Rockland Farms 
at the Turn of the Century

The Litchult Barn, Airmont, NY, November 1996
Photograph by Ken Karlewicz

Once Rockland was almost solely an agrarian county, supplying New York City with all kinds of farm produce. At first sloops were used to transport the products down the Hudson River until steamboat navigation and the railroad became a better means of transport. People made a living picking fruits and vegetables and working the dairy farms that dotted the rolling foot hills of the Ramapo Mountains. The harvest included apples, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes, corn, melons, peppers, pumpkins, eggplants, squash and so much more. But the dawn of the 20th Century saw the beginnings of the decline in the number of farms in Rockland County and the gradual rise of industry. 

Aging Farmall tractors, July 1996 Photograph by Ken Karlewicz

White Faced Hereford, Sept. 1996 Photograph by Ken Karlewicz

Census figures reveal the sharp decline of farming activity in Rockland. In 1920, there were close to 1000 farms covering about 18,711 acres. 16.4 per cent of Rockland's total land area was farmland. By 1925, the number of farms was down to 889. In 1950, the farms decreased by half, leaving only 408. The number was down to 100 by 1959 and in 1969 only 50 remained. In 1997, there were only eight families farming in the County. Large tracts of farm land were being replaced by housing developments, shopping centers and industrial complexes. Much of this growth was due to the opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge in 1955, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway and the N.Y.S. Thruway during the same decade. Rockland's rural character was changed forever.

Erickson's Dairy Farm
Photograph by Ken Karlewicz

Remaining Rockland Farmland (Fall 1997)

Davies Farm, Congers - 120 acres
Smith Farm, New City -100+ acres (Sold)
Concklin Orchards, Pomona - 75 acres (Partially sold to County)
Cropsey Farm, New City - 95 acres (Partially sold to County for park land)
Schimpf Farm, West Nyack - 10 acres
Battochi Farms, Monsey - 15 acres (Sold to County for park land, 2002)
Earl Farm, Wesley Hills - 7 acres
Erickson Dairy Farm - 28 acres (Sold to County for park land, 2002)

Rockland Farm Web Sites

Dr. Davies Farm History

Cropsey Farm

Orchards of Concklin History

Rockland Farms

Historic Farms of Rockland

Source: Town Line: The Magazine of Rockland County, Fall 1997
            Rockland County Bicentennial, 1798-1998, Feb. 21, 1998
            Clarkstown Bicentennial Journal, 1971-1991, 1991