Apr 7, 2007

Farm Prospers for 10 Generations

The Melick family has been farming in the same small corner of New Jersey for nearly 300 years.

“Everybody before me lived within six miles of here,” said George Melick. “I’m fortunate everything was here ahead of me.”

George owns Melick’s Town Farm in Oldwick, N.J., with his wife, Norma, daughter Rebecca and sons Peter and John – the tenth generation of Melick farmers.

The family’s farming methods slowly evolved over the past three centuries. The current emphasis is on crop diversification and retail marketing.

According to information provided to visitors by the International Dwarf Fruit Tree Association, which sponsored a tour to their farm in late June, the Melicks own 350 acres of farmland, most of which is used for tree fruit production. There are 50 acres of peaches, 40 acres of apples, 50 acres of pumpkins, 35 acres of sweet corn and a smattering of vegetables and flowers. The family also has two roadside markets, two u-pick operations and sells at several farm and tailgate markets.

“Wholesale apples aren’t the thing for us anymore,” John said. “We really emphasize the retail aspect of our sales.”

The diminution of the farm’s wholesale customer base over the years forced the family to go into u-pick about a dozen years ago.

Apple cider is a big part of the farm’s revenue, though not as big as it used to be because of the decline in wholesale customers. The farm produced 50,000 to 60,000 gallons of cider last year, but that’s down from 80,000 six or seven years ago, when cider sales peaked. The Melicks use UV pasteurization to treat their cider, John said.

Cider sales peak in October, when 8,000 to 10,000 gallons are sold per week. The Melicks sometimes buy cider apples from other farms. Only hand-picked apples are used in their cider. Apples that have fallen to the ground are sometimes sold in bulk to hunters, who not only relieve them of unused fruit but help take care of the deer problem, John said.

The home farm, about 60 acres, has been fenced for a long time to protect against deer. State permits allow farmers to shoot any deer on their property, as long as there’s a crop, John said.

In order to participate in local farmers’ markets, producers must grow at least 51 percent of the produce they sell. For tailgate markets, 100 percent of the produce must be homegrown. Those standards caused Melick’s to diversify production and extend its season, Peter said.

“It’s forced us into different vegetables and flowers,” he said, “things I never would have imagined us growing.”

George, a ninth-generation grower, is proud to be part of a long farming tradition. The farm’s fruit operation has changed quite a bit since his father first planted an orchard in 1940.

“Nothing was ever planned, but it worked out,” George said. “It’s wonderful to spend your life doing something you enjoy and see the next generation go forward.”