Category: Featured Farmer / Producer

Duke Farms is a leader in environmental stewardship and inspires visitors to become informed stewards of the land. It is a place of education, enjoyment and research that enhances the environmental health of the region. Through the beauty of its natural setting, the diversity of its wildlife, and the scope and quality of its educational programs, demonstrations and research, Duke Farms inspires people to transform their approach to conservation and to start building a more sustainable future. James Buchanan (J.B.) Duke transformed more than 2,000 acres of farmland and woodlots into an extraordinary landscape known as Duke Farms. Consisting of nine manmade lakes, over 18 miles of roads, over 45 buildings and a bucolic landscape, Duke Farms is a testament to J.B.’s ingenuity, resourcefulness and determination.  After J.B.’s death in 1925, his fortune was inherited by his daughter, Doris Duke. Doris Duke was an environmentalist long before it was fashionable. She demonstrated an especially keen interest in conservation and horticulture. In her will, she envisioned that Duke Farms should serve to protect wildlife as well as be used for agriculture, horticulture and research. Inspired by Doris Duke’s guidance, Duke Farms opened to public visitation in May 2012, with a mission to be a leader in environmental stewardship and to inspire visitors to become informed stewards of the land. A visit to Duke Farms is an opportunity to experience Central New Jersey's native landscape at its finest, and to engage with it however you’d like. Located in Hillsborough on a 2,740-acre property, where over 1,000 acres are open to the public for self-discovery, outdoor activities, and education and research related to ecological sustainability. Check out their upcoming events here. Make a weekend getaway out of it and take advantage of all that Central NJ has to offer! Lodging details here.