Fairgrown Farm honored for agriculture education, school partnerships

The New Jersey Department of Agriculture recognized Fairgrown Farm in Hopewell with its Farmer Recognition Farm to School Award during Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week and Ag Literacy Week, held Sept. 22-26.

Fairgrown Farm, located at the Watershed Institute, was started in 2018 by brothers James and Alex Klett, who began farming in 2016. The first-generation farmers established the Fairgrown Collaborative in 2022 and now partner with more than 40 farms across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The farm incorporates agriculture education into its work with New Jersey students, helping connect schools with farmers and locally grown food.

“As farmers, we also have an opportunity to be ambassadors for agriculture, to help kids understand where their food comes from, meet the people who grow it, and feel a connection to the farms and farmland around them,” said James Klett, Fairgrown Farm owner.

The award was presented as New Jersey marked the 16th annual Jersey Fresh Farm to School Week. The initiative encourages schools to purchase locally grown produce for school meals and use agriculture-related educational activities.

More than 500 New Jersey school districts purchase locally grown foods. Of those, 391 have cafeteria-based initiatives that include Jersey Tastes fruits, vegetables and recipes, school garden produce, local food taste tests and educational activities. Another 218 districts offer activities outside the cafeteria, including nutrition education, school gardens, farm field trips and farmer assemblies.

For more information, visit farmtoschool.nj.gov.