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After eight years, our lease at our second Farm in Mahwah, Lovewell Farm has been terminated as the plot is set for development. We thank the landowners for the wonderful opportunity to engage with the property and turn it into a thriving organic farm with the help of many staff, interns, and volunteers.

Since 2017, Lovewell Farm has been an integral part of our Fresh Roots Farming Program. Lovewell is a historically farmed plot in a residential backyard. After farming ceased there in the 70s it was largely left abandoned to collect weeds. The homeowners of the property saw our efforts at the Fresh Roots Farm, in the Campgaw Mountain Reservation, and generously invited us to set up a similar farm in their backyard. The addition of Lovewell grew many aspects of our Fresh Roots Farming Program. We were afforded the ability to welcome in more volunteers and groups, expand our bed space to include 80 more growing beds, plant and establish mature fruit trees, and because of the increased workload the farm added we could hire more young professionals to work for us.

Lovewell was a restorative effort. When we arrived, the plot had been fallow on and off for over 35 years. From 2017-2020 we diligently cleared away vines, logs, and trash and executed a years-long crusade against persistent weed pressure from mile-a-minute, Japanese knotweed, mugwort and more through tarping, mulching, and mowing for extended periods. For a period of about a decade the plot was used as a leaf dump after it was retired from farming. As a result, Lovewell Farm sits about 12ft higher than the surrounding area. When we began to build out our four field blocks, we realized that about 40-60% of the leaves depending on the area had not broken down, due to lack of air. We were digging up leaves from the ‘80s and have newspapers and wrappers from Halloweens past to prove it! Through exposing the leaves to air, adding on compost, and tarping as needed the beds became ideal for growing strong and healthy veggies.

As we prepared the growing space, we were also focused on establishing crucial infrastructure. In the spring of 2020 when the world was shutting down our skeleton crew put in an 8ft deer fence around the acre property and laid down a driveway. The deer fence was funded by the generous contributions from our community who helped us raise $16,000 to fund the project on Kickstarter. Before we had the deer fence we could only plant crops in the allium family.

The construction of the deer fence accelerated Lovewell’s functionality to new heights as we were able to grow a wider range of crops that deer would have mowed down in the past. In 2021 we completed our final crop block and from 2021-2025 the farm was in full production. This past summer, our fruit trees planted in March of 2025 came into full production and we saw a thrilling abundance of peaches and asian pears.

The loss of Lovewell will correlate to a 50% reduction in production and farm volunteer opportunities, and may put current staff positions in jeopardy. However, we believe that from loss comes opportunity! As we search for and build our a new farming plot we are excited to reinvest in programs that have been overshadowed by our Fresh Roots Farming Program, including our Stag Hill Trash Cleanup Program and trail building efforts in conjunction with the New York New Jersey Trail Conference. We are also looking forward to expanding our new Farm to School Program and offer more on farm educational programs.

As we look to 2026, we are raising $25,000 to support our transition to one farm and refocused efforts on current programs while also developing new ones. You can support our boots on the ground, hands in the dirt efforts by donating by December 31 here on our website or one of the ways below.

Ways to Donate

CHECK: You can donate by check and send it to our mailing address 1024 Ash Drive Mahwah NJ, 07430

MATCHING DONATION: You can put in a matching donation with your company. We are on Our Cause and Benevity (common corporate matching platforms)

VENMO: We are @mevoearth on Venmo. The last 4 digits of our phone number are 4888.

What is an individual donor?

An individual donor is someone who chooses to contribute a set amount to our organization monthly. No contribution is too small. We have individuals who contribute from $5-$50, it all adds up and makes an impact!

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