A longtime family farm in Cranbury, New Jersey, is at risk of being seized by the town through eminent domain.
The situation with the farm owned by brothers Christopher and Andy Henry, which has been in their family for 175 years, recently drew notice from U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.
Rollins said on X last week that she was “looking into this situation immediately,” adding, “We must protect family farms at all costs.
“Whether the Maudes, the Henrys or others whom we will soon announce, the Biden-style government takeover of our family farms is over,” she wrote in a subsequent June 17 post. “While this particular case is a city eminent domain issue, we @usda are exploring every legal option to help.”
Rollins also said she had been “on the phone” with Andy Henry.
The farm is under threat of seizure by Cranbury Township after a town committee signed off on a measure that would pave the way for eminent domain seizure, NJ.com reported.
Cranbury Township is looking at possibly building state-mandated affordable housing on a large portion of the farm’s land, according to the outlet.
The Henry brothers have reportedly been fighting to prevent the seizure of the farm for months.
The family farm, which is now leased out for cattle farming, has belonged to Christopher and Andy Henry for over a dozen years. They have poured $200,000 into the property and declined offers of up to $30 million made by developers in that time, NJ.com reported.
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While advocating to keep their farm, the Henry brothers have said its proximity to warehouses would not make it a good spot to construct affordable housing and that there are better sites elsewhere. Their attorney, Timothy Dugan, has also argued the move contradicts the town’s work to preserve agricultural land in the area.
FOX Business reached out to Cranbury Mayor Lisa Knierim and Dugan for comment.
Andy Henry told FOX Business correspondent Jeff Flock that the town’s move “totally shocked us.”
Officials have indicated a fair market price would be offered to the Henry family in the event of eminent domain, per NJ.com.
Asked about that, Andy Henry told Flock his family “don’t even want to sell it” but said the town “would offer us a lot less than a warehouse developer would.”
Knierim is seeking an eminent domain takeover of the farm because it would stave off developers pursuing expensive “builder’s remedy lawsuits,” according NJ.com.
She has also said no one “is in favor of eminent domain” or “wants to see a farm disappear” in the past, NJ.com reported.
Andy Henry told Flock that Rollins “said she’d make a few calls” when she spoke with him.
“She did acknowledge that this is not a federal issue, but she’s trying to help in any way she could,” he said.
Cranbury Township is located in north-central New Jersey. The town itself is home to several thousand people, with Middlesex County, the county it falls within, having a larger population of over 890,000.
