COMPREHENSIVE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN UPDATE - 2010 for the Township of White County of Warren
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COMPREHENSIVE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN UPDATE - 2010 for the Township of White County of Warren Compiled by The Land Conservancy with White Township of New Jersey Agricultural Advisory Committee An accredited land trust April 2010 COMPREHENSIVE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN UPDATE— 2010 for Township of White County of Warren Compiled by The Land Conservancy of with White Township New Jersey Agricultural Advisory Committee An accredited land trust APRIL 2010 COMPREHENSIVE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN UPDATE—2010 for Township of White County of Warren Produced by: The Land Conservancy of New Jersey’s Partners for Greener Communities Team: “Partnering with Communities to Preserve Natural Treasures” David Epstein, President Barbara Heskins Davis, P.P./ AICP, Vice President, Programs Holly Szoke, Communications Director Kenneth Fung, GIS Manager Daniel Bello, Project Consultant Planning Interns: Marc Campasano Katharine Otto Jaimie Collins Jason Simmons For further information please contact: The Land Conservancy of New Jersey White Township Agricultural Advisory Committee an accredited land trust 555 County Route 519 19 Boonton Avenue Belvidere, NJ 07823 Boonton, NJ 07005 (908) 475-2093 (973) 541-1010 Fax: (908) 475-4067 Fax: (973) 541-1131 www.co.warren.nj.us/mun/white.html www.tlc-nj.org Copyright © 2010 All rights reserved Including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form without prior consent APRIL 2010 Acknowledgements The Land Conservancy of New Jersey wishes to acknowledge the following individuals and organizations for their help in providing information, guidance, and materials for the Township of White Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan Update – 2010. Their contributions have been instrumental in the creation of the Plan. White Township Agricultural Advisory Committee: Bob Mackey, Chair Valerie Tishuk, Vice Chair Nevitt Duveneck David Newhouse Anne Blaine, Secretary White Township Committee: Jeff Herb, Mayor Holly Mackey Samuel Race White Township Open Space and Farmland Preservation Committee: Ellen Johnson, Chair Bob Mackey, Vice Chair Nevitt Duveneck Jason Menegus David Newhouse Valerie Tishuk Anne Blaine, Secretary White Township: Kathleen Reinalda, Clerk, RMC, CFO Warren County Department of Land Preservation: Bob Resker, Administrator Warren County Soil Conservation District: David Chaaf, District Manager Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Warren County: Everett Chamberlain and Bill Tietjen State Agriculture Development Committee: Timothy A. Brill, Planning Manager and Steve Bruder, Senior Planner Township of White Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan Update - 2010 NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Forest Service: Laura Williams NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Parks and Forestry: Jim Baressi NJ Department of Environmental Protection, Nongame Endangered Species Program: Kim Korth U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service: Kent Hardmeyer, Ron Phelps, Timothy Dunne, and Janice Reid U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency: Ken Bingham and Virginia Brophy Township of White Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan Update - 2010 Table of Contents Chapter Page Executive Summary …………………………………………………..…. E-1 I. Agricultural Land Base of White Township………………..…...……….. 1-1 II. Agricultural Industry in White Township...………………...……...…….. 2-1 III. Land Use Planning in White Township………….…………………......... 3-1 IV. White Township’s Farmland Preservation Program………..…......……... 4-1 V. Future Farmland Preservation Program …………………………...…….. 5-1 VI. Economic Development …………………………...…………………..… 6-1 VII. Natural Resource Conservation ………………...……………………….. 7-1 VIII. Agricultural Industry Sustainability, Retention and Promotion ……....… 8-1 Literature Cited ………………………………………………………….. L-1 Maps a. Farmland Map b. Agricultural Soils Categories c. Project Area Map d. Farm Parcels that meet SADC Criteria for Agricultural Soils e. Farm Parcels that meet SADC Criteria for Tillable Land f. Farm Parcels that meet SADC Criteria for both Agricultural Soils and Tillable Land Appendices a. Public Hearing #1- August 14, 2008– Notice and Agenda b. Ordinance 2004-13: Buckhorn Springs Property Purchase c. Warren County FY09 Minimum Score Report d. SADC Deed of Easement e. White Township Right to Farm Ordinance- 1997, Ordinance 65-1 f. Parcel Data Tables: 1. Farm Assessed Parcels in White Township 2. Farm Parcels Meeting the SADC Minimum Eligibility Criteria for Agricultural Soils and Tillable Land: Targeted Farms EXECUTIVE SUMMARY White Township in Warren County is a hub for agricultural activity. Located along the Delaware River, the Township falls within the Delaware, Pophandusing, and Pequest Valley regions. Adjacent to Belvidere, White Township is also near the population centers of Phillipsburg, Washington Borough and Hackettstown, which offer local farmers easy access to potential buyers and support businesses. Additionally, the various types of land in White Township can support many forms of agriculture, including field crops, livestock, and woodlands. White Township’s natural and agricultural areas are dotted by small villages and hamlets including Bridgeville and Buttzville. White Township residents have been able to retain their agricultural landscape and way of life, in part, by aggressively pursuing and supporting farmland preservation within their community. Since the Township established a Farmland Preservation Program in 1998, 752 acres of farmland has been permanently protected within its borders. Currently there are 428 acres pending farmland preservation. The Township is enrolled in the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) Planning Incentive Grant (PIG) program for farmland preservation. On August 13, 2008 the Township closed on its first farm through this program, protecting the 43-acre Parks farm. The advantage of the PIG program is to leverage municipal funds with funding from the state and county to accelerate the number of farms protected in the community. In addition to the Township’s Farmland Preservation and Open Space Trust Fund, the Township Committee has authorized a bond for land preservation greatly enhancing their ability to protect farmland in the Township. The Township’s Agricultural Advisory Committee has set an ambitious ten year goal of preserving an additional: 150 acres in year 1, 750 acres by year 5 and 1,400 acres by year 10 for a total of 2,580 acres of preserved farmland in White Township. This Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan Update – 2010 restates the Township’s emphasis on farmland preservation. It identifies four Project Areas (Project Area East, Project Area West, Project Area North, and Project Area South) that are the basis for farmland preservation efforts in White Township. Township of White Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan Update - 2010 E-1 CHAPTER 1: AGRICULTURAL LAND BASE OF WHITE TOWNSHIP White Township is an integral part of the agricultural land base in Warren County, and is also one of the most rural and scenic areas in New Jersey. Its rolling topography affords residents and visitors expansive views over the lush, green farmlands that cover much of the Township. The land base of White Township is among the fifty top farming communities in New Jersey, evidenced by its ranking of 41st in the state for total farm assessed acres. (2004 NJDA Farmland Assessment Data, Top 50 Municipalities)1 Agricultural Landscape White Township is one of a number of rural municipalities in New Jersey that fall within both the Highlands and Ridge and Valley Physiographic Provinces. More specifically, White Township lies within the Reading Prong of the Highlands, which runs in a roughly northeast to southwest direction, comprising the southern and eastern portions of the Township. The Highlands Ridge includes Scotts, Montana and Jenny Jump Mountains. These Ridge areas contain a number of farms, but because of the less productive soils in these higher elevations, farms are not as productive or numerous as in the valley areas. The Ridge and Valley Province contains a series of northeast-to-southwest running sandstone ridgelines with limestone valleys in between them. This landscape is evident in the central, northern and western portions of the Township, known as the Pophandusing and Pequest Valley regions. These valley regions are associated with waterways of the same name, contain some of the best agricultural soil, and therefore support many of the farms and field crops that the Township is known for. (White Township Master Plan)2 (2001 Planning Incentive Grant Application for White Township)3 The Delaware River forms the Township’s western border with Pennsylvania. The Township is also bordered on the west by Belvidere Borough and in the northwest by Knowlton Township. The entire southern boundary is formed with Harmony Township, while the eastern boundary is formed with Washington and Oxford Townships. Finally, the northern boundary is formed with Hope and Liberty Townships (see 2002 Land Use/Land Cover map). There are 9,378 of farm assessed propertya in White Township. (see Farmland Map and Farm Assessed Parcel Table in the Appendix) Of this, 5,420 acres are identified as active agricultural land using the NJDEP Land Use/Land Cover database. a Farmland assessment as of December 31, 2009 using the New Jersey County Tax Boards database. Township of White Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan Update - 2010 1-1 Township of White Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan Update - 2010 1-2 Soils Soil types are