MOUNT HOLLY — The U.S. Defense Department is providing more than $1 million to preserve farms near Fort Dix and McGuire Air Force Base.

“The county's farmland preservation program is an effective tool to minimize conflicting land uses that could impact the bases,” Freeholder Bill Haines said. “We plan to use these federal funds to support the preservation of several farms totaling approximately 800 acres in the most critical areas of the two-mile-radius buffer zone.”

County officials are working with the Department of Defense and Ocean County officials to develop a plan that would control development around McGuire Air Force Base, Fort Dix and Naval Engineering Station Lakehurst, which are merging into a megabase.

The joint installation will bring more than 1,000 jobs and $220 million in construction projects to the region by 2011.

Freeholder Director Aubrey Fenton will sign an agreement this week with the Air Force to accept $1.08 million from the Department of Defense's readiness and environmental protection initiative, which assists military bases with encroachment issues.

The agreement states that the county can only purchase farms through voluntary participation of the owners.

To date, 63 farms totaling 6,673 acres have been preserved in the military buffer zone.

The freeholders hope to preserve another 20,000 acres through public acquisition programs and zoning changes.