Stony Hill Gardens
New Jersey Farm with Variety at its Core
Sandra Yerges
Around four years ago, Stony Hill Gardens, a multi-faceted New Jersey farm with many customers from the Big Apple, had big plans in store for its thriving apple harvest. These aspirations were rooted in the challenge that a surplus of products brings to local produce farmers. Although having too many apples may seem like a barrier, Dana Ronyack-Davis instead took this as an opportunity to avoid wasting the farm’s cultivated goods.
With a background in sustainability-driven fields, such as soil conservation and environmental science, this resource-conscious focus was part of Dana’s long-standing mission. Her husband, Dale Davis, also valued farming as he had a broad background of working in agriculture. Stony Hill Gardens, his family farm, soon became Dana’s as well once the two were married in 2008.
Being that extended hours are required in an agricultural career, Dana indicated it was most fitting for her to integrate her skills into the business. By working in tandem with her husband, the two could not only pursue their shared passions but also spend quality time together during the work week and beyond.
Stony Hill Gardens is a unique farm in its ability to juggle multiple activities and sales outlets. Even though growing produce, such as tomatoes, peppers, and apples, is its main agricultural aim, there are plenty of ways these products make their way to the end consumer. During the week, urban farmers markets take up a large portion of the farm’s time. Adding to the thirteen New York City markets on the schedule, the farm also maintains a steady stream of on-site business during the second half of the year.
Everything from a wide selection of harvest-ready goods to an expansive corn maze can be enjoyed at the farm. While they are there, customers can try, browse, and purchase the fresh, on-site goods they see in the fields and gardens. On top of these everyday happenings, the business also supplies its produce to locals using a Community Supported Agriculture program.
Because of these many offerings, there are times when customer demand may not match what has been harvested. This is what occurred in 2021 when Dana decided to take advantage of the surplus of apples she had. After thinking through how these fruits could be transformed to fit with the requirements of the farm’s existing sales outlets, she felt confident to proceed with a product catered toward an older audience: hard cider.
It was then Rebel Sheep Wine Co. blossomed. During the startup of this new brand, Dana approached every interaction she had with a chance to inform her business decisions moving forward. The United States Department (USDA) Rural Development was helpful in advising her on the benefits of the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) at industry events. This information coupled with another farm recipient’s testimony persuaded her to dive into pursuing the VAPG to supplement her business’ founding.
Beginning a new venture comes with its own set of costs, but those expenses only increase with the unpredictability of the agricultural industry. Unfortunately, 2021 was one of those unpredictable years for Stony Hill Gardens with a large amount of precipitation in the state. By dampening their primarily outdoor sales model, the farm was left with slowed yearly business. Even in that time, however, Dana mentioned the VAPG funding “filled in gaps” that otherwise would have set back the young hard cider endeavor.
“The grant extremely helped us just not having to go into an extreme amount of debt to start this business,” she explained.
In addition to keeping Rebel Sheep Wine Co.’s finances at bay, the grant was important for a variety of business-building tasks. Product and brand development was a large portion of the early funding usage. Whether it was partially covering the costs of ingredient testing, professional graphic designing, or trademarking the company name, there were many preliminary plans supported by the VAPG.
Furthermore, this new operation required increased hands-on labor throughout the year, which was an unexpected benefit to the existing employment offerings at the farm. Being that Stony Hill Gardens has peak business in the summer and fall months, the positions offered at the business would typically only cover those months. With the help of the grant award, Dana introduced annual cider-making roles that gave two employees more stable responsibilities.
“It’s hard to find Americans that want a seasonal job, so to be able to offer them something year-round has really helped me maintain my domestic workforce,” she shared.
This on-farm assistance was not the only help Dana was grateful for during this grant-funded growing stage. Additionally, she was fortunate to work closely with a local USDA representative, Maryann Tancredi, to successfully approach her grant reporting role. Maryann’s friendly and approachable nature kept her on track to ensure the reimbursement process operated smoothly.
Completing this VAPG experience while simultaneously building a new operation was a massive, yet worthwhile feat for Dana and Stony Hill Gardens. The grant’s length, which increased from the initial application due to a slow liquor license acquisition process, allowed her to make thoughtful plans for her hard cider brand. After getting the most out of this funding opportunity, Dana can now look into what might be in store for her company, including canning and community outreach goals.
