Howell Farm Named Winner Of Jersey Fresh Award

HOWELL, NJ - One Monmouth County farm was recently named the recipient of this year’s winning farm for the Jersey Fresh Farm to School Farmer Recognition Award, according to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture.

Drop the Beet Farms in Howell was recognized by New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher during the 10th Annual Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week (Sept. 21-25), a program that allows farmers to promote their latest efforts and connect with the next generation of consumers.

Drop the Beet Farms was awarded for its unique approach to its Farm to School program by constructing a 20,000-gallon aquaponics facility operating out of Calgo Gardens in Howell, according to a news release. Farm manager Cody Parker works with schools to build their own aquaponics system and students are involved at every step by integrating the design process into the STEM curriculum.

“That each system is constructed to accommodate the unique needs of the individual school points to the technology and ingenuity Drop the Beet has developed,” Secretary Fisher said. “These types of systems allow students to grow their own produce all year long and can facilitate Farm to School programs throughout the state.”

Drop the Beet Farm has installed aquaponics systems in several schools in New Jersey, which combine to produce more than 5,000 heads of lettuce each year. The farm also has a mobile aquaponics system that can be transported to other schools to help students learn about sustainable agriculture practices.

“I really enjoy encouraging students to learn about the different methods there are for growing food,” Parker said. “To see the expansion of this program and the increased interest after the systems have been installed has been a very rewarding part of this process.”

Other applicants for the Jersey Fresh Farm to School 2019-2020 Farmer Recognition Award included:

• Allaire Community Farms, Wall Township
• Alstede Farms, Chester
• Cheyenne's Road Market, Mt. Laurel
• Donaldson Farms Farm Market, Hackettstown
• Edel Haus Alpaca Farm, Wall Township
• Etsch Farms, Monroe Township
• Fernbrook Farm, Chesterfield
• Free Haven Farms, Lawnside
• Grow it Green Morristown
• Hawthorne Ave Farm @ Greater Newark Conservancy
• Millers Hill Farm, Mendham
• Readington River Buffalo Company, LLC, Flemington
• Schieferstein Farm, Clark

The influence of the Farm to School Program has led to more than 250 schools purchasing local produce from their main distributor, more than 200 districts buying local produce directly from farms and using a curriculum that ties cafeteria meals to healthy eating education and more than 100 districts organizing field trips to farms, according to the news release.

For more information about the program, visit www.farmtoschool.nj.gov.

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