The Hammonton Gazette 06/22/22 Edition | Page 5

Page 4 • Wednesday , June 22 , 2022 • The Hammonton Gazette

Tuckahoe Turf Farms : ‘ 840 acres in 3 different towns ’

TUCKAHOE , from Page 1 and New York , and many sports organizations use their products . So what makes Tuckahoe special ?
“ We ’ re firm believers in quality from the start . You buy the special quality seed , the high performing fertilizers , growth regulators … that ’ s how we keep the highquality products ,” Tuckahoe Turf Farms Business Administrator Allen Carter said .
Carter explained the quality of the sod has attracted local homeowners and even big-name sports organizations . He named a few of the organizations that use Tuckahoe ’ s sod .
“ We have the fields pretty much locked up . Fenway Park , the Eagles , Steelers and Pirates . We have the Washington Nationals , the Red Bulls , Philadelphia Union , Green Bay Packers , the Bears , the Browns … we got quite a few pro sports ,” Carter said .
The organizations look to Tuckahoe for their “ Game Day Sod ,” which is used for their fields . The process allows the team to do custom orders , as well as possibly patching up a part of the turf before the big game .
“ We grow a product called ‘ Game Day Sod ,’ and that ’ s a registered product … we can actually harvest the sod and install it . As soon as they get those white lines on it , they can start playing ,” Carter said .
He assured The Gazette that the sod and fields look similar .
“ When the sod is harvested here , it ’ s the exact same thing they ’ ll see at the stadium ,” Carter laughed .
As for homeowners , Carter said that the sod speaks for itself . The best ingredients used to make the sod , combined with the reputation of the farm make the product stand out .
“ Part of what they ’ re buying from us is they know that we supply all those high-profile locations . They want that same product in their yard ,” Carter explained .
The turf farm wasn ’ t always the big name in town however . The reputation the farm had earned was from years of hard work and growing the business .
“ We started growing turf in 1967 down in our other farm in Tuckahoe which is where the name comes from . Then in 1979 we purchased our first parcel of land here in Hammonton . Since then , we ’ ve grown into Hammonton , Waterford and Winslow . Our farm encompasses 840 acres in three different towns ,” Carter said .
He explained that with the large amounts of land , there comes challenges . The climate seems to be the biggest antagonist , with massive amounts of rain , or no rain at all . Even heat poses an issue , with Carter saying it causes disease . Government regulations are something that the farm always has to check up on , but inflation seems to be one of the biggest impacts on the farm in recent years .
“ It costs us $ 1,200 to fill up a John Deere tractor , and that ’ s about a quarter of a day ’ s work ,” Carter told The Gazette .
The tractors are on the farms non-stop Carter said , with the fertilizer prices skyrocketing because of the inflation on fuel costs . The fertilizer has seen an increase of around 30 to 40 percent due to the issue . Grass seed is also going up in prices because of the quality , and shortage of seeds .
Tuckahoe however prides itself on the quality of their sod , and sticks to only the best ingredients . Even with the challenges the farm
THG / Sean Friel . To purchase photos in The Gazette , call ( 609 ) 704-1940 .
The attendees at the Garden Talk on June 13 ( from left to right ): Dudley Prince , Lisa Zeuner , Amy Menzel , Tracy Carr and Maria Prince . faces , the product continues to uphold the reputation of the farm .

Forest fire 13,500 acres in size

by Gabe Donio
GAZETTE STAFF WRITER
HAMMONTON — A wildfire that broke out on June 19 and was fueled by dry and windy weather conditions reached 13,500 acres in size , according the New Jersey Forest Fire Service .
As of 11 a . m . on June 21 , the New Jersey Forest Fire Service reported online that the “ New Jersey Forest Fire Service is making substantial progress in containing a wildfire in Wharton State Forest — Washington , Shamong , Hammonton & Mullica Townships — which has reached 13,500 acres in size and is 85 [ percent ] contained .”
Called the Wharton State Forest-Mullica River Fire by fire officials , the blaze impacted the following communities : Washington Twp . and Shamong in Burlington County as well as Hammonton and Mullica Twp . in Atlantic County .
Road closures due to the fire included Route 206 from Chew Road to Atsion Road and Route 542 from Green Bank to Columbia Road . The roads reopened on June 21 , according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service .
Originally reported as impacting 600 acres during the day on June 19 , the wildfire ’ s impact jumped to 2,100 acres by late in the evening of June 19 and moved to 12,000 acres by the evening of June 20 , according the New Jersey Forest Fire Service .

Garden Talk held June 13 Blueberries in season

THG / Dan Russoman . To purchase photos in The Gazette , call ( 609 ) 704-1940 .
Matt Macrie looks at some of this year ’ s blueberry crop . NJDA Secretary Douglas Fisher visited Macrie Brothers Blueberry Farm on June 20 .