County Agriculture Development Board

Click for the 40 Years of Farmland Preservation StoryMap

This year, 2023, is the 40th anniversary of the Morris County Agriculture Development Board. We want to celebrate this occasion by illustrating all the farms preserved by the County Easement Purchase Program. Click the link above or visit the Farmland Preservation Page and click on 'History of the Program' to view the StoryMap.

“Over the last four decades in operation, the Morris County Agriculture Development Board has grown exponentially; beginning its efforts with one 14-acre farm in 1987 to amassing permanent conservation of an impressive 142 farms and 8,200 acres across Morris County. This year marks the 40^th anniversary of the county board’s efforts to protect and preserve both the land and the people that call Morris County their home.

 From inception, the Morris County Agriculture Development Board was created with the success of the land and people in mind; overseeing the farmland preservation program while offering farm owners the opportunity to preserve, own, and maintain their farms with autonomy. This dedication to land and farmer has assisted in providing better lifestyles and prospects for agricultural residents and has facilitated advancements in conservation county-wide. The StoryMap provided by the Morris County Agriculture Development Board offers residents a glimpse into the success of the board and its diverse members with visual representation of preservation growth over the last forty years. With the protection of these 142 farms, the board welcomes a vast arrangement of members that represent the beauty and diversity of Morris County agriculture and all it stands for: honoring sectors such as vegetable, fruit, livestock, equine, dairy, hay, grain, and greenhouse operations and conservation.

This monumental milestone marking the 40^th anniversary was not achieved by one individual alone. Initial gratitude can be granted to the founding freeholders for creating this program while sincere appreciation can be given to past, present, and future Morris County employees for managing the day-to-day program operations. Without the dedication of all the serving board members, the success and continued growth of the program would not have reached its current eminence.”

Dale Davis III
Chairman
County Agricultural Development Board

On July 7, 2022, the Morris County Agriculture Development Board adopted the Morris County Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan. 

Comprehensive Farmland Preservation Plan – Morris County, NJ (morriscountynj.gov)

As the state begins to assess the damage from Hurricane Ida, remember USDA is here to help. USDA offers technical and financial assistance to help farmers and livestock producers recover.

To better assist producers, USDA has published a brochure, Disaster Assistance Programs At A Glance. The brochure is a quick reference guide to available Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency disaster assistance programs.

The brochure gives a short description of each program and lets you quickly identify which program(s) are available for each natural disaster event.

Also, on farmers.gov, you can learn about USDA disaster assistance programs that might be right for you. With the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool, you answer five questions about the natural disasters that have impacted your operation to find out which USDA programs offer assistance.

To learn how to apply for disaster programs, contact your local USDA Service Center at farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

The Spotted Lanternfly is an invasive species that can be very damaging to plants, trees and crops.

Information about Spotted Lanternfly can be found on the Rutgers Cooperative Extension website.

North Jersey RC&D has received funding from the USDA to provide farms in northern New Jersey a renewable energy assessment.

Please visit https://www.northjerseyrcd.org/reda for more information. 

• NJ REDA Program Flyer(PDF, 591KB)

The State Agriculture Development Committee’s (SADC’s) NJ Land Link website, www.njlandlink.org, connects farmers who are seeking land or farming opportunities, with those who have farmland or business opportunities available.

The State Agriculture Development Committee’s (SADC’s) guidebook, Leasing Farmland in New Jersey, includes information on creating and maintaining a lease, sample leases, profiles of various leasing arrangements, and additional resources to assist with leasing issues. Download the guidebook(PDF, 1MB).

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture has been in discussions the state Division of Travel and Tourism, concerning gaining more exposure for our farms and agricultural events on the Division’s very popular and highly-used website www.visitnj.org.

Read more about how to list your agribusiness or farm(PDF, 114KB).