Fate, and/or government policy, has not been kind to agriculture in post-World War II northern New Jersey. Farms have come and gone. Richfield Farms & Garden Center, off Van Houten Ave., is a survivor. That’s due in part to a sense of mission ingrained within its owners, and in part due to the loyalty of the farm’s customer base in Clifton and nearby locales. Combined, it’s why Richfield Farms notched its 100th anniversary as a family business on Sept. 24, celebrating the event with a public thank you to its customers – in essence, an extension and integral part of Clifton’s own centennial year. “We have very dedicated customers. That’s why we held this event,” said co-owner Debora Schroeder Morton in an interview last month. “That’s why we’re so thankful to still be viable. It’s because of our customers.” Debora, the fourth generation of family to oversee the business, is joined by husband Jack Morton and their two (fifth-generation) children, Jessica Byrne and William Morton, running an operation that, seasons notwithstanding, approaches a “24/7” mindset. 60 October 2017 • Cliftonmagazine.com
“It’s constantly changing with the seasons. We’re getting ready for Halloween, then Christmas. It’s not static; it’s always changing,” Jessica Byrne explained. Adjusting with the times When working the land and coaxing the plants, adjustments due to variable weather, seasonal shifts and potential climate change can be taxing enough. Richfield Farms has also contended with changing tax codes, a manmade variable. “We were once a much larger farm when the Garden State Parkway came through,” Debora Morton recalled. Today, the property is just shy of five acres – a burden, because “you now had a rule that you had to have five acres to be a ‘farm.’ We’re taxed at a residential and commercial rate. We just don’t get farm tax relief.” But the family didn’t just submit passively before or since, Debora continued. “Over the years, we started off with produce, and then my grandfather played around with growing some shrubs from cuttings. My father, in turn, started a small shrub yard. When Jack and I came up, Jack made