Jay Perry Jr. is the sixth generation to work the land on his family’s farm in Pedricktown, Salem County. Of the 850-acres that the family farms, half is owned and half is rented for use in growing a variety of fruits and vegetables such as strawberries, melons, asparagus and squash. They try to focus on growing high value crops and sell products to chain stores.

Perry, a 1999 Cook College graduate, started Beaver Creek Nursery three years ago to add further diversity to the operation. He is one of four partners in the operation which also includes his father, uncle, and cousin.

Though the farm is doing well, he emphasized how uncertain he feels about the future. Some of their rental land has options on it, their township is slated for growth and a new sewer plan is being discussed. He’s afraid they could be forced out due to any of these pressures.

What he is doing in the meantime is keeping a sharp eye on production costs. As a college senior he was involved in a scholars program where he created an extensive database looking at the cost of production for all crops. He learned the family was not certain of their production costs and even discovered that the actual cost of production for peppers turned out to be 50-cents higher than believed. Having a strong sense of their cost of production has enabled them to produce and market their crops more effectively.