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History
in Abundance at this Fourth Generation Farm
In crop year 2000, Butterhofs Shady Brook Farm decided it
was time for our youth to have an opportunity to visit a traditional
farm and gain hands-on experience at all levels of running
a family farm operation. A wealth of historical perspective
can be relayed to students, since the Butterhof's are a fourth-generation
farm family. They have been growing food for our tables since
1854 at Butterhof's Farm, located in the nation's first National
Reserve, the Pinelands, which encompasses almost 1.1 million
acres. Students will have the opportunity to take a hayride
through 60 acres of cropland, where they will see and learn
what it takes to grow and harvest fruits vegetables and field
crops. Students can participate in the seasonal pick-your-own
programs, where they will learn the agronomic practices necessary
to produce strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, flowers and pumpkins.
Butterhofs Farm will expose students to the cultivation practices
of crops traditionally grown in the south, such as sweet potatoes,
cotton, and peanuts. Or, students could take a hayride through
the woods and around the farm pond, where they will learn
wildlife management. Finally, students can test their skills
as they traverse through a three-acre corn maze and participate
in an agricultural scavenger hunt. At the end of the session,
students, teachers and chaperones can use the on-site picnic
facilities, where they can nourish their bodies and digest
the cornucopia of new facts they have learned about New Jersey
and its agriculture industry.
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