About Us
Wooden Hill was started by three friends who met at The Cook Student Organic Farm (CSOF) at Rutgers University. It is the collaborative effort by Charlton Herczegh, Marley Skinner and Stefanie Zaitz. Wooden Hill operates on what was once Stefanie’s grandparents’ farm. In fact, the farm has been in her family for over 150 years. Developing a CSA on this farm is helping to save this small family farm.
What’s a Wooden Hill? A little farm history.
A wooden hill is a staircase! This euphemism was used almost nightly by Stefanie’s grandmother, Ethel Hilbish Kines Owens. Before heading off to bed, Ethel would get to the bottom of the staircase in the farmhouse and say, “Okay, I’m off to climb the wooden hill.” Wooden Hill’s name is a tribute to Ethel and the four generations of farmers that came before us on this land.
What on earth is the Cook Student Organic Farm (CSOF)?
You will hear us mention this farm a lot. All of us feel as though we earned two degrees from Rutgers – one for our academic pursuits, and another degree in farming. The Cook Student Organic Farm is the largest student-run organic farm in the nation. It functions as a CSA program and was where Wooden Hill’s farmers gained experience running all aspects of this type of program – from production to distribution. Marley, Charlton and Stefanie learned the benefits of direct farm marketing, both from the producer’s and consumer’s point of view.
Meet your farmers!
Charlton Herczegh
Charlton grew up in Central NJ and Florida. He graduated from Rutgers College in 2006 with a degree in Geography. Charlton's love of farming started when he found the Cook Student Organic Farm. Charlton then became CSOF's farm manager for four years and was instrumental in helping the farm grow both in crop production and in the number of shareholders. In fact, he and Marley Skinner successfully managed CSOF's first winter share in the winter of 2007. Charlton has a deep love and respect for nature and is curious about the mechanics of how things work. If there is a problem with the tractor, you will likely find him hard at work fixing it. Charlton loves Hungarian food, hanging out with friends, weeding, spending time on the tractor and drinking coffee.
Marley Skinner
Marley grew up in Pennington, NJ. She graduated from Rutgers in 2007 with a degree in Environmental Policies and Behavior and Agroecology. She spent three years at the Cook Student Organic Farm co-managing with Charlton and was instrumental in the farm's first winter share where she learned much about growing inside cold frames. While at Rutgers, Marley also worked at the Food Policy Institute. She has a strong love of nature and especially enjoys her time growing and arranging flowers. She has been gardening with her father since she was a little girl. This year she will begin taking classes to obtain a secondary degree in Nutrition. Marley loves pesto sauce, reading, knowing where her glasses are and her drives to the market.
Stefanie Zaitz
Stefanie grew up in Marlboro, NJ and spent much of her childhood on the farm. She fondly remembers gardening with her grandfather, Winslow Owens. She grad
uated from Rutgers College in 2005 with a degree in Sociology and Psychology. She then spent time traveling to places in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Her love of the farm has been lifelong, but her love of farming started in 2007. She took the internship at Rutgers in an attempt to explore ways in which to revive her family's farm. The more she learned about organics, it became less about the higher price point, and more about encouraging sustainability, and providing healthy and safe food for a community. After completing the internship, she then worked at the Wildlife Conservation Society headquartered at the Bronx Zoo, where her interest in conservation and sustainability grew. She came out to the farm to begin this CSA project in April 2009. She thinks baby bell peppers make great pets and doesn't think you should try the watermelon thing at home. Opt for a lighter vegetable.
