The original ninety acres of Hallock’s U-Pick Farm were bought by our grandfather Charles W. Hallock in 1949. Of the ninety acres, sixty three were cropland. The land was farmed by Charles and his son, Robert I. Hallock. Our family also owned another farm in Dayton NJ where white potatoes, cauliflower and grain were grown for the wholesale market. Our parents Robert and Blanch Hallock took over the farm in 1960. They added other vegetables and took them to auction markets.
In the mid 1960’s Hallock’s started renting more land, which brought the farm up to 300 acres. We then began to grow vegetables, field corn, soybeans and small grains.
In 1970 Hallock’s went into the u-pick business when the sons started growing strawberries and other vegetables. We also began to use greenhouses to grow flowers and vegetable plants for wholesale and retail. In 1980, fifty more acres were bought bringing the total to 139 acres; 119 of which was cropland. This was the year we also began growing more vegetables and less grain.
By 1990 the company had phased out of grain completely and exclusively grew vegetables for the u-pick and retail farm market. The total acreage now tallied 265, just for u-pick alone.
In 1990 Robert and Blanch Hallock decided to retire from farming and their sons decided to take over the business. In ’91 the farm was the first in Ocean County to join the Farm Land Preservation Program with 139 acres. In ’93 and additional 157 acres were bought, 90 of which had been rented since 1963. This also became part of the preservation program.
Hallock’s now has a total of 269 acres of which 265 is cropland. We also have 70,000 sq ft of greenhouse space. Because of the diversity of our crops we have customers from New York, Connecticut, Maryland, Deleware, and even Washington DC. Over 35 different crops are grown on the farm. We have even added a crop or two at the customer’s request.
The farm and greenhouse operation are owned and operated by Doug and Charlie Hallock. Their sister Debbie and Charlie’s wife Tricia also work on the farm. Doug and Charlie are also proud to be working with the Soil Conservation Service, which was stared by their father in 1956.
Part of our mission at Hallock’s U-Pick Farm is to preserve farmland for future generations. The Preservation Program enables us to continue towards this goal.
