Bergen County's Demarest Farm will be preserved as a farm after the Demarest family retires. The county and state will purchase the property for $3.7 million, according to an announcement made by County Executive Kathy Donovan. The Demarests have run the farm since its foundation in 1886.
The purchase was approved by the county freeholder board, with $2.5 million coming from the county and $1.15 million from the Garden State Trust, NorthJersey.com reports. The farm will now be run by two longtime employees who have worked for the family since they were 14 years old, according to current owner Peter Demarest, who is retiring to California. Peter Demarest stated he is happy to complete the preservation process his father began nearly a decade ago.