Agriculture Secretary Douglas H. Fisher today announced the launch of NJ Land Link, a new interactive website that will connect farmers who are seeking land or farming opportunities, with those who have farmland or business opportunities available.
“Access to land is essential to farmers whether they are just starting out or want to expand their existing agricultural operations,” said Secretary Fisher. “By placing land availability and other important information at farmers’ fingertips, NJ Land Link will be an extraordinary resource for anyone in the business of farming. It also will be very helpful for anyone who owns acreage and is looking for a farmer to work the land.”
The website, www.njlandlink.org, was developed by the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) and the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey (NOFA-NJ) through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program grant. The Rutgers Office of Research Analytics collaborated on the project by designing the attractive, easy-to-use website.
“We are so pleased with this partnership and the wonderful resource that we were able to create through the USDA grant,” said Camille Miller, NOFA-NJ Executive Director. “New Jersey is a great state to farm in, but affordable land and mutually beneficial leases can be challenging to find. Our goal for this website was to create a convenient, multifunctional platform that all farmers and landowners can use to communicate their goals clearly and create positive relationships.”
Farmers interested in land or partnership/job opportunities, as well as those wanting to advertise land and opportunities that they have available, can sign up on the website. Once registered, users create and independently manage their own listings. Anyone can respond to a listing as long as they register, and responses are automatically directed to the listing creator.
Farmers seeking farmland can view a wide range of important property-specific details provided by the landowner, including information related to soils, water resources, housing, buildings and equipment available, and lease or sale terms, as well as photos. Each listing also includes a map view that enables users to toggle between street map, satellite and hybrid views of a property.
The website also includes a short video tutorial. For more information, contact the SADC at (609) 984-2504 or NOFA-NJ at (908) 371-1111.
The SADC administers New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation and Right to Farm programs and promotes innovative approaches to maintaining the viability of agriculture.
NOFA-NJ is a membership-based educational nonprofit organization that is dedicated to supporting sustainable food and agriculture throughout New Jersey.
NJ Land Link was developed under Grant #2011-49400-30739 of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program.
