Grow-A-Row effort taking root in Pittstown
5.15.2007

By Tamara Scully
AFP Correspondent

Pittstown — Farmers work the land to grow the food needed for their
communities, the nation and even the world.
They do this not out of the generosity of their hearts, but to earn a living.
Unless the farmers are Jeremy and Meredith Compton, and the land in
question is the acreage they have donated to the Grow-A-Row for the Hungry
program, which grows food for area food pantries.
“It’s important to note that this program was started by a man named Chip
Paillex. He is the reason why we decided to participate in the program,”
Meredith Compton said.
Paillex approached the couple several years ago, asking if they would be
willing to donate a small plot to the Grow-A-Row program.
Volunteers would sow, reap and harvest the plot throughout the season.
The Comptons’ Peaceful Valley Orchards is down the road from the
Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, of which Paillex is a member, and which is
sponsoring the program.
The program had begun in Paillex’s own garden, and as other parishioners
became interested, they found a need for more land on which to plant.
They needed a location in close proximity to the church, so that the
congregation could easily access it.
The Comptons didn’t hesitate to designate a quarter-acre plot to the program
in its the first season.
They then prepared the plot for planting and donated all the seeds and
starter plants the volunteers would need.
This season, the Comptons have increased the acreage they donate for the
program’s needs. Compton estimated that they have already planted a
quarter-acre of broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower for the 2007 season. And
more is on the way.
“We plan to plant about another half-acre of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini,
cucumbers and sweet corn,” Compton said.
All of this planting — and the maintaining of the crops throughout the growing
season — is completed by an ever-growing number of volunteers.
This year, a group of middle school students will be helping out. Additionally,
other local farmers have donated equipment, such as a plow, to the program.
Local corporations have also come onboard, donating money to the program,
while sales from a book by two Bethlehem Presbyterian church members will
also generate proceeds to keep the program viable.
“So many organizations have contacted Chip about volunteering. The
response is overwhelming. We are also encouraging other people to start
their own program or just donate the extra produce from their home gardens,”
Compton said.
Another opportunity to feed the hungry is found through the gleaning of the
crops.
After the farm is finished harvesting the crops for sale, volunteers go through
the fields and collect any remaining produce.
For example, the Comptons only harvest on ear of corn from each plant for
their sales.
Volunteers go through and glean the rest for the food pantries. Pumpkins,
corn, winter squash and tomatos were gleaned from Peaceful Valley Orchards
last season.
The yield from Peaceful Valley Orchards, along with the harvest from one
other church plot at another location, was a substantial 27,000 pounds of
produce last season.
The food is donated to the Flemington Food Pantry, NORWESCAP, the
Somerset Food Pantry and smaller pantries in the surrounding area.
While the primary purpose of the Grow-A-Row program is to feed those in
need, it also serves to highlight the need for family farms.
Without farmland, and farmers who know how to grow nutritious, healthy food,
the community can not feed itself.
All citizens, whether or not they need the assistance of the food pantries,
need locally-grown, farm-fresh foods.
This is a part of what is meant when talking about “food security.”
The ability of a community to feed itself is dependent upon its small family
farmers.
Additionally farmers, such as the Comptons, who donate land, plants, time
and/or effort to the Grow-A-Row program benefit from the community
recognition and interest generated in their farms.
It has brought many area residents, who may not have otherwise known of the
farm or been inclined to visit, out to the farm.
Relationships between the volunteers and the farmers have developed, and
the positive publicity which the farmers receive can translate into more
customers, better visibility in the community and recognition of the essential
need for farmland and farmers to work it.
Feeding the hungry. Feeding the community. Developing relationships that go
beyond the exchange of food for money, and focus on the vital contributions
made by those whose business is growing food for neighbors.
For more information on the Grow-A-Row for the Hungry program, call the
Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Pittstown at 908-735-5733
Peaceful Valley Orchards can be reached at: 908-730-7748.
Comptons' farm camp teaches children about agriculture
5.15.2007

By Tamara Scully
AFP Correspondent

Pittstown — Peaceful Valley Orchards is growing more than just crops.
They are also raising the awareness of a bunch of young children each summer through a hands-on program
designed to make the kids aware of the realities and the relationship between food and farming.
The Farm Camp at Peaceful Valley Orchards aims to make today’s children — most of whom have never stepped
foot onto a real working farm except to run through a corn maze — knowledgeable about where their food comes
from, how it is grown and why they should care.
“We started the Farm Camp three years ago because we thought it was important that kids know where their food
comes from and how it get to their table,” Meredith Compton said. “Even though we live in a pretty rural area we
didn’t think many kids we aware of this.”
Compton and her husband Jeremy are first-generation farmers.
Not blessed with the experience of living on-farm in their childhoods, they are very aware of the need for education
about the real work behind farming.
Seeking to combat the growing disconnection between food and field, the Comptons outlined a program designed
to incorporate “the whole process: from starting seeds, to planting, maintaining, harvesting and selling the
farmstead products,” Compton said.
Peaceful Valley Orchards is a 150-acre fruit and vegetable farm.
The Comptons lease the land, which is preserved farmland.
Unable to afford to purchase quality farmland in New Jersey, the Comptons have nonetheless decided to devote
themselves to developing a viable farm business that includes a full-service retail market.
With an on-site kitchen, farm-made “from-scratch” sauces, cookies, applesauce and even manicotti satisfy the
cravings of area residents.
Even with the farm market drawing consumers to the farm, the Comptons felt the need to become more integrated
into the community conscience.
Thus, Farm Camp was born as an outlet to enhance the vital, and all-to-often missing link between a food eater
and the family farmer.
“The program has been so successful that we needed to add another week to accommodate all the kids that
wanted to join,” Compton said of the Farm Camp.
Run on-farm, the camp is designed for children ages 7-10. With a limited enrollment of 20 children per session, the
camp is thoroughly a hands-on experience.
Lessons at the day camp include crop identification, a session on pollination and even lessons in integrated pest
management.
The children learn of the intricacies of farming: proper planting times, the importance of composting, the use of
different pieces of farm equipment and even a short course on the care and milking of goats.
Special topics are also covered.
Beekeepers and other agriculture specialists are invited in to lead discussions.
Games, crafts and projects are designed to incorporate the lessons into fun yet educational experiences which the
children won’t soon forget.
The Comptons employ one instructor to lead the camp, along with an assistant.
Two other staff people provide support services, such as organizing craft projects or getting the food ready for
snack time.
Two staff members remain with the children at all times, Compton explained.
The liability insurance for the Farm Camp is reasonable, Compton said.
The fall corn maze at the farm is much more of an insurance burden than the Farm Camp. Children at the camp do
not engage in any swimming, or use the equipment, so it is considered a low-risk program.
By exposing a potential crop of future farmers — and certainly a group of future food purchasers — to the realities,
practical considerations and the business behind farming, the Comptons hope to have a positive impact on the
future of family farms.
As the Farm Camp enters its third season, the Comptons are hopeful that the interest shown by the children
translates into a better future for family farms in the Garden State.
With development pressures, loss of infrastructure, high operating costs, little opportunity for beginners, low profit
margins and competition from the industrial farming corporations which supply much of the food consumed today,
the survival of the family farm may well depend upon education the non-farming public.
Peaceful Valley Orchards and the Farm Camp program are hoping to raise awareness of the issues facing small
farmers.
Using the model of a fun camp experience, and teaching valuable lessons while engaging the minds of these young
children, will hopefully have a lasting impact on future generations.
And maybe bring mom and dad out to the farm today to make their in-season fruit and vegetable purchases here,
instead of at the supermarket.
Peaceful Valley Orchards can be reached by phoning 908-730-7748 or 908-713-1705 or visiting the Web site www.
peacefulvalleyorchards.com.