said in the release, "Monmouth County is committed to maintaining an agricultural land base in the region to sustain not only our crop and vegetable farmers, but also our equine, nursery and sod industries."

She continued, "This is the last opportunity we have to preserve our historic agricultural heritage, and we are working all across Monmouth County to do it."

According to Harriet Honigfeld of the Monmouth County Agricultural Development Board, 10,000 acres represents more than 20 percent of the county's agricultural land base.

"Having a significant portion of the county's farmland preserved helps keep our region's agricultural industry viable," she said, adding that the county is currently updating its strategic farmland plan and will soon be setting acreage goals for both Upper Freehold and the county in general.

Mayor Stephen Fleischacker said, "With the continued support of all our partners on easement purchase programs, the implementation of innovative municipal planning techniques, and willing landowners, we are optimistic we can preserve a significant portion of what is one of the largest and finest concentrations of farmland remaining anywhere in the state of New Jersey."

Last year, according to Fleischacker, Upper Freehold hosted the preservation of the 100th farm in Monmouth County.

"This year, we are proud to host Monmouth County's milestone achievement of preserving 10,000 acres of farmland," he said.