NJ, Mercer County Will Jointly Preserve Kerr Farms In Landmark Project

MERCER COUNTY, NJ – The New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program and Mercer County announced that they will jointly preserve the Kerr Farm.

Located on Bear Tavern Road in Hopewell Township, Kerr Farm is a historic stretch containing 355 acres of productive farmland.

The farmland was preserved by Mercer County as four separate farms owned by various Kerr family members and was made possible through a grant provided by the NJ State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), and county preservation funds.

The project also includes an open space component with a 28.5-acre conservation easement area that will provide public access along Jacobs Creek.

The Kerr family's heritage on this land began in the 1930s when they purchased the farm. The land is both agriculturally and historically significant, as it is located adjacent to Jacobs Creek, where George Washington and 1,800 cold and weary troops endured their only major stream crossing on the way to the infamous Battle of Trenton, with horses and artillery in tow.

The land rises from Jacobs Creek, located on a ridge, and is how the estate got its name, “Kerr Ridge Farm.”

The property is part of the Jacobs Creek Crossing Rural Historic District, with the original houses dating back to the 1700s.

The fourth generation of the Kerr family currently operates the farm, which will now remain in agriculture forever, the state said.

“New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation Program is committed to preserving the state’s precious farmland resources and does so through partnership with its tireless program partners – county and municipal governments, the nonprofit community, farmland owners, and the agricultural community,” Joe Atchison, Assistant Secretary of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, said in a statement.

“We are incredibly pleased to participate in bringing this farmland preservation project to the finish line.”

County Executive Brian M. Hughes said he was pleased with the latest development. “This is one of the largest remaining farms in Mercer County and the residents of Mercer County have shown time and again that they value open space and farmland preservation. I am pleased to add this working landscape to the roster of permanently preserved farms in Mercer County,” Hughes said.

Susan Payne, Executive Director of the SADC, thanked the Kerr family for their decision to preserve this farm.

“Every farm that is preserved helps New Jersey residents secure access to fresh, locally grown food and farm products, both now and in the future,” Payne said.

This preservation project brings the total farmland preserved through the state program to a total of 250,777 acres and 8,951 acres in Mercer County.

Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com