Freeholders to appraise land with eye toward preservation Five farms totaling 107 acres in the northwestern and western portions of Ocean County are being considered for preservation under the county’s Farmland Preservation Program. The Ocean County Board of Freeholders recently gave informal authorization to seek appraisals of the properties in order to determine development value. "Since the Farmland Preservation Program got under way in 1991, we have helped preserve 2,190 acres of farmland," said Freeholder Director John C. Bartlett Jr., who serves as liaison to the county’s Natural Land Trust Fund Program. "These lands will forever remain farms." The five farms currently being considered for the program are: • The Bryant farm which lies within the core of the New Egypt farm belt area along Fischer Road in Plumsted. The 16-acre farm is currently devoted to equestrian activity. • The Mascher farm which lies in the northern part of the New Egypt farm belt, along West Millstream Road in Plumsted. The 10-acre farm is currently devoted to equestrian activity. • The Dwulet farm which lies along Joe Parker Road in the northeast portion of Lakewood. The 57-acre farm is currently devoted to assorted field, fruit and ornamental crops. • The Palazzolo farm which lies along Leesville Road in Jackson. The 13.66-acre farm is currently devoted to assorted live­stock activity. • The Strawder farm lies along the western end of Bowman Road in Jackson. The 10.5-acre farm is devoted to assorted livestock activity. "Many of these farms are located near farmland that already has been preserved under the program," Bartlett said. "These adjacent properties make for a large sec­tion of land that will not be residentially developed. This program provides numer­ous environmental benefits, including pro­tecting our watershed." Under the farmland preservation pro­gram, the state provides 60 percent and sometimes more of the funding, while the balance comes from local funding, according to a press release from the freeholders. Since the program got under way in Ocean County, the state had provided more that $5 million toward the purchase of development rights for 23 farms and the county has provided $2.6 million. Plumsted also has contributed more than $225,000 for the preservation program. If given final approval, the closings on the properties would not take place until 2004.