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Melick’s Town Farm is a New Jersey farm in three Hunterdon county towns—Oldwick, Califon, and Bridgewater. The farm, which totals nearly 300 acres, is one of the largest fruit growers in New Jersey. The farm is currently owned by George and Norma Melick, the ninth generation of Melicks  The family has been farming in Hunterdon county since between 1725 and 1735. In fact, George Melick claims that “all of [his] ancestors in this country were born, baptized, married and buried within five miles of Oldwick.”

Farms
Melick’s currently owns farmland in three separate locations—two in Oldwick and the third in Califon. Most of Melick’s’ vegetables and strawberries are grown at the main farm in Oldwick. Here, customers have the opportunity to pick their own strawberries, as well as pick their own flowers. The second Oldwick farm, called Cider Mill Orchards, contains about fifty acres dedicated to growing fruit. The majority of school tours and fall activities are held at Cider Mill Orchards. Califon Orchards consists of two hundred acres of land dedicated to peaches, apples, and pumpkins. Customers can pick their own pumpkins, peaches, and apples in Califon. These three farms combine to cover three hundred acres. A hundred of these acres make up the Orchards, which contain more than ten thousand apple trees and five thousand peach trees.

Melick’s has a stand at its main farm in Oldwick, where customers can directly purchase the farm’s products. The farm also has other stands in Bridgewater and Califon, and attends six farmers’ markets in other surrounding towns. John Melick acknowledges that, while the farm is one of the largest commercial orchards in central New Jersey, it’s not nearly large enough to supply wholesalers. As a result, Melick’s competes with nearby superstores by selling its own fruits at its stands.

Adaptations
In order to stay competitive, Melick’s has had to adapt to ever-changing conditions [4]. The farm had always relied on apples and other traditional crops as a means for the majority of its income. Now, as farming conditions have evolved, the farm relies increasingly on retail sales. It has therefore become ideal for them to cultivate as many different types of crops as possible. They have expanded from a primarily “tree fruit” business, and as a result has become “more than a million dollar business,” according to John Melick.

Recently, Melick’s has taken precautions in order to protect its crops [4]. To keep out deer, George explains, they “put in four miles of eight-foot high tensile fencing to protect all three locations.”  In order to ensure that their crops and farmland are healthy, Melick’s “takes part in IMP – Integreated Pest Management,” according to Peter. “IPM advises us what to spray, where, and how much… Their scouts check it out weekly and leave us notes on how we’re doing. Through IPM and other agricultural services we are alerted at once about problems.