From accidental farmers to stewards of the land

We like to call ourselves “accidental farmers.”

In 2019, after nearly 25 years in Montclair, New Jersey, we decided to trade suburban life for more open space and the opportunity to grow some of our own food. After looking at nearly 100 properties, we found Cold Brook Farm—and fell in love with its 43 acres of fields, woods, and wetlands.

There was one problem: the farm’s 13-acre agricultural field had been conventionally farmed with chemicals for decades. We knew that had to change.

So we did what any reasonable people would do: we became farmers. Less than a year after leaving the suburbs, we had even purchased our own combine.

Growing With the Land

From the beginning, our goal has been simple: to be great stewards of our land.

With the help of our friend and grain-farming partner Jay Vogelaar, we began farming our own fields using regenerative and organic practices. Our primary grain field has been in a six-year regenerative and organic rotation since 2020, and was Certified Organic in 2024 and Real Organic Project Certified in 2025.

We also grow more than 70 varieties of fruits, vegetables, berries, and nuts.

Over time, the changes in the land became impossible to miss. Native plants, wildflowers, birds, butterflies, pollinators, and other wildlife returned in increasing numbers. Our neighbors noticed, too.

In 2024, one neighbor—an 80-year resident of the area—asked us to bring the same regenerative and organic approach to 90 acres of her farm. In 2026, two more neighbors entrusted us with an additional 14 acres. We expect the 90-acre farm we began managing in 2024 to achieve Organic Certification in 2027.

Growing Great Grain in New Jersey

We've learned that caring for the land has an extraordinary upside: the food tastes fantastic.

Our fields have shown us that this part of New Jersey—once part of the agricultural heartland of the original thirteen colonies—is capable of producing truly exceptional grain.

Today, we grow organic grains with a focus on soil health, biodiversity, and responsible land stewardship. We're proud to share the food we grow and to help demonstrate what regenerative and organic farming can accomplish right here in New Jersey.

We hope you enjoy eating it as much as we enjoy growing it.

A person wearing a high-visibility orange and gray work jacket, gray pants, and green gloves waters black trays of freshly harvested ginger roots on a grassy lawn in front of a blue wooden building.

Deborah

I began my career in radio in New York. I was a traffic associate at 1010 WINS and then a traffic manager for Bloomberg, LP. When our son was close to a year old, I said goodbye to commuting and radio and became a stay-at-home mom. As the kids got bigger, I became a Master Gardener and an environmental educator, mainly focusing on birds and native plants. For a short period of time, I worked in a local tea shop as a baker. I currently sit on the Board of Trustees for the Raritan Headwaters Association, an organization protecting the 470-square mile watershed of the North and South branches of the Raritan River. I am also a member of the Executive Board of the Montclair Bird Club.

I earned a BA in English Literature and graduated Summa Cum Laude from CUNY Hunter College. I love bird watching, spending time with my kids, playing games, reading, baking, and am an avid naturalist.

A smiling man kneeling outdoors in a garden bed, holding a freshly harvested sweet potato. He is wearing a light gray long-sleeve shirt, beige work pants, and yellow gloves.

Jason

Before becoming a Regenerative Farmer, I co-founded Strategic Outpatient Services, Inc. in 1995, a company specializing in the development and management of outpatient Positron Emission Tomography centers, and I still serve as the Company’s CEO. I have served on non-profit Boards including Ethos Farm Project (current), Coral Reef Alliance, Tewksbury Land Trust (current), Jazz House Kids and Hoop-A-Paluza; I also served as Vice Chairman of Montclair, New Jersey’s Planning Board while a resident there.

I earned my B.S. in Business Administration with Honors and Highest Distinction from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and love to go for long runs and walks, explore farmer’s markets, bake exceptional bread, cook amazing meals for our family and take naps with our four cats.

Land Stewardship

Cold Brook Farm is part of a community that dates back to the 1700s. The property was also inhabited by members of the Lenape tribe before European settlers arrived. The history of this special place reminds us daily that we are merely temporary stewards of the land, which will remain long after we are gone. When we purchased this parcel of land, we committed to enhancing its biodiversity, revitalizing the cropland soil, and creating a healthy habitat for insects, birds and other wildlife.

Our land stewardship initiatives include Permaculture in the area immediately surrounding our house, a forestry management program, regenerative organic farming on the main crop field and re-introducing native plant species while also reducing or removing invasive species.

Our land stewardship initiatives include Permaculture in the area immediately surrounding our house, a forestry management program, regenerative organic farming on the main crop field and re-introducing native plant species while also reducing or removing invasive species.