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Green Valley Farms

As Route 23 heads north out of Sussex Borough, in the northwest corner of Sussex County, the road mellows. It takes on a cool breeze and lets you enjoy the ride. The valleys get wider and the view gets better. Just south of its intersection with County Road 519, on the final climb to High Point, there is a stretch of fields and pastures that extend back off the road, maybe 1000 yards to a line of old trees nourished by a cold mountain stream. Past the trees there are more open fields sloping up hill to the edge of the woods. A great white barn and silo gleam in the distance—straight ahead—and soon a sizeable farmstand marked by a sign at the road’s edge, make it clear all are welcome to come in and get something that is, no doubt, good to eat.

This farmstead, now called Green Valley Farms, has been in production for over 100 years. For the past fourteen, Duce and Joy Tallamy have worked the 250 acres, part of nearly 13,000 acres of preserved farmland in Sussex County, producing hay, produce and pasture for beef cattle. They’re raising a family in the house that sits between the barn and the farmstand, which they built six years ago. A steady stream of customers marches through, many on regular stops, some happily surprised to find this place on their drive through. They pick up sweet corn, tomatoes, zucchini, summer squash, berries and fruit. This year the Tallamy’s added a fresh ice cream shop; cones, shakes, sundaes, cups in all imaginable flavors.

There is also a cooler full of filet mignon, ribs, roasts, and Delmonico, T-bone, or Porterhouse steaks. The Tallamy’s raise 120 head of all-natural beef cattle, processed, packaged and inspected in Pennsylvania, then returned to Green Valley Farms for resale. The herd grazes about 95 acres of pasture, and produces calves in winter and spring for the steer source for slaughter in the fall. Three breeds of cattle are crossed to produce a flavorful, but lean, cut of beef. Each steer is “source-verified” from birth to slaughter for natural feed (no antibiotics or hormones) and raising.