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 The purpose and passion for conservation is shared among many. It is shared
between NRCS employees and partners who help people help the land. And it is
shared by the landowners with whom we work. Our passion is manifested through
the benefits derived from stewardship of private lands—benefits we all enjoy,
such as cleaner water and air, improved soils and abundant wildlife habitat.
Learn about our stories, the stories of conservation made possible through a
shared purpose, a shared passion and a shared commitment to conservation.
New Jersey farmers and other land managers play a vital role in protecting the
natural resources that we all depend on. The expertise and conservation ethic
they apply to their operations effect all of us. We are pleased to feature some
of the farming families and groups who consistently work to keep the soils and
other resources they manage healthy and vital. We thank them for allowing us to
tell their stories here.
Stults Farm: Plainsboro and Cranbury Townships
Middlesex County, New Jersey
 Kip
Stults’ farm in Plainsboro and Cranbury has been in his family for 92 years. Kip
and his wife Jill, with son Brian, daughter Amy and their families, have
continued the family farming tradition that was started by Kip’s grandfather in
1915. Even though farmland and farmers were disappearing from their county, they
demonstrated their commitment in 1990 by permanently preserving 93 acres of
farmland through the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program, becoming the
first farm in Middlesex County to be preserved. “We are stewards of this land,”
he told those assembled at the ceremony celebrating this preservation, and
added, “Thank you for the lasting privilege.” Since then, Stults has purchased
and preserved additional farmland to bring his total to over 200 acres.
At
one time a potato farm, the Stults’ operation has transitioned to crops that
accommodate the diverse suburban population that now surrounds the farm. Many of
their crops are offered at their farm stand or as pick-your-own products. Farm
fresh products ranging from strawberries, peaches and blueberries to tomatoes,
sweet corn, mums and pumpkins, as well as ethnic favorites bittermelon and
Romano green beans, are available to the local community. Grain and sod are
grown here as well.
 Kip
has long been one of New Jersey’s leading farmers in conservation and land
stewardship. He has implemented many water-saving, soil erosion and water
quality practices over the past decade with technical and financial assistance
from NRCS through the EQIP and NJ State Cost-Share Programs. Drip and linear
move irrigation systems, an underground irrigation mainline, grassed waterways,
irrigation water management and integrated crop management work to make the
Stults operation a conservation showcase. Kip recently applied for the
Conservation Security Program in the Raritan watershed and has contracted
through EQIP to improve air quality by replacing his diesel irrigation engines
with EPA-certified Tier 3 engines.
 Kip
and Jill Stults truly are stewards of the land, and they demonstrate this
personally and professionally. They have inspired a son and daughter to continue
the family farm tradition in an area where suburban pressures are intense. They
have participated in local agricultural organizations, such as the Middlesex
County Agricultural Development Board, the Middlesex County Board of
Agriculture, and the Farm Service Agency County Committee. In 1995 Kip Stults
was recognized for his conservation ethic by the National Association of
Conservation Districts and Goodyear when he was named Outstanding Cooperator of
the Year for the Freehold Soil Conservation District.
Fulper Farms LLC, West Amwell Township
Hunterdon County, New Jersey
 Conservation
planning is by definition a cooperative effort of the NRCS Soil Conservationist
and the farm operator. According to the NRCS field personnel who have worked
with the Fulper family in West Amwell Township, Hunterdon County, New Jersey,
the term “cooperator” really applies to this farming family. The Hunterdon
County Soil Conservation District shared this view when they named Rob and Fred
Fulper Outstanding Agriculture Cooperator in
1996.
When developing a plan to address resource concerns at their dairy operation,
Rob Fulper, his brother Fred and his dad Bob actively participate in the
process. They review NRCS proposed plans, ask questions, and work with the Soil
Conservationist to arrive at a conservation plan that is practical and
efficient. Once the planning process is complete, they waste no time in getting
the implementation underway.
 The
Fulpers milk 140 Holsteins and own 120 young stock and a beef herd of 50 brood
cows. They also grow corn, rye, soybeans, alfalfa and a variety of other grass
hays on their 1,000 acres of land to feed their herd and sell to local horse
farms. They bale about 45,000 bales of hay each year.
Over the past 15 years, NRCS has provided assistance for many of the
conservation practices installed on the home farm and on the acreage that the
Fulpers lease. A manure storage pond was constructed as part of a manure
management system. Solids and liquids are separated. Liquid nutrients are
irrigated onto the fields. Solids are composted for onsite use. The practices of
livestock exclusion, comprehensive nutrient management planning, and crop
scouting have been in use for years and continue to be maintained at the farm.
 The
Fulpers implemented no-till cropping system at their farm in the ‘70’s, one of
the first in New Jersey to do so. This year Rob introduced a new fall/early
winter cover crop on the home farm, planting a cover crop of forage radishes.
This practice will prevent erosion, provide a green manure crop for summer
planting, improve overall soil health, and stabilize manure nutrients for the
next crop planted in the field.
The family has a strong tradition of farming. Bob Fulper’s grandparents
purchased the home farm on Rocktown-Lambertville Road in 1908. Bob and his nine
sisters and one brother were born in the farmstead home. Originally a small
orchard, the family converted the operation to a truck farm, selling their
produce in neighboring towns. Bob started the dairy operation in the 50’s with
his dad and brother. After his father retired and his brother bought a farm in
Mississippi in 1963, Bob became the sole manager of the homestead farm. Today
Bob is “retired” and Rob and Fred manage Fulper Farms LLC. It may be too early
to project what the next generation of Fulpers will do about farming, but there
is some hope the family tradition will continue. This past year Rob’s
college-age daughter offered a summer camp at the farm for pre-teens who wanted
to learn how to milk cows and feed calves. The Fulpers have preserved 360 acres
through the New Jersey Farmland Preservation Program.
 As
the rural landscape of Hunterdon County has transformed to a more suburban one,
many of the farming families have disappeared. Where open space and working
farmlands are hard to come by, the Fulpers are helping to support healthy plant
and animal communities and sustain working farm land.
Active in the community, Rob Fulper was elected to serve as a Farm Service
Agency Hunterdon County Committee member from January 2001 through December 2003
and again in January 2007 to the present. In addition, Rob serves on the West
Amwell Township Board of Adjustment.
< Back to
Conservation... Our Purpose. Our Passion.... in New Jersey
Last Modified:
April 22, 2008
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