48-Acre Farm Preserved in Cumberland County

Yay! Another area I have intended to visit for a while. Maybe when I go on vacation in September ...?
Article courtesy NJConservation.org

HOPEWELL TWP. - A 48-acre farm along the Cohansey River in Hopewell Township has been permanently preserved through a partnership between Cumberland County, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, the state’s Farmland Preservation Program and the Open Space Institute. 

The farm, owned by Carmen Adamucci, is located at the intersection of Sanitarium and Aitkin roads in the Dutch Neck section of the township. Vegetable crops are grown in the fields, which are separated from the river’s marshlands by a hedgerow. 

Development rights to the farm were purchased using funding from Cumberland County, the State Agriculture Development Committee, and a grant to New Jersey Conservation Foundation from the Open Space Institute. Although the land will continue to be owned by Mr. Adamucci, it will be permanently restricted for agricultural use. 

“This farm was a high priority for preservation because of its prime soils and close proximity to the river,” said Michele S. Byers, executive director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation. “The preservation effort was made even more urgent because it was once proposed for a housing development.” 

The Cohansey River corridor is critical for wildlife habitat, especially waterfowl, marine life and birds like bald eagles. Preservation of the Adamucci farm will help protect water quality in the river and surrounding marshes, and the region’s remaining forests. 
“With its high-quality soils, the Adamucci farm is a valuable addition to Cumberland County’s roster of preserved farmland,” said Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher, who chairs the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) that administers New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation Program. “The SADC was pleased to provide a grant toward the preservation of this farm, and we look forward to working with our partners to preserve many more farms in Cumberland County.” 

Cumberland County Freeholder Tom Sheppard said the county is glad to have more farmland preserved so it can continue to be the production center of the Garden State. “Without the critical mass of good land that has not been developed, we would be unable to hold the businesses that depend on commercial growers to survive,” said Sheppard. “From the stores that sell supplies, to the farms and their workers, to the banks that handle the money, all of Cumberland County benefits.” 

“The Open Space Institute is very pleased to have been a part of the successful completion of the Adamucci Farm preservation through a grant from its Bayshore-Highlands Fund,” said Peter Howell, OSI’s executive vice president. “This farm will add to the corridor of exceptionally rich and productive farmland in Hopewell Township along the north shore of the Cohansey River. The permanent protection of the Adamucci Farm will also add to the rich mosaic of farmland and forests, marshland and wetlands in the area which serve as prime habitat for species such as the bald eagle, endangered shorebirds other diverse and rare wildlife.” 

The Adamucci farm is the first of several farms in the Dutch Neck neighborhood – the area within a wide bend of the Cohansey in Hopewell Township - that are being targeted for preservation. 

205 Acres of Farmland Preserved in Cumberland County

Eventually, I want to get down to Cumberland County (as well as Salem County) and explore this area in detail. It seems that, even though only about 16,000 acres have been preserved in Cumberland, there is a lot of open space there still available to preserve. So, what are we waiting for?!

Originally appeared on NJConservation.org

Third generation nurseryman preserves Cumberland farm FAIRFIELD TWP. - Roger Ruske grew up growing landscape plants on his grandfather’s nursery farm in Connecticut. He knew he wasn’t in line to inherit the family property, but he never lost his desire to work “down in the dirt” as a nurseryman. Fate intervened when Ruske and his wife Peggy traveled to South Jersey as a young married couple. “We were driving through Cumberland County and saw this run-down farm for sale,” he recalled. “Within a year my wife and I had bought it, at the grand old age of 22.” That was back in 1967, and the Ruskes have owned Cumberland Nurseries on Route 49 in Fairfield Township ever since. Over the years they’ve expanded the farm by buying contiguous properties. Nearly 45 years later, the Ruskes have permanently preserved 205 acres of farmland. Cumberland County purchased the development rights on the farm, using funding from the State Agriculture Development Committee and New Jersey Conservation Foundation’s federal Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program (FRPP) grant. The sale of development rights means that, although the Ruskes still own the land, it can never be developed. “It’s good agricultural land and I’d like it to stay that way,” said Ruske, 66. “A lot of (farmers) my age want to make sure their land stays in agriculture. The last thing you want to see on this land you’ve spent your whole life nurturing is someone growing houses.” Preserving land for agriculture, Ruske added, also makes it more affordable for future generations – like his son, Chris, who is taking over the nursery operation, and Chris’ three young children – to become farmers and nurserymen. Cumberland County Freeholder Thomas Sheppard was quick to point out the benefits of this collaborative effort. “By having Cumberland County partner with New Jersey Conservation Foundation, we were able to apply federal funding to this transaction in addition to the continued strong financial support from the State of New Jersey,” he said. “The result of these partnerships is that no Cumberland County funds needed to be spent on the direct preservation of these 205 acres.” Noting that the county has nearly 16,000 acres of permanently preserved farmland, Freeholder Sheppard expressed his strong continued interest in the program. “Open space is for the good of all Cumberland County residents and will be available to our children and grandchildren forever,” he said. Cumberland Nurseries specializes in growing wholesale stock for sale to commercial nurseries and garden centers. “We’re the nurserymen to the nurserymen, so to speak,” said Ruske. Among the nursery’s most popular products are native plants, plants that are deer resistant, and hedge plants that increase privacy for homeowners. The Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program funding comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “The Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Farm and Ranchlands Protection Program supports the production of locally grown agricultural products in perpetuity,” said Don Pettit, State Conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service. “We are pleased to have a part in protecting this wonderful farm and its productive soils, knowing that these soils will be available for generations of farmers to come here in New Jersey.” Greg Romano, assistant director of New Jersey Conservation Foundation and head of its land preservation program, said the foundation is happy to allocate part of its Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program grant toward preserving the Ruske farm. “Including the funding for this transaction, New Jersey Conservation Foundation has contributed almost $925,000 to offset Cumberland County’s farmland preservation costs to date,” said Romano, “An additional $2.5 million is scheduled to be granted to the county in the next year, so this is definitely a continuing partnership.” New Jersey Conservation Foundation is a private nonprofit that preserves land and natural resources throughout New Jersey for the benefit of all. Since 1960, it has protected more than 120,000 acres of open space - from the Highlands to the Pine Barrens to the Delaware Bayshore, from farms to forests to urban and suburban parks. For more information about the Foundation’s programs and preserves, go to www.njconservation.org or call 1-888-LAND-SAVE (1-888-526-3728).

Over 500 Acres Preserved in Vineland!

This is a biggie. 519 acres are being preserved in Vineland, Cumberland County. Under the agreement with the seller, about 42 acres have been earmarked an "exception area," which he can then develop. Maybe the housing market will continue to suck and he'll eventually preserve that, too! In either case, 500-plus acres is a big, big get.


As an aside, one wonders if the writer of this piece, Joseph Smith, is not a fan of such big purchases. Instead of focusing on the land preservation aspect, he chose to focus on the amount of money allocated for the purchase when writing the headline. 


Check out the original article here. Photo credit: Joe Moore

N.J. spends big on Vineland land

VINELAND - New Jersey now owns the development rights to a tract of East Vineland farmland once slated to host a massive music festival.

The 519 acres, off Hance Bridge Road, now are restricted permanently by deed to strictly agricultural uses. That category doesn't include festivals, according to the State Agricultural Development Committee.

The state Farmland Preservation program paid $2 million for the rights, closing the deal Dec. 17, state agriculture department Secretary Douglas H. Fisher announced Monday.

The farm acreage is among about 563 acres that the Elwyn Institute sold in July 2009 to Vineland businessman Daniel Cervini for $4 million. The nonprofit institute has owned the land since 1981, when it took control of what then was known as The Training School at Vineland.

Cervini, who owns an automobile design business, did not return a phone call for comment about the transaction.

In 2009, Cervini obtained city zoning board approval to turn former cottages on the historic property into single-family housing. He also obtained approval to subdivide two small lots from the property for construction of a single-family house on each lot.

Fisher noted that the purchase was the largest farm rights purchase ever in Cumberland County. It also is the fourth largest acquisition New Jersey has made itself.

"The preservation of the Cervini farm represents a significant state investment in the future of agriculture in Cumberland County and in the community of Vineland," said Fisher, a former Cumberland County freeholder.

The acquisition also is notable in the context of the Vineland farming community, where farms tend to be small. Preservation efforts had netted only eight farms and 315 acres until the Cervini deal.

Mayor Robert Romano thought Cervini made the right choice to preserve the land. He knew Cervini had been considering either putting a solar field on the land or giving it to the state for farm preservation.

"I'm glad that's what the property is going to be used for because that's land preservation for Vineland," Romano said.

Hope Gruzlovic, a spokeswoman for the State Agricultural Development Committee, said Cervini applied to the state in March 2008 after signing a purchase contract on the land with Elwyn. He had first sought to enroll in county government's preservation program but the transaction was too large for the county to finance.

The city had been pegged to play host to what was to be called the Vineland Music Festival, to be held in the summer of 2009. But the plan fell apart following vocal opposition from residents in the area.
Gruzlovic said the sale agreement allows Cervini to carve out a 42-acre "exception area" around existing buildings on the land he bought from Elwyn. The exception area is adjacent to the 519-acre tract.

Cervini can subdivide and sell that exception area. He is allowed to have up to 10 single-family residences there.

Vineland Planner Steve Hawk said Cervini's zoning approval allows him to convert five old cottages on the property and three other buildings into housing for a total of eight dwellings. A former chapel may be turned into a community center.

"The remaining lands would be this big open (farm) piece," Hawk said. "However, he does have the ability to subdivide two lots off Hance Bridge Raod for single-family development. They are roughly 3.2 acres and 2.2 acres."

That area of the city is zoned for farms and woodlands.

"To have that preserved is in the spirit of those zones," Hawk said of the Farmland Preservation deal.