These days, the county aims to preserve an average of 1,000 acres a year, officials said.
What began with a 164-acre farm in 1989 has grown into a massive farmland preservation effort that has protected about 17,500 acres in Gloucester County from development.
After 27 years, the county's farmland preservation program is still going strong, preserving an average of 1,000 acres a year, officials said.
The first farm preserved in the county in 1989 was the Joe DiBella property in Woolwich Township.
Since then, more than 250 large- and small-scale farmers have joined the program, in which the state and county buy development rights for the land.
Under the program, the land owner continues to use the land for farming and cannot sell it for a future housing development, shopping center or other non-farming use. Owners can sell the land with the development restriction in place to another farmer.
About 35 percent of the county's active farmland is now preserved, said Ken Atkinson, director of the county Office of Land Preservation.
"Agriculture is still a major industry in Gloucester County," he said.
While the economic downturn in recent years has slowed construction of housing developments and other projects, Atkinson is seeing signs of a resurgence as well as an ongoing interest in preserving farmland.
"Even though development pressures might not be a high as they were five or six years ago, we have noticed an uptick in terms of development," he said
Under the program, the county negotiates a per-acre price for the development rights to each property. The average per-acre price paid in Gloucester County can run anywhere from $8,000 to $10,000, said Atkinson. Each property is different and the price depends on many characteristics, including the amount of tillable land, access to other properties and development potential of the land.
All acquisitions are conducted in accordance with New Jersey State Agriculture Development Committee guidelines, Atkinson said.
Which counties have the most preserved farmland
The state generally pays about 60 percent of the total, with the county picking up the remainder. The county's contribution is funded by a 4-cent farmland preservation tax.
Since 1989, the county has spent $84 million on preservation and has been reimbursed $36 million by the state, according to 2014 figures. The state currently owes the county about $7 million in reimbursements, Atkinson said.
The county's preservation efforts show no signs of slowing down with 15 to 20 applications in some stage of the process, he said.
This year alone, more than 800 acres of farmland have already been preserved, said Freeholder Frank DiMarco.
Gloucester County leads in New Jersey as the county that is first to use its allotment of state preservation funds, officials noted. After state funds are used up, the county continues preserving and seeks reimbursement of the state share in the next funding round.
This aggressive approach is important to the long-term future of the county, officials said.
"We're gonna grab as much as we can," DiMarco said, pointing out that once farmland is sold to a developer this green space is gone for good. "In my lifetime, I've never seen a development become a farm," he added.
Between farmland preservation and the open space preservation program, the county has preserved more than 20,000 acres.
When selecting properties, the county considers the land's proximity to other preserved lands.
"We're trying to build greenways," DiMarco said. "The program keeps the county green and gives us fresh fruits and vegetables."
While massive farms with hundreds of acres were the traditional targets of preservation efforts, smaller farm operators are also involved. With the growth of agritourism, wineries and farms focusing on specialty crops, these smaller operators have taken an interest in selling development rights, too, Atkinson said.
"Farming is just evolving in a different way," Atkinson said. "The interest in preserving the farmland is still as strong as it ever was. We're evolving with the farming industry itself."
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.