Sunflower Alert! Brodhecker Farm reports the first of three fields in bloom

They're finally here!
Brodhecker Farm
2 Branchville-Lawson Road
Newton, New Jersey

Last year, thousands of people stopped along the Route 15 roadside to drink in the nature's beauty as seven acres of sunflowers burst into color. Hundreds more visited the seven acre farm field.  Brodhecker Farm welcomes visitors to enjoy the beauty of nature's colorful display at the farm location again this year as the first of the 2011 sunflower crop has come into full bloom. Ample parking has been made available right at the farm. A short stroll along the edge of the field brings visitors to the best viewing/photo vantage point. A viewing platform is in place for your convenience. The farm is open seven days a week. See the website for farm hours and location.

Brodhecker Farm plants and harvests the sunflower crop for their wild bird birdseed product. Sold in conjunction with NJ Audubon and under the Brodhecker Birdseed label, the sunflower seed is available to customers at the farm store location throughout the year. 


Seven acres of sunflowers were planted at the Hampton Township farm earlier this season. An additional 17 acres were planted at the same time in two additional locations, however, a devastating crop failure necessitated a complete replanting of those  fields. This pushed back the time line on bloom and harvest for this important cash crop. 

Farmers face many challenges. Even the best thought out plans can be impacted by unanticipated events which could devastate harvest and a  farmer's bottom line. Field crop failure in New Jersey -where the growing season is quite specific- can cause tremendous economic loss.

In an attempt to recover the initial 17 acre loss, Brodhecker Farm replanted  fields in both locations and hoped their additional efforts would prove successful. It seems they have. Acres of sunflower heads appear just about ready to open. Within a few weeks, Sussex County will be treated to an encore performance of Mother Nature's best! Later this fall-barring any significant weather or wildlife damage-Brodhecker's will harvest an abundance of seed for their bird seed line.


Sussex Naturally will keep you posted on the progress and the location of the two upcoming bloom events. For now, enjoy the spectacular "show" right at the farm. Please remember that the flowers are intended as a cash crop. Enjoy the beauty, but don't pick the flowers!.

Interest in locally raised poultry had folks "flocking" to Brodhecker Farm's Poultry Workshop

In response to the increased inquiries about the "how-to's" of raising layer hens for egg production, Brodhecker Farm, Newton NJ hosted a free two hour Poultry Management workshop on April 1. Pre-registration was requested and the response was much larger than anticipated. Actual attendance exceeded sixty participants who came from all over the northernwest NJ region.The workshop covered topics related to poultry management and care. Starting off the afternoon with a focus on the specialized shelter, nutrition and care needed to get  those cute, fuzzy chicks off to a healthy start and continuing on through to the basics for keeping a healthy, productive flock of layers, the workshop focused on nutrition, housing, general sanitation and health and basic care of layers hens in egg production.

Phil Brodhecker of Brodhecker Farm, conducted the two hourinteractive workshop. An attentive audience represented a broad cross section of families and individuals who currently care for- or are planning to raise their own flock of two or more chickens.

Local interest in food production and locally raised products has increased significantly in recent years. Due in part to increasing consumer awareness of the benefits of buying local and in part to the rising cost of food, people are taking a hard second look at were their food comes from and how they can add home-grown foods to the family table. Workshop attendees expressed some other reasons for their interest in backyard poultry including the opportunity to give their children a first hand  agricultural experience and a knowledge of food production.


Some simply want to add another dimension of home-raised to their gardening efforts and for many...raising chickens promises to be rewarding and fun.

Brodhecker Farm is one of Sussex County's largest family owned, fully operational farms-raising field and forage crop, livestock and poultry. Phil Brodhecker has a degree in animal husbandry and had at one point in his career managed a large poultry production operation in the mid west. His expertise, resources and credential gave participants a well rounded perspective as he spoke to the shelter, nutrition and health needs of layer poultry. Brodhecker offered pragmatic management options and shared with the group some of the most common questions he fields from his customers but underscored that "...the best management systems are the ones that work for your lifestyle and objectives. There's a lot of information and opinion on what's the best- once you meet the basic nutrition and shelter requirements, and gain a little insight into the biology of your layer hens, the management style you choose is a matter of what fits best into your routine and lifestyle."
Brodhecker emphasized the importance of a good nutritional plan and explained how altering the chicken's diet with too many "chicken snacks" can quickly impact the health and production of the birds who have a high metabolic rate. "A chicken's heart beats over 200 times a minute," he said, "their bodies produce an egg per day-an egg with three separate components (shell, white and yolk). Meeting the nutritional demands of that kind of output takes with consistency and moderation on the snack side, will help your birds stay healthy and productive."

The interactive workshop concluded with an opportunity for participants to discuss their individual questions with Brodhecker Farm staff who were on hand throughout the afternoon. A coop and run display was available for closer inspection-as were feeders and watering equipment of varying sizes. Brodhecker Farm just recently introduced a chicken run- designed and built by farm staff-to their coop and poultry offerings. The run is designed with an entrance access customizable to fit the layout of existing shelters.  The ability to customize caretaker access to the shelter makes it easier to integrate the coop and run into the backyard or landscape. Constructed for durability and with protection against preditors in mind, Brodhecker's chicken run gives the birds access to forage. exercise and fresh air while still protecting them from the elements and keeping   them safely contained.

Sussex County has a rich agricultural heritage and a growing population of small farm operations and backyard producers. New Jersey's agricultural picture has changed over the decades and is continually making room for small acreage farms who add to the beautiful mosaic of agriculture in the Garden State.

Learn more about Sussex County Agriculture and locally grown/locally produced foods by visiting the Sussex County Board of Agriculture .