The Gloucester County Agriculture Development Board (GCADB) approved its 2024 Farmland Preservation Plan on January 14, voting unanimously to preserve more farmland in Mantua, Franklin, Deptford, East Greenwich, and West Deptford townships.
The new plan expands preservation efforts, adding additional farmland to various projects.
Notably, the Mantua Creek project in Deptford will preserve 344 acres of farm-assessed land, while the Repaupo-Mantua Creek area in West Deptford will gain 29 acres.
Meanwhile, the Pineland South project in Franklin Township will grow by 172 acres from 16 farm parcels.
New projects include five farm parcels near James Atkinson Memorial Park in Mantua.
However, the plan’s approval comes with controversy. The board removed a 24-acre farm from the Raccoon Creek Project Agriculture Development Area (ADA) to allow a landowner to build 31 single-family homes.
This land will also be used to develop a sewer pumping station, with a portion donated to Harrison Township for the project.
Despite objections from Tom Allen, principal planner for the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), who argued the removal was a “misuse of a redevelopment area,” the board voted in favor after hearing from Harrison Township officials, including Solicitor Brian Duffield, who emphasized the public benefit of the pumping station.
Barbara Davis from the Land Conservancy of New Jersey gave an update, saying the county’s efforts to preserve farmland have been key to keeping agriculture alive and well.
Since the last update in 2015, the county has added over 4,200 acres of farmland to preservation.
The county now has 57,213 acres of farm-assessed land, with 20,866 acres preserved. Davis also noted that the county’s agricultural sales rose 33% between 2017 and 2022.
The plan designates land with potential for long-term agricultural use, and the GCADB remains committed to protecting Gloucester’s farmland for future generations.
As farmland preservation continues to grow, the success of the county’s program is evident, and officials remain optimistic about the future of agriculture in the region.
