History
The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders preserved a 68 acre former dairy farm in Moorestown and Mt. Laurel Townships in 2005 following local opposition to a large scale commercial development proposal. The farm is located in a suburban, densely populated area of the State with a population of 686,783 residing within a 10 mile radius. Concerned that this population is losing its connectivity to the land and the rich agricultural history and heritage of the region, the Freeholders established the Burlington County Agricultural Center as an educational facility focused on food production, health and nutrition, and land stewardship. The property continues as a working farm leased to the Carlisle family who raise sheep and farm the ground.
Specialties
The Agricultural Center features a weekly Farmers Market on Saturdays from May to October, community gardens, demonstration gardens maintained by the Master Gardener Program, field plots maintained by Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service, and a commercial kitchen. Special events and educational and culinary programs are held throughout the year. The Farmhouse Kitchen hosts an antique collection reflecting life on the farm in earlier times. The collection was generously donated by the New Jersey Museum of Agriculture.