Health & Life

A lifetime of events has whirled by since 2002, but in some ways it seems like yesterday. Can it really be that when this publication was born that year, today’s world of social media didn’t exist, subprime mortgages seemed no problem, the idea of an African American president appeared an impossible dream, no one imagined a weather event like Superstorm Sandy and the prospect of everyone going around wearing masks was strictly sci-fi? There have been ups and downs in the past two decades, but constants too. Monmouth County remains a great place to live, and we who are privileged to live here 20YEARS HEALTH & LIFE still care about our neighborhoods—and our neighbors. We’re hopeful for a better tomorrow as this magazine celebrates its 20th year of publication. We’ve gone through our share of changes too—we’ve updated our look, for instance. But the more we change, the more we stay the same in one respect: Monmouth Health & Life remains committed to presenting what’s new and exciting about life in our county and how to maximize good health to enjoy it to the full. We’re so glad our readers and advertisers have joined us on this journey. And we thought it would be fun to take a stroll down memory lane.

He Grows Happiness

For “Farmer Tim” Stockel of Manalapan, agriculture + entertainment = lots of hard work.

A cheery attitude isn’t actually mandatory at Happy Day Farm. Even if you’re having a grumpy day, pull up the corners of your mouth and stop by to pick a pumpkin, master a corn maze or buy some raspberry honey produced by local bees. Who knows? That forced smile may turn into the real thing.

It’s all thanks to owner/proprietor “Farmer Tim” Stockel, 52, of Manalapan, who started with a pumpkin patch. He purchased a 70-acre farm in 2012 and added another 60 acres in 2016. Over the years the Manalapan farm has become not just a source of fresh produce, but a whirlwind of fun activities too. It’s “agritainment”—and keeping it up is a 24/7 job.

“There are lots of moving parts,” said Stockel when Monmouth Health & Life asked about his growing business.

When did you realize you wanted to be a farmer?

Thirteen to 14 years ago, I grew some pumpkins for my daughter—that’s how it all got started. We delivered them to friends, and it was cool catching up with people. Giving them as gifts. So that got out of hand a little. The pumpkin patch got bigger. The third year doing that I made a corn maze. And got back into looking for land to expand our landscaping company. But buying land you’ve got to do something with it to try to pay the bills. So I had the land, and I was like, “What can I grow here that’s simple and won’t take much time?” But here I am 10 years later, and it’s quadruple any job I’ve ever had before. I didn’t really plan it. Growing up, I didn’t imagine owning 130 acres.

What did you and your wife do before starting Happy Day Farm?

My wife was an accountant. I had a landscaping business I started when I was a junior in high school. I have no farming background except for the small 10-foot-by-10-foot garden my dad would grow in the backyard. As a kid, I was intrigued.

Is there something about farming that would surprise people?

It is amazing how many people enjoy coming to your property. They thank me for teaching their kids about agriculture. I also never thought it’d be so darn hard. This [we spoke during the summer] is probably the worst drought I’ve seen in 10 years. Before you called, we were saying, “It’s supposed to be 90 degrees for the next seven days. How long are my sunflowers going to last? How long are my zinnias going to last?”

What role do the animals play at Happy Day?

They’re part of the happy part. Kids just love animals. We have goats, chickens and alpacas. One day a kid was here in springtime to do berry picking, and Alexis [an employee] was explaining about the chickens, and this kid’s jaw dropped. He said, “I’ve never seen a real live chicken.” We’re educators; we’re farmers. We wear a lot of different hats.

What is it like raising a family while running a farm?

It’s just life—I didn’t know what I was doing. I always put out the biggest fire first. When you own a business, it’s never turnkey. I don’t do my 40 hours and then go home. It’s 24/7—you own property, you have crops. I’m a parent, a husband. I’m always there for [my family]—they always come first, but the farm is right next to them when something goes wrong, or I need to stay late.

Do your kids work on the farm?

The whole family is involved. My daughter, Trinity, my son, Liam, and my wife, Olivia.

How many people does it take to keep Happy Day operating?

We have a staff of 25 in the spring. When we do our fall festival, it’s up to 85, and we’re probably still about 10 people short. Hard to find experienced people.

Have you ever had to rescue anyone from the corn maze?

Every year. I don’t know the nicest way to say this, but we have to explain to parents that it’s just a corn maze. There are four sides to it, and we’re going to get him or her out, I promise you. It’s just going to take a little time. The worst scenario is that they’ll come out the side.

Do you have any advice for those interested in starting a farm?

Do a lot of research. Talk to a lot of farmers. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.