FAR HILLS, New Jersey — On social media, President Donald Trump’s surgeon general nominee posts pictures of her chickens that live on part of her sprawling Central Jersey estate.
But the homeraised poultry produces more than eggs for Nicole Saphier: They count towards a New Jersey tax break intended for farmland, according to records obtained by POLITICO.
Whether she is confirmed as the country’s surgeon general or not, Saphier joins a list of well-off New Jerseyans who use a farmland law to shave money off their property tax bills. The program has been questioned by Democrats, Republicans and even environmentalists in the state — particularly when it is used by wealthy residents who are not bona fide farmers.
Saphier is not alone in seeking the benefits. Trump’s nearby golf course has used the tax break. Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi have also taken advantage of the state law allowing steep discounts in property taxes for land designated for agricultural use (Trump’s golf course has usedgoats and hay to qualify for the tax break. Bon Jovi raised honey bees, while Springsteen leased part of his land to an organic farmer).
Saphier’s farmland designation is being met with skepticism. Jack Curtis is a member of the State Farmland Evaluation Committee, which oversees part of the farmland program. Upon seeing photos of Saphier’s 16,000 square foot home — which was purchased for $5.8 million in 2023 — he said that her estate was the “poster child” for what he viewed as abuses of the law.
“If you want privacy and you want 10 acres of land surrounding [your] estate, great — good for you,” he told POLITICO. “But pay your taxes. That’s all.”
Saphier is a radiologist, author and former Fox News contributor (her husband is the founder of a neurosurgery practice). Saphier’s Instagram bio also describes her as a part-time “farmer” — although she has contradicted herself.
“The reality is, I'm not a real farmer,” she said in one post last May. “I just kind of pretend like I am.”
Saphier did not respond to messages seeking comment. Through the White House, she declined a request to tour the farm.
“Dr. Saphier made an application under New Jersey law — as was her right — for a portion of her property to be treated as farmland for tax purposes,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement. “The appropriate authorities, after reviewing her application and then inspecting the property, granted Dr. Saphier’s application.”
The farmland assessment law was established in the 1960s to help struggling farmers and preserve farmland. But state law has broad interpretation for what is considered farmland; a property owner can qualify for the tax break if they have over five contiguous acres of land and sell above a certain threshold of farm products for two years. The tax break does not apply to the home on the property.
Saphier’s property tax break is set to kick in later this year, allowing her to pay as little as $40 in property taxes for 10.35 acres of property, using recent local tax rates as a guidepost.
While it is difficult to calculate an exact amount of tax savings, the land value of her residential property dropped by approximately $624,500 when the 10.35 acres of land became valued at agricultural rates, according to county tax records. Assuming the value of the land stayed the same, those 10.35 acres would have a property tax bill at approximately $7,200 under current local tax rates. New Jersey’s average property tax bill is more than $10,000, the highest in the country.
The land assessed as farmland is located on Saphier’s estate in Far Hills, New Jersey — a wealthy borough of under 1,000 people about an hour away from New York City. And the property is no red barn family farm: The palatial home has 26 rooms, an in-ground pool, home theater with 13 seats, yoga studio and a wine room, according to a listing for the home.
The property had no farmland designation when Saphier purchased it, according to a property deed reviewed by POLITICO.
In May 2025, a company named Cascade Properties LLC — which is managed by Saphier and her husband, Paul Saphier, according to state business records — applied to the town for the tax break. Cascade Properties purchased the property in 2023. A registered agent for the company did not respond to a request for comment.
In October 2025, the borough of Far Hills approved Nicole Saphier’s farmland application. According to tax forms Saphier signed, around half the farmland is to cultivate hay, chickens, apples, rosemary and lavender, while the other half is for a farmland program to manage trees and promote forestry. Both require a minimum amount of agricultural goods to be sold to qualify for the program.
Local officials in Far Hills did not respond to a request for comment.
To be sure, the Saphier family still faces a hefty property tax bill. That’s because the farmland assessment does not apply to the actual home on the property. Using recent municipal tax rates as a guide, the 3.45 acre plot of land with Saphier’s mansion would still pay approximately $63,000 in property taxes.
“The annual property tax savings as a result of this farmland designation are, moreover, a small fraction of the overall property tax bill she pays on her actual residence thanks to New Jersey’s sky-high tax burden,” Desai, the White House spokesperson, said.
In a June 2025 Instagram post, Saphier posted a picture tending to her rosemary plants. According to tax forms, she claimed .15 acres as farmland to grow rosemary and lavender.
“Spending a little time in the garden always helps me reset and refocus,” she said in the post.
When Saphier applied for the program, the threshold for eligibility was to prove that a farm sold at least $1,000 in farm goods a year. In the application reviewed by POLITICO, Saphier reported “$1,000+” in “anticipated” farm income.
Former Gov. Phil Murphy tweaked the farmland assessment law just before leaving office this year — increasing financial penalties for repeat offenders who intentionally misrepresent themselves on their applications. Separately, the Farmland Evaluation Committee, which oversees the minimum threshold of farm goods required to be sold to qualify for the program, increased it to $1,900 under Murphy.
Murphy sought to change the farmland rules after Curtis, then a local activist, consistently called in to the governor’s radio show to criticize what he alleges is deception in the farmland system. But while Curtis said Murphy’s effort was commendable, he said that the changes were ultimately “insignificant.” News reports and critics of the program have said that municipalities rarely do a thorough check that the threshold for farm income is met.
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