New Jersey is called the "Garden State" and agriculture continues to be a major component of its economic base. Additionally, most New Jersey farms are still owned by families rather than by corporations. The farms of New Jersey are mostly truck farms that supply fresh fruits and vegetables to major markets within the state and to the surrounding population centers of New York and Philadelphia. It has been found that once a development takes over a farm property, the fragmentation of agricultural areas becomes severe and these farms quickly disappear. Therefore it is hoped that we can locate farm properties that have not been fragmented and to build our housing units near other previously developed sites to minimize farmland loss. To map assign a value to these sites, the GIS has assigned the Prime Farm Soil designation to those areas that have a rich, fertile soil and is ideal for the local crops. The state of New Jersey has also designated certain soil types as "important" and these areas should be preserved if possible as well.