Shale Hills Farm

06/14/2026

Our County Agricultural Agent. Hank Kimble, stopped by to help test our soil…..

06/13/2026

We rebuilt our 120 year old rock wall at our Wantage farmhouse a few years ago. I think most of us often drive by rock walls and don't give them much thought. They look nice, but we don't consider the amount of work that went into them. During the re-construction of this wall, I got to thinking what it must have been like to build the original wall....120 years ago. I don't think that they had the luxury of a Kubota tractor to help out, like we did! I have a new found appreciation for rock walls throughout rural Sussex County!

06/12/2026

We had reported that in the very early morning hours of May 31 the temps approached freezing. That’s a critical time in the life of our Christmas trees. Tender new growth can easily be destroyed by late spring frosts that would set the tree back a full year. It’s happened before. But we are pleased to report that all our trees made it through just fine. Looks like we can expect some great trees for this coming Christmas!

06/08/2026

“Yep. Looks ok. I should get another season out of this tire. Yep.”

06/06/2026

George Washington was absolutely right. And we should do all we can to save our farms…in Sussex County, in our Garden State and across this great nation. Remember, once a farm is lost to ANY kind of development, it is lost forever.

06/06/2026

GanderBird. My best barnyard pal. Today he’s helping me work on our tractor. He really is quite “mechanically inclined”.....for a bird.

06/03/2026

No more data centers or high transmission power lines in Sussex County. We need to keep it as rural as possible. We’ve already lost far too many of our farms!

06/02/2026

06/01/2026

Update to my January post. January: “Christmas tree farming has been a struggle in 2025. Shuffling through the fields while “trying” to shear. But looking forward to an easier 2026. Just got home from surgery. Knee replacement. (Young tree farmers have no idea!)”. Today, June 1, 2026: the surgery on my right knee five months ago went great. But left knee has been really bad. Springtime work on the farm hasn’t been much fun. So today I had the left knee replaced. Looking forward to being a healthy 20 year old again by the Fourth of July. Well, at least my knees will be (the rest of me insists on being 69). My advice to anyone going through similar pain. Don’t put off surgery. It’s gotten so much improved in just the last couple of years. And farming of all kinds is so much more rewarding and fun without the constant pain!