EXPLORING WEST AMWELL’S FARMLAND
By Betty Jane Hunt
The concept of making a living on less than 5 acres of land was completely foreign to me even a year ago. However, I am meeting more and more people like Mike Rassweiller, who are passionate about producing wholesome, nutritious food because they care about the environment and production of a healthy and tasty product.
Mr. Rassweiller actually owns 55 acres known as North Slope Farm, located at the corner of Route 579 and Rock Road East.
Twenty acres is in hay when he can get it baled, 15 acres make up a woodlot, where he takes out a cord of wood each year, and 9 acres are in production. But 4½ acres of that are kept fallow each year to make the soil more productive. He also recently got a small flock of chickens.
Mr. Rassweiller didn’t grow up on a farm. He was raised in Princeton, but his family always had a large vegetable garden. A University of Colorado graduate, he majored in geography with an emphasis on forestry. His original plan was to be a forester in the Peace Corps. However, he also wanted to grow his own food and be self-sufficient so he came back to New Jersey looking for land.
On trips to the Poconos, he drove through West Amwell and always loved the area. This was the early 1990s when land was very expensive and out of his price range. He wanted a woodlot, water, and some open fields. He first saw, what is now North Slope Farm, on a beautiful sunny afternoon and it had everything he wanted, including a derelict house that has since been remodeled. It was an estate sale so the owners were anxious to sell and Mr. Rassweiller was ready to buy.
He began with a farm share program where customers could reserve the produce. Now his main focus is off-site farmers markets. He is in Hopewell Borough at the Railroad Station (Railroad Place) on Wednesdays from 2-6 p.m.; Saturdays at the Princeton Junction Train Station from 9 a.m.–1 p.m.; and Sundays in Summit from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. All of this information and much more about the farm can be found at: www.NorthSlopeFarm.com. The website also provides a summary of what and how much was available the same month the year before.
Each vendor at a farmers market needs to have a market nitch. Mr. Rassweiller’s specialties are salad mix and heirloom tomatoes. These tomatoes are very difficult to produce and transport, but are worth the effort for the taste. At the markets, he has developed a core group of customers, who come every week and appreciate his produce, which he says is very gratifying. He produces a mix of hardy greens, root crops, beans and scallions to provide families with a wholesome nutritious diet.
Mr. Rassweiller is a member of NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association). They have different state chapters and the members support each other by meeting together and sharing ideas. I attended one of the meetings at North Slope and found it to be very interesting, educational, and inspiring.
As you can imagine, 4½ acres of vegetables is very labor intensive. To solve this problem, Mr. Rassweiller runs a three-year training program. He teaches two first-year trainees, two second-year trainees, and two third-year trainees each year. He also has two part-time employees and a farm manager. They work March through November. The trainees start at minimum wage and work up from there. They have the opportunity to rent a room in the “farmhouse” for a subsidized rent. When trainees complete the program, they can contract with the farm to rent land or go out on their own.
The thing Mr. Rassweiller likes most about the operation is the marketing at the farmers markets. His least favorite part is the administrative work.
Regarding the future, his biggest concern is more and more government regulations on fresh food. It is always a question before investing in major upgrades whether or not the government will pass another law that will put people out of business.
On the brighter side, he is seeing results of his training program. He figures they need at least five viable farms in fairly close proximity to share machinery and a packing facility.
Also on the brighter side is his 4-year-old son Casey who loves the outdoors, is very social, and loves all the activity around the farm. Hopefully, Casey will grow up to like the work involved and inherit his father’s love for the land and his desire to provide good wholesome products for his customers.
Betty Jane Hunt is a member of the West Amwell Township Agricultural Advisory Committee.