Farm Fights For Survival After Winning Battle With Howell To Operate

HOWELL, NJ — In 2022, when Julia Callano and Angel Angelov bought a small farm on Peskin Road, they had a vision of creating a place that provided sanctuary to both humans and animals alike.

Now the couple is facing a new fight: After winning a two-year legal battle with Howell Township, which claimed they were operating an illegal school on their property, they are fighting for their financial survival.

Samrock Stables and their nonprofit, Angel and Jules' Not So Ordinary Farm, began operating in 2023, offering horseback riding lessons, farm tours, and programs for homeschool groups and other youth groups to learn about animals and farming.

Not So Ordinary Farm is more than just a place to learn about farming, however. It is a sanctuary for both animals and humans, a place that has been a source of peace and safety.

Many of the animals on the farm are rescues, some left behind by the previous owner when Callano and Angelov bought the property, others taken in from various situations, the couple said.

For humans, it has been a place of respite.

The Collier School in Marlboro has brought its students there for programs that have provided connection with the animals — connections that have helped the students who have behavioral and developmental disorders connect with humans as well.

It's not just about children, Callano said, sharing the story of a police officer who was struggling with job-related trauma start to find healing as he spent time caring for one of the horses at the property.

It is those programs that make Angelov light up, speaking of students hugging him when they came to visit, and that make Callano smile when she shares the joy of a normally quiet child chattering excitedly about the chickens.

It's those missions and more Callano and Angelov want to revive now that they have finally won the right to operate and offer programs that will feed and care for their animals while also allowing them to offer help to the community.

Fighting for their right to farm

Their legal odyssey began in April 2024 when Matthew Howard, then the deputy manager of Howell, sent the couple a letter ordering them to cease many of the farm's programs, alleging they were operating a school illegally.

Howell threatened them with fines of $2,500 per day if they continued to allow homeschooling classes to visit or offered camp programs or other activities at the farm, Callano said in an interview with Patch.

In testimony before the Monmouth County Agriculture Development Board in February, John Aguiar, Howell's code enforcement official, said the township "had concerns" that the farm was offering traditional academic instruction such as math and reading, according to hearing minutes.

There was one problem: Howard never visited Samrock Stables to see in person how they were operating, Callano said.

A tour of Samrock Stables and the Not So Ordinary Farm showed nothing that resembled an academic learning environment.

One building on the property included displays and information about how wool is processed, with hands-on activities designed to engage visitors, similar to displays at places such as Allaire State Park or other places that offer community programs.There were no textbooks or student desks, no worksheets, just information about farming.

The remaining barns and outbuildings housed animals, including horses, cows, goats, sheep, chickens and ducks, and items to care for those animals, including feed, straw and tools.

Howard just assumed there was a traditional school based on a social media posting, according to the agriculture development board minutes.

Howell sued Samrock Stables in 2024, accusing the farm of violating zoning laws, but the claim of an illegal school was rejected by a judge in 2025, Callano said. Howell later appealed that ruling.

In addition to the lawsuit, Callano said they had been attacked in other ways, including someone making an anonymous call to the ASPCA in Monmouth County alleging the animals on the farm were not being fed properly. A visit by the ASPCA found that claim was false, according to records shared with Patch.

Howell officials also passed ordinances regarding special occasion events on farm properties, such as weddings, birthday celebrations and the like, while the fight with Samrock Stables was ongoing. The ordinances specifically blocked farms of their size from being eligible for special events approvals, with a cutoff of 5 acres. Samrock Stables comes in a whisker below, at 4.79 acres.

"When we drafted our Special Occasion Events ordinance, we did not restrict it only to preserved farms, but opened it up to non-preserved farms as well," Joseph Clark, then the township manager, wrote in an email to Patch at the time. "In doing so, we had to make some choices as to what would be suitable for the Township, which is why the definitions are the way that they are. Smaller parcels were excluded from the limited universe of SOEs (Special Occasion Events) and instead are allowed to pursue the much more wide-open on-farm direct marketing events."

"Any owner of a parcel smaller than 5 acres that would like to take advantage of SOEs is encouraged to reach out to the state or county to learn more about becoming a preserved farm," Clark wrote.

After fighting for more than 18 months, Samrock Stables was granted the hearing on whether it qualified as a commercial farm — something Howell officials had tried to argue it did not. The agriculture development board ruled in December that it did qualify as a commercial farm and as such is protected under the Right to Farm Act.

In February, the board ruled that the activities offered at Samrock Stables — "farm-based educational activities on the farm, including classes on livestock raising and horseback riding" — were acceptable and could be offered.

Both resolutions passed by unanimous votes, ending the legal battle.

Restoring and rebuilding

It has been an exhausting journey, Callano said, and now they are trying to rebuild, particularly the nonprofit work they do.

"This place isn’t just land and buildings," Callano said on the farm's Facebook page. "It’s early mornings and late nights. It’s animals who depend on us every day. It’s kids learning where food comes from, families visiting, and a small farm fighting to stay viable in a world that makes that harder and harder."

The farm has a fundraising site through GiveButter, which allows people to give in a variety of ways, from buying bales of hay — a $10 donation buys 1 hay bale — bags of feed for the horses and cows and chickens to sponsoring medications and hoof trimming and maintenance to the farm. There's options for one-time donations or monthly donations to sponsor animals, and they welcome any amount.

See the list of possibilities their GiveButter page.

In addition they are advertising for their programs that have meant so much to the couple.

There are spring farm classes that begin in April, summer camp programs, and farm tours led by Angelov all listed on the farm's website.

Callano teaches the horseback riding lessons, a natural extension of her equine background growing up in Monmouth County as a fourth-generation thoroughbred breeder and owner.

They also are diving back in to programs to support the community, sponsoring an event to honor the Brick Township Police Department's fallen K-9 officers in May. It's a program they had been involved with previously, Callano said.

"We’ve never been afraid of hard work," the couple's GiveButter fundraiser says. "We believe in doing things the right way, the honest way, the way farmers always have — showing up, putting in the hours, and taking care of what’s been entrusted to us. This fundraiser is about giving us the chance to do exactly that again, without one hand tied behind our backs."

"If you’ve ever believed in family farms, in standing your ground, in building something that lasts — this is your chance to be part of our story," they wrote. "Thank you for believing in us. Thank you for believing in this farm. And thank you for helping us rebuild — not just for today, but for the future."