HUNTERDON COUNTY AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT BOARD Peter Melick, Chair William Bowlby, Vice Chair Robert Hoffman, Jr. Susan Blew Wayne Hunt Dave Bond Paul Dahan John Van Nuys Robert Zelley Ex-Officio Members: Win Cowgill, County Agricultural Agent William Engisch, Soil Conservation District Bob Mickel, County Agricultural Agent Matthew Holt, Freeholder Advisor CADB STAFF G. Sue Dziamara, Planning Director Bill Millette, Program Administrator Rick Steffey, PIG Program Administrator Ken Bogen, Principal Planner Crystal Barnes, Senior Planner Brian Appezzato, Assistant Planner Kyle Zenlea, Assistant Planner Gaetano M. DeSapio, Esq., County Counsel BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS Eric Peterson, Freeholder Director William Mennen, Deputy Freeholder Director George B. Melick Matthew Holt Ron Sworen Hunterdon County Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan 2008 - 1 - Hunterdon County Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page Introduction 3 Why Preserve Farmland 3 I. County’s Agricultural Land Base 5 County’s Agricultural Industry – Overview 5 II. Land Use Planning Context 19 III. County’s Farmland Preservation Program – Overview 44 IV. Future Farmland Preservation Program 56 V. Economic Development 70 VI. Natural Resource Conservation 78 VII. Agricultural Industry Sustainability, Retention and Promotion 83 Appendix 93 Tables: 1. Preserved Farms 2. Preserved Farms - Cost Shares 3. Targeted Farms 4. County Planning Incentive Grant Application 5. County Planning Incentive Grant Criteria Maps: 1. County Farmland Soils Map 2. Highlands Areas Map 3. Hunterdon County Agriculture Development Area (ADA) Map 4. Preserved and Pending Farmland Preservation Map 5. Hunterdon County Project Area Map 6. Active Agriculture 7. Highlands Agriculture Priority Areas 8. Sewer Service Areas 9. Areas Served by Public Water - 2 - Introduction Through various public forums and public opinion surveys, Hunterdon County residents have clearly stated their desire to preserve the County's rural character, its farmland and open space. County residents have overwhelmingly approved farmland preservation bond issues since the first referendum in 1980 and the participation of landowners in the farmland preservation program has increased since its inception in 1985. The interest of residents and landowners in preserving farmland, however, is countered by development pressure in the County and the concurrent decline of full time farmers. This has made farmland preservation a challenging task. Hunterdon County is situated in northwestern New Jersey on the fringe of the New York metropolitan area. As a result of its proximity to the New York metropolitan area, Hunterdon County has undergone rapid growth during the past few decades. The population from 1980 to 1990 increased by 23.4% and according to the 1990 U.S. Census, Hunterdon County was the second fastest growing county in New Jersey. The latest Hunterdon County Planning Board estimate indicates a 40% population increase from 1980 to present day. Farmers and non-farmers concerned about Hunterdon County’s transformation from a rural to a suburban county started a farmland preservation effort in 1981. The farmland preservation program has grown tremendously since then and will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the ever changing agricultural economy. This Plan provides an overview of Hunterdon County’s farmland preservation program, offers recommendations for meeting future demands as well as improving the current program, and satisfies State requirements for a county comprehensive farmland preservation plan. "Why preserve farmland?" Farmland is a non-renewable natural resource - when it's gone, it's gone forever. With the current rate of development in Hunterdon County, farmland is diminishing at a rapid pace. It is expected that Hunterdon County's growth rate - which has been one of the fastest in the State for the past two decades – will continue. Unfortunately, however, the land that is best for development is also best for agriculture. The most important and obvious reason for preserving farmland is to permanently preserve quality farmland that can provide food and fiber products for both present and future generations. Local farm operations can offer a variety of fresh local produce and animal fiber through farm markets or other types of direct marketing initiatives. Fresh produce is typically healthier, more convenient, and often offers varieties that are not otherwise available locally. Local fiber offers similar advantages. Preserved farmland also offers property tax benefits. It helps stabilize property taxes because - 3 - farms require less governmental services. The largest category of property taxes is the cost of schools. Although new residential development pays its share of property taxes, it does not cover the entire cost of educating its children. The annual costs are therefore distributed to other existing homes and properties. Studies have shown that even considering the cost of bonding money for farmland preservation, the overall cost to the taxpayer is less with one-time investments in farmland (preservation) than with a new residential development. Preserving farmland offers other benefits. It maintains clean air and generates little traffic. Farmland often offers attractive views and provides land for groundwater recharge so that rainwater can filter back into the ground. Farmland can contribute to an eco-tourism program, benefiting area towns and businesses. Finally, farmland contributes to the rural quality of life that has been enjoyed in Hunterdon County for centuries. It is for all of these reasons that a farmland preservation program is important to Hunterdon County residents and local officials. - 4 - CHAPTER 1: AGRICULTURAL LAND BASE AND INDUSTRY OVERVIEW IN HUNTERDON COUNTY Hunterdon County's agriculture is marked by certain characteristics that have remained consistent over the past couple of decades - if not more. These characteristics include a diversity in agriculture, including hay, feed corn, horses, cattle, specialty crops and animals; an abundance of small to moderately sized farms; and a large percentage of part-time farmers. The most significant agricultural issues in Hunterdon County are the costs of farming, continued development pressure, and competition from other agricultural areas. These issues, combined with the rising age of the average farmer, have resulted in the decline of agriculture as a full-time business. Agriculture in Hunterdon County Agricultural Land Base Hunterdon County has a total of approximately 280,450 acres of which approximately 127,043 acres is farmland assessed according to the 2005 NJ Farmland Assessment. This amounts to 38.95% of the total acreage of the County and 13.6% of the New Jersey’s total farmland. Much of Hunterdon County’s farmland is located through the center as well as the easterly and southern portions of the County. The productive farms closely follow the locations of the Statewide and Prime soils that are classified for farming. Hunterdon County is comprised of about 106,150 acres or 38% of Statewide important soils, 76,280 acres or 27% of Prime soils, 85,660 acres or 31% of soils that are not important to farming as well as 12,357 acres or about 4% of soils that were not rated by the National Resource Conservation Service. The Prime and Statewide soils are mainly located along the center of the County as well as toward the west and eastern boarders providing a good agricultural soil base for farmers to utilize. (Please see Map 1, located in the appendix.) Of the over 82,000 acres of total active agricultural lands as defined by the 2002 NJ Department of Environmental protection Land Use Land Cover data, 35,318 acres are comprised of Statewide soils. About 33,569 acres are comprised of Prime soils. The remaining acreage was either not rated or comprised of other, not important soils. The following chart indicates, by municipality, the amount of active agriculture acreage in Hunterdon County. - 5 - Municipality Active Ag Acreage Alexandria Township 7232 Bethlehem Township 3010 Bloomsbury Boro 162 Califon Boro 31 Clinton Town 120 Clinton Township 4025 Delaware Township 9680 East Amwell Township 7996 Flemington Boro 4 Franklin Township 6953 Frenchtown Boro 64 Glen Gardener Boro 80 Hampton Boro 245 High Bridge Boro 30 Holland Township 4238 Kingwood Township 7797 Lambertville City 3 Lebanon Boro 36 Lebanon Township 3621 Milford Boro 92 Raritan Township 5534 Readington Township 8127 Stockton Boro 50 Tewksbury Township 5896 Union Township 3030 West Amwell Township 4024 Almost as important, if not more so, to farming as soils is water resources. About 1514 farms were utilizing the county soils in 2002 and 114 of those farms were irrigated totaling approximately 1058 acres of irrigated farmland in Hunterdon County according to the 2002 Census of Agriculture. The water sources that are currently tapped for irrigation include local wells, the Delaware River, the South Branch of the Raritan River, and various other water sources throughout the County. The Highlands Act has worked toward protecting the water resources of that very important region. In order to address the requirements and goals of the Highlands Act, the Highlands Council analyzed the natural water sustainability of the Highlands Region to determine the amount of water required to protect aquatic ecological integrity and the amount “available” for water supply, and commercial, industrial, or agricultural uses. Where net water availability