Standing up for New Jersey’s farming heritage and against government overreach, Assemblyman Alex Sauickie introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at preventing the seizure of a longtime family farm in Cranbury through eminent domain. The 21-acre working farm, which has been in the Henry family since 1850, is currently under threat as the Cranbury Township Committee seeks a takeover of the land to fulfill the state’s radical affordable housing mandates.
“Governor Phil Murphy and the Democrat-controlled Legislature claim to want to preserve 500,000 acres of farmland and eliminate food insecurity. Yet in Cranbury, you have an all-Democrat local government attempting to take food-producing farmland from veterans to meet arbitrary housing mandates and the governor as well as the Democrats in the Legislature have been silent. It’s hypocritical and unacceptable,” Sauickie (R-Ocean) said.
The property is home to cattle and continues to operate as an active agricultural business. The Henry family has deep military roots as both current owners are veterans and their parents were veterans of World War II.
“The Henry brothers’ mother, a WWII veteran, literally has her name on a plaque in town. We don’t do this to our veterans, and we don’t take active farmland to meet ridiculous overdevelopment mandates,” added Sauickie, who serves on both the Assembly Military and Veterans Affairs and Economic Development, Commerce, and Agriculture committees.
This week, Sauickie submitted a bill (A5884) prohibiting the use of eminent domain to take any active farmland in New Jersey for any purpose. He also introduced a resolution (AR197) calling on the state Legislature to formally condemn the proposed seizure of the Henry farm and urging the Cranbury Township Committee to pursue an alternative solution.
The farm’s fate has also drawn national attention. This week, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins from President Trump’s cabinet personally spoke with the Henry family and submitted a letter to the Cranbury Township Committee urging them to halt the seizure.
“The Henry farm has stood as a symbol of agricultural sustainability and patriotic service for generations. Its forced conversion into housing would not only erase 175 years of family and farming history, but also set a dangerous precedent for the treatment of active farmland across the state,” Sauickie said.
Photo: The Henry family farm in Cranbury.
