Karen Yi

@karen_yi

COLTS NECK - Former The Daily Show host Jon Stewart and his wife, Tracey Stewart, have officially purchased Hockhockson Farm on Route 537, where they plan to build a farm sanctuary and education center next year.

The pair purchased the 45-acre, farm on Sept. 16 for $4 million according to Monmouth County property records. They've also submitted an application to the Colts Neck Planning Board that will be heard on Nov. 10, town officials said.

Tracey Stewart, a former veterinary technician, wants to convert the space into a farm hub that houses animals rescued from roadsides, slaughterhouses and live markets. The education center will offer students classes on caring for animals and sustainable agriculture.

READ: Jon Stewart's farm sanctuary gets OK

During a meeting earlier this year before the Monmouth County Agriculture Development Board, Tracey Stewart said she wanted to get kids excited about where their food comes from.

"I do think of the farm as the perfect classroom," Stewart said in April. "We want to become a farm hub where people want to come and talk about innovations." The Stewarts live in Red Bank and own a 12-acre farm in Middletown.

The redesigned farm will also include a 8,400-square-foot two-story building for the visitor's center and education space. It will serve as the fourth location for Farm Sanctuary, a national farm animal protection nonprofit. The nonprofit will provide some rehabilitated animals for Stewart's farm. The animals, described as gentle and safe, will not be slaughtered nor any of their products sold, according to the documents detailing the farm's plans.

READ: What did Tracey Stewart say to the Agriculture Board?

The Stewarts purchased the property through their entity, JTS Land Trust, from the Cooke family. Hockhockson Farm has been owned by the Cooke family for 200 years, according to the Colts Neck Preservation Committee. It was a cattle farm until it downsized and now boards horses and grows vegetables and flowers.

MORE: Meet the animals to be housed at Jon and Tracey Stewart's farm

Farmer Robert Laurino leases about 11 acres of the property to grow squashes, peppers, eggplants, sunflowers and other items. Tracey Stewart has said he'll continue running the farm stand and the community supported agriculture program, which provides about 80 residents with fresh fruits and vegetables during the season.

The Monmouth County Agriculture Development Board already approved a commercial farm certification for the property and the farm's concept in May. The farm sanctuary is expected to open in 2017.

RELATED: Horse adopted by Jon Stewart dies

Karen Yi: 732-643-4277; kyi@gannettnj.com