Porch Farms
Cucumbers, Peppers, Strawberries, Sweet Corn, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes,Yellow Squash, Watermelon
The Porch Family has farmed their 150-acre fruit and vegetable farm in Pedricktown, NJ, for five generations. As far back as Brian Porch can remember, "everyone in the family has always been a farmer." Brian and his father now run the farm, taking on as many as 20 employees seasonally. Despite the challenges they still very much enjoy farming, especially in the spring, when they're able to go into the greenhouses and see everything coming alive.
Like other small family farms, the Porches face a range of challenges. As always, the weather presents a challenge, but more modern problems arise too. It is difficult as a small farmer because you can't set your own prices; the market sets them for you. There is also competition from other states, such as California. Brian thinks the future for family farms will continue to be challenging. He sees an environment where everyone seems to be in favor of family farms, but new rules are always being formed that make it more difficult. Land prices are also always increasing, and as it becomes more difficult to make a profit farming, it becomes more attractive to sell to real estate developers. In spite of these challenges, the Porches strive to do things as efficiently as possible and continue to be successful.
