A Comprehensive Agricultural Site Plan for a 550-acre parcel of contiguous family farms with a focus on ecological restoration.
Private Client, Oldwick, NJ
The members of two contiguous family farms in New Jersey contracted RDG to conduct a site assessment of their land and provide preliminary recommendations for 550 acres. The families’ goals for the site were multi-layered and far-reaching: they included transitioning to diversified organic production; increasing the ecological health of forests, meadows, and waterways; honoring the history of the farms; and enhancing recreation and place-making opportunities.
Thorough assessments of local and regional contexts, several land use analyses, and stakeholder meetings informed the Site Plan. RDG organized the planning approach into six broad categories—Farm Operations, Waterways, Forests, Meadows, Edges, and Recreation—and identified 16 ambitious project areas within those categories to be implemented over several years. Stewardship strategies for productive conservation, drainage channel treatments, deep soil management, silvopasture, and meadow management were included.
The final deliverable, a robust and engaging 75-page plan, provides a coherent vision and operational strategy that will guide the families’ decisions for years to come.
Key Features
- Regenerative soil practices
- Waterway restoration
- Silvopasture
- Floodplain productive conservation
- Recreation and placemaking
Services Provided
- Visioning and goal setting
- Site analysis
- Stakeholder meetings
- Foodshed analysis
- Three-year project phasing
- Best stewardship practices recommendations
Mission: Support a healthy farm community of family members, employees, and land managers; implement sustainable agricultural practices to produce high quality products that are healthy for humans, wildlife, and the land; and contribute to positive relationships with the community by being a model for best land management practices.
Mission statement identified in the Master Plan
