Freeholders announce preservation of nursery MANALAPAN - The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has announced the preservation of the Four Seasons Nursery and Landscape Co. According to a press release from the county, this is the first agricultural easement acquisition in Manalapan to be funded through the Planning Incentive Grant (PIG) program. Monmouth County, the state Agriculture Development Commit-tee and the township partnered to preserve the farm. Four Seasons Nursery, a wholesale container nursery on Woodward Road, sells perennials and woody plants to clients throughout the Northeast. The county acquired the agricultural easement, which encompasses 66 acres, on Nov. 15. "This has been a record year for farmland preservation in Monmouth County," Freeholder Director William C. Barham said. "So far, the Monmouth County Agriculture Development Board and its partners have retired the development rights on 17 farms in five different municipalities. And we are fast approaching the 10,000-acre mark for preserved farmland in the county." Freeholder Lillian G. Burry said, "The commitment of Manalapan and the owners of farms such as Four Seasons Nursery is key to securing the future of agriculture in this unique corner of Monmouth County. The county is participating with the township in the preservation of six additional farms in the rural section of Manalapan located between Route 522 and Route 33." According to the press release, the PIG program is a relatively new state farmland preservation funding initiative. The goal of the program is to protect areas of reasonably contiguous farmland and promote the long-term viability of agriculture as an industry. The PIG program provides grants to eligible counties and municipalities to purchase agricultural easements on farms in designated project areas. This arrangement empowers local municipalities to take the lead in safeguarding their farmland resources. Since receiving approval for its PIG application in 2003, Manalapan has secured a financial commitment from the state for $3.75 million. The funds are intended to help preserve some of the several thousand acres of remaining farmland in the township. There currently are 604 acres of preserved farmland in Manalapan and more than 1,500 acres of permanently protected open space, some of which remains in agricultural use. Township Committeeman Andrew Lucas said, "I'm proud that Manalapan now has its first farm preserved through the Planning Incentive Grant process. By leveraging our municipal open space and farmland preservation dollars with money from the county and state we are able to preserve more land for the benefit of all the residents of Manalapan." The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders established the Monmouth County Agriculture Development Board (MCADB) in 1981 to promote and coordinate agricultural preservation activities in the county. The MCADB is staffed by professional planners from the Monmouth County Planning Board. One of the MCADB's primary responsibilities is to purchase agricultural easements from interested landowners. Preservation of a farm is a voluntary process in which willing landowners sell the development rights to their property for a value determined by two independent appraisers. The property remains in private ownership and can be used for any agricultural purpose. The Monmouth County Board of Freeholders currently provides financial resources in support of farmland preservation efforts to 10 municipalities. Those municipalities comprise most of the county's remaining farmland and its overall land base. According to the press release, the county is committed to continuing this partnership, recognizing that time is of the essence in protecting this rapidly disappearing resource.