by Karen Keene

If you have visited the Monmouth County Fair or watched the Freehold Memorial Day Parade, chances are you have seen the Mosley Family’s beautiful, historic tractors. What you may not know is that the Mosleys, who describe themselves as a “conservation family,” run Triple L Farms in Colts Neck and recently preserved it, ensuring their farm will never be developed and will remain agricultural land forever. MCF recently spent time with the Mosley family to discuss their farming operation and brainstorm ways MCF and partners can save additional farms – an effort the Mosleys also hope to further advance.

Triple L Farms was preserved in 2021 through an agricultural easement via the New Jersey State Agriculture Development Committee’s Farmland Preservation Program, in partnership with Monmouth County through the support of the Board of County Commissioners and the County Agriculture Development Board, and the Township of Colts Neck. The easement purchase leveraged public tax dollars to the greatest extent, financed by Township and County open space taxes and the New Jersey corporate business tax.

Although MCF was not directly involved in the preservation of the farm, MCF initiated conversations with the family to discuss preservation options and connected the family with the appropriate preservation partners to make it happen. MCF has prioritized farmland preservation as part of our mission since our founding in 1977. Saving farmland – what little is left – helps uphold our region’s pastoral character and agricultural roots; maintains fresh, healthy food sources; and supports local family farms like the Mosleys’.

In 2016 the Mosley family was planning a move to Tennessee until a serendipitous meeting with local realtor and friend, Carl Zellers, at Delicious Orchards led them to what became their new farm. The property was not publicly for sale, but the former owner, Carolyn Morris was preparing to find the next stewards of her beloved farm. Carolyn and her late husband, a PSE&G executive, wanted the land to remain farmland and never be developed. Carolyn was intent on keeping this promise, as were the Mosleys. Carolyn and the Mosleys met at her farm on a beautiful spring day and realized that they had a mutual love and respect for the land. Triple L Farms was born.

The farm was named for three members of the Mosley family – Lillian, married to Chris for 34 years, and the couple’s two children, Luke and Lauren. Ensuring the 28-acre farm was preserved forever was the next step.

The Mosleys’ motivation to preserve their farm stems from Chris’ agricultural roots and desire to sustain the farming way of life. Chris Mosley grew up on a cattle farm here in Monmouth County – now a large development in Morganville. Chris worked briefly on a turkey farm in West Virginia, later returning to New Jersey where he and his wife Lillian would raise their two children, instilling an appreciation for nature, farming, and conservation early on. The family shares fond memories of planting and growing over one thousand seedlings on their three acres in Morganville to later be transplanted to various farms and businesses in the area.

Triple L Farms has been the Mosley’s home and beloved oasis. The family has invested in significant improvements, such as renovating the original home, adding agricultural infrastructure, restoring former farm fields, and rejuvenating the fertile soils.

Today at Triple L Farms, the Mosleys raise cattle, poultry, and various crops. The family sells prized farm products like select beef cuts and eggs. Their beef consistently earns the top USDA Prime rating – likely due to the family’s focus on the high integrity of their cattle pedigrees, nutrition, and processing. The cattle are fed corn grown on-site, provided water tested regularly, and grazed on pasture established and maintained through a carefully curated mix of forage – allowing the family to closely control and monitor everything ingested by the cattle. A very limited audience enjoys Triple L Farms products through word of mouth, and the Mosleys typically harvest three times per year – the first harvest marked with a large celebration.

The family can’t currently meet demand and is working to expand production. This year, Triple L will see its first calves born and is preparing an additional 3.5 acres for pasture. The Mosleys plan to add turkeys to their roster, to be raised on the farm., and they hope to incorporate some beehives. They continue to grow the farm business and, in the process, are investing their capital into farm infrastructure.

Beyond their own marketed products, a portion of the corn crop grown at Triple L is used by Copper Kettle Spirits to distill bourbon and vodka. Through a new state law, the Mosleys and other owners of preserved farms in New Jersey may be eligible to host a limited number of special occasion events, like weddings or celebrations, under certain conditions.

What’s remarkable is the Mosley family manages Triple L Farms in addition to running their own business – Complete Security Systems one of the oldest and largest, full-service security and fire alarm companies in New Jersey. Chris founded the company in 1983, and he and Lillian grew the business to what it is today. Each family member essentially has two full-time jobs – one at the farm and one at the office.

The Mosleys’ farm is central to their family life – their little slice of heaven that serves as a gathering place for meals, holidays, and friends. Triple L Farm was the ideal setting for Luke and Alex Mosley’s wedding and will be the perfect location for raising future generations, with the couple welcoming their first child, son Connor, in April 2023.

As any farmer will tell you, it’s not easy. Challenges like weather, disease, and wildlife continually persist, but the Mosleys are all in. Ultimately, the Mosleys aim to raise enough meat & grow enough produce to support their family . They would also like to acquire additional acreage and increase their cattle production – and they have every intention of preserving their new land as well.

Seven percent of land in Monmouth County – 20,000 undeveloped acres – is yet to be preserved and is at risk of being lost forever. With Monmouth being the sixth most populous county in the most densely populated state in the nation, we are facing challenges including overdevelopment and urban sprawl, increasing environmental pressures, and barriers to sustainable farming and farm ownership transfer.

But there is hope. Together with our public agency partners, thoughtful landowners like the Mosley family, community supporters, and our donors, MCF can preserve the farmland and natural land that remains.

MCF has a tremendous opportunity to preserve even more land through a new partnership with the US Department of Defense Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program, working to permanently protect additional land that buffers Naval Weapons Station Earle’s (NWSE) nearly 12,000 acres. Our efforts will prevent incompatible development, preserve farmland, open spaces, and forests, protect wildlife, and add to existing parks allowing NWSE to maintain operations security and decrease potential risk to the public. Multiple properties are in the pipeline for preservation through the REPI program including over 300 acres in Colts Neck. MCF is working to raise the necessary and significant matching funds.

Photos by Lauren Mosley