County reaches milestone in farmland preservation

Newton - With the permanent protection of the 84-acre Roof Farm in Stillwater on May 19, Sussex County surpassed the 10,000-acre milestone for farmland preservation, announced Gary Chiusano, Freeholder director. “This is a great day for Sussex County,” said Chiusanono. “With the preservation of 10,000 acres of farmland, we’ve accomplished much more than protecting our land,” he continued. “We’ve protected a way of life for our farm families and for everyone who lives, visits or works in Sussex County.” “Preserving farmland is an important first step toward maintaining agricultural viability for both today and tomorrow’s farmers,” added Glen Vetrano, Freeholder liaison to the County Agriculture Development Board. “This 10,000-acre milestone is a major step toward ensuring that we preserve Sussex County’s rural character and that agriculture continues to thrive and contribute to quality of life and economy in Sussex County,” said Charles M. Kuperus, state agriculture secretary. “We’re proud to be a partner in the preservation of these farms and congratulate Sussex County officials and all the landowners who made the commitment to preserve their farms and helped make this achievement possible.” The Stillwater Farm is owned and farmed by George and Leon Roof and their parents, Elsie and Gus. The majority of the land is tilled for field crops and pasture, which supports a herd of beef cattle. The farm also raises chickens and sells eggs. Located in the heart of Stillwater, the farmstead has been in continuous use since 1741 and has been owned by the Roof family for at least 100 years. Originally settled by Casper and Maria Schaeffer, the farmstead was part of an agricultural operation that included a sequence of water-powered mills built along and near the Paulinskill River. The Roof Farm boasts one of the earliest surviving Pennsylvania Germanic log buildings in Sussex County. The log building is now the kitchen wing of the house. With the presentation of the Roof Farm, a total of 73 farms covering 10,045 acres have been preserved in the county at a total cost of $28.4 million.