ROB JENNINGS / NJ.COM – Fans of hard apple cider just got a big boost courtesy of a 2004 state law aimed at protecting the environment.
Ironbound Farm in Alexandria is receiving $788,000 from the state in exchange for preserving the 93-acre property for agriculture use, under a conservation easement agreement announced Monday by the New Jersey Highlands Council.
The council is a state agency overseeing the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act, which places additional limits on development in ecologically sensitive parts of eight northern counties. Under a conservation easement, a property owner is paid in exchange for restricting future uses of the site …