MONTVALE—For four generations, DePiero’s Farm Stand & Greenhouses was woven into the fabric of Montvale and the wider Pascack Valley — pumpkins in fall, mums in the greenhouses, hayrides and haunted nights. On Aug. 26, the DePiero family announced that the farm stand was closing within days, bringing an era to an end.
“For a century, our family has had the profound privilege of stewarding this land and feeding our community. We are grateful for every customer, every friend, and every generation that has rode our hayrides, walked through our fields pumpkin picking, purchased our produce, shopped our greenhouses, ate at our bakery and supported our family’s dream,” they said.
“This farm is more than just a business; it has been the heart of our family… It has been the setting for countless memories—from the first harvest by our ancestors in 1924 to the children who visited every fall. We are so proud of the work we have done and the legacy we have built together with all of you.”
The family said the decision to close “was not an easy one. It was a life choice made after much consideration, influenced by the evolving nature of the industry and the rising costs of operation. Ultimately, it is time for us to close this chapter and embrace a new beginning with our own families.”
Patrons were invited to “join us for one last farm experience to celebrate our history and make a final memory… before we close on Thursday, Aug. 28.”
A farewell years in the making
The announcement followed years of struggle. In 2022, longtime farmer Glen DePiero described to Pascack Press reporter Michael Olohan the toll of rising costs, declining wholesale markets, and deer that destroyed thousands of dollars’ worth of crops in a single night. Heating the greenhouses alone had cost $46,000 in one year. The haunted hayrides and curbside pandemic pickup helped at the margins, but the math no longer worked. “I cannot work any more hours,” Glen said.
A decade earlier, the family had sold 27 acres for the Wegmans-anchored Shoppes at DePiero Farm. What remained was just 12 acres — two under glass — hemmed in by development. Still, the farm endured until its centennial, kept alive by stubborn labor and loyal customers.
That stubbornness had been a family trait. In 2015, Susan McTigue profiled the DePieros in these pages as they prepared to downsize. Patriarch Ed DePiero, who once cleared land by hand and bought parcels one deed at a time, recalled how his father promised him a piece of ground when he was a boy. Over the decades, the family grew to own hundreds of acres between Montvale and New Paltz, N.Y.
The farm was not just land but people. Employees like Jaime Medina, who worked in produce for nearly three decades, became like family. When his home burned down, the DePieros gave him a house on the property.
Lisa Bickel, who ran the nursery for 22 years, said she had missed countless holidays with family in the Midwest. Others, like high schoolers selling pies in the bakery, remembered the farm as a first job and rite of passage.
Even the animals were part of the story. Yo-Yo the donkey and Caesar the steer, inseparable companions, were eventually rehomed to a sanctuary in New York.
Preserving the land
This time, though, Montvale stepped in. The borough purchased 8.4 acres at Summit and Craig avenues for $5.15 million, promising to keep it farmland. Mayor Michael Ghassali said the land will host a pick-your-own strawberry patch, a community garden, and a professionally operated farm stand. Another 6.5 acres went to Montvale Landscaping.
“This isn’t just a transaction,” the mayor said. “It’s a testament to our shared values and vision for the future.”
Ghassali also linked the purchase to a broader fight that has put Montvale on a statewide stage. Warning against “massive overdevelopment” tied to state housing mandates, he cast the preserved farmland as Montvale’s answer: “My counter to the developers-backed Fair Share Housing Center? Our own residents-backed Fair Share Farming Center.”
A celebration
On Saturday, Oct. 18, from noon to 3 p.m., the borough will host Town Day at the Farm with hay rides, pumpkins, a petting zoo, music, and barbecue. “The farm will remain a farm and we will all get to enjoy it for generations to come,” Ghassali announced on behalf of the governing body.
The wider story
For the DePiero family, the closure is a farewell after four generations. For Montvale, it is a new chapter. Both sides agree: the memories, and the land itself, will endure.
That outcome is not assured everywhere. In nearby Woodcliff Lake, Van Riper’s Farm was sold in 1994 and became a supermarket, now Whole Foods. Tice’s Farm followed in 1997, redeveloped into Tice’s Corner Marketplace. No trace remains of their orchards or pumpkin patches.
If you go
Town Day at the Farm
- When: Saturday, Oct. 18, noon–3 p.m.
- Where: The Farm on Craig Road
- Activities: BBQ food, music, line dancing, free pumpkins, hay rides, petting zoo
- Who: Free for Montvale taxpayers, residents, business owners, employees, and their families
With appreciation to earlier reporting by Susan McTigue and Michael Olohan