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Hepworth Farms

Northeastern American Mixed Forests Trust T1

A seventh-generation Hudson River farm turned into one of the Northeast's largest organic vegetable growers

Size: 222.6 ha
Climate Zones: Humid continental climate with hot summers (Köppen Dfa), moderated by the Hudson River, which lengthens the frost-free season on the west-bank terraces compared with inland Ulster County.
Regenerative Focus: Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Health, Heritage Species & Seed Sovereignty, Regenerative Entrepreneurship

About this land node

Hepworth Farms is a seventh-generation family farm on the west bank of the Hudson River in Milton, Ulster County, New York, established in 1818. In 1982 Amy Hepworth, newly graduated from Cornell, took over and began removing chemicals, converting what had been a 900-acre fruit operation into one of the largest certified organic vegetable farms in the Northeast, now run with her twin sister Gail Hepworth and Gerry Greco. Across roughly 550 acres (223 ha) the farm grows more than 400 varieties of organic vegetables, specializing in tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumbers and greens, feeding New York City through CSAs, co-ops and markets.

Overview

Project Vision: We see Hepworth Farms in twenty years in the hands of an eighth generation, its soils still improving, its hundreds of varieties feeding the region through fair and direct channels, and its whole-systems approach adopted by the farms around it so that the Hudson's west bank remains a working, organic landscape.
Project Purpose: To grow whole, organic food at a scale that feeds a city, through a whole-alive-systems approach that cares for soil, workers and energy, and to prove that a historic family farm can lead rather than follow in the shift beyond conventional agriculture.
Project Title: Hepworth Farms
Ecoregional Location: Northeast US Coastal Forests, Northeastern American Mixed Forests (NA10)
Local Location: Mid-Hudson Valley (West Bank)
Political Location: Milton, Town of Marlborough, Ulster County, New York, United States

Ecology & biodiversity

Biodiversity context: The Hudson's west bank between Newburgh and Kingston is a mosaic of farms, forest and estates along a major migratory corridor. Large organic farms like Hepworth reduce pesticide loads near the river and preserve open farmland, while crop diversity sustains agricultural biodiversity.
Ecological corridors: The Hudson River and its wooded shoreline form a major north-south corridor for fish and birds, and the Marlboro Mountains ridge links forest patches along the west bank; farmland between them provides open-country habitat.
Natural boundaries: The farm occupies the river terraces and low hills of the Town of Marlborough on the west bank of the Hudson, between US Route 9W and the river, in the historic Milton–Marlboro fruit belt. The Marlboro Mountains ridge rises to the west and the Hudson forms the eastern boundary of the landscape.
Ecosystem unity: Hepworth lies in the Northeast US Coastal Forests ecoregion on the Hudson's west bank, where well-drained terraces and a river-moderated climate created a famous fruit-growing district. The farm's fields, tunnels and hedgerows replace former orchards within a corridor of farms, woodlots and estates along the river.

Climate & water

Climate Zones: Humid continental climate with hot summers (Köppen Dfa), moderated by the Hudson River, which lengthens the frost-free season on the west-bank terraces compared with inland Ulster County.
Rainfall patterns: Precipitation is spread evenly through the year with no dry season; late summer and early autumn are slightly wetter, often boosted by thunderstorms and the remnants of tropical storms. Winter precipitation falls as snow, sleet and rain, and spring snowmelt drives peak streamflow in March and April.
Average Rainfall: Approximately 1,050 to 1,150 mm per year; the Poughkeepsie station directly across the river records a 1991–2020 normal of 1,064 mm.
Temperature Extremes: July highs average near 29°C, with heat waves above 32°C in most summers. January lows average around -7°C, and cold snaps below -15°C occur in most winters.
Average Temperature: About 10 to 11°C annually, from roughly -2°C in January to 24°C in July.
Watershed: On small streams draining directly east to the tidal Hudson River estuary, within the Hudson River watershed.
Nearby water bodies: The Hudson River lies within about 1 km to the east; small creeks cross the farm toward the river.

Land & terrain

Elevation & slope: River terraces and gentle slopes from near river level to roughly 100 metres, rising westward toward the Marlboro Mountains.
Landforms: Glacial river terraces and outwash plains along the Hudson, backed by the shale and slate ridge of the Marlboro Mountains.
Soil Types: Gravelly and silty loams formed in glacial outwash, river terrace deposits and till over shale and slate of the Hudson Valley lowland. The well-drained terrace soils that suited orchards also suit intensive vegetables when organic matter is maintained.
Soil health: Former orchard ground carried a legacy of decades of pesticide use. Four decades of organic management, crop diversity and the ongoing reclamation of worn-out parcels have rebuilt soil biology and fertility across the farm.
Erosion risk: Low to moderate; intensive vegetable fields on terrace slopes can lose soil in heavy rain, managed through cover crops, residue and tunnels.
Renewable resource potential: Solar on packing houses and greenhouses; energy conservation is already a stated focus; crop residues and compost for soil carbon.

People & history

Land Acknowledgements: Hepworth Farms lies within Lenapehoking, the homeland of the Lenape people, whose Munsee-speaking communities, the Esopus people, lived along the western side of Muhheakantuck, the river that flows both ways. We acknowledge the Lenape and their descendants in the Delaware Nation, the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, whose relationship with this land continues.
Recent land history: Established in 1818 on the Hudson's west bank, the farm grew into a 900-acre fruit operation. Amy Hepworth took over in 1982 and began removing chemicals, cutting tree fruit to about 50 acres and expanding organic vegetables; the family bought back a parcel of the original property in 2014 and has since added hemp and CBD production.

Regenerative practice

Regenerative Focus: Regenerative Agriculture & Soil Health, Heritage Species & Seed Sovereignty, Regenerative Entrepreneurship
Regenerative Methodologies: Certified organic production under a whole-alive-systems approach; dechemicalization of a formerly conventional fruit farm from 1982; crop diversity of more than 400 vegetable varieties, many heirlooms; high tunnels and about seven acres of Haygrove tunnels for season extension; reclaiming and rebuilding worn-out parcels; independent farmer-led trials and collaboration with Cornell Cooperative Extension; care for a largely H-2A workforce as part of farm sustainability.
Environmental objectives: Eliminate synthetic chemicals across hundreds of acres of intensive vegetable land; build soil health on former orchard ground; conserve energy and water; maintain crop genetic diversity through hundreds of heirloom and open-pollinated varieties.
Community objectives: Supply fresh organic food to New York City CSAs, food co-ops, Greenmarkets and wholesale buyers; keep a 200-year-old family farm in production and in the family; provide stable employment and good conditions for farm workers; share knowledge with the regional farming community.
Community engagement: Hepworth supplies dozens of CSAs and food co-ops in New York City and the Capital Region, runs a local CSA and farmers' market presence, and hosts Cornell Cooperative Extension trials and visits. The farm is not open to the public, but Amy Hepworth is a frequent speaker and was named a Cornell farmer of the year, and the family supports agricultural extension in the region.
Economic Model: A family-owned commercial organic farm selling wholesale to New York City co-ops, CSAs, distributors and retailers such as Whole Foods, plus direct sales. Scale and crop diversity spread risk; a related hemp and CBD business was added to diversify income.

Impact

Expressed Impact: Hepworth Farms shows that a historic family farm can reinvent itself at scale: the move from 900 acres of chemically grown fruit to hundreds of acres of organic vegetables made it a major supplier of organic food to New York City and a reference point for what large organic farming looks like in the Hudson Valley. Its longevity, since 1818, also makes it a living record of two centuries of farming on the river's west bank.
Key impact metrics: Established 1818; seventh generation farming; organic transition begun 1982; roughly 550 acres farmed, with about 400 acres NOFA-certified organic; more than 400 vegetable varieties including 20-plus heirloom tomato varieties; about 7 acres of Haygrove tunnels; largest organic tomato grower in its region; supplies dozens of NYC CSAs and co-ops.

Visiting & links

Nearest urban centres: The hamlet of Milton is adjacent, and the City of Poughkeepsie (population about 31,600) lies directly across the Hudson about 8 km to the east. Newburgh is roughly 20 km south and New York City about 120 km south.
Website: https://www.hepworthfarms.com