Land preservation affords many benefits to property owners and the public. For farmers, it can be a powerful tool to make their land more affordable and expand their business. The Linney Family of Howell, New Jersey is a perfect example, having grown and flourished their wholesale nursery business – Linwyck Gardens Wholesale Farm & Greenhouses over three decades, thanks to their hard work and commitment to land preservation.

*Linwyck Gardens. Photo courtesy of the Linney Family.*

*Lissa and John Linney. Photo by Jena Cosimo.*

The Linneys began their farm at the crossroads of Freehold, Howell, and Colts Neck in 1988 with one greenhouse, sharing the land with their home, which dates back to the early 1700s. John Linney grew up in Colts Neck and had taken riding lessons at a horse farm close to his future property. He always liked the house and plot of land, leading John at age 27 with his wife, Lissa, to purchase it with his parents’ help.

“Growing up, this was the last house on Five Points Road before a long stretch of farms. It was mostly farm kids in school. Now, much of this area has been developed, and farmers have been replaced by executives and people commuting to the city,” said John Linney.

When they purchased their farm home, John and Lissa had just begun their chemical Lawn Care company. The couple met in the early 80’s when John worked at a large thoroughbred farm that had been converted to cattle and grain and Lissa worked at the local general store.

After years of building a successful lawn care business, they made the decision in 2000 to sell the company and devote themselves full-time to greenhouse agriculture—a passion of Lissa’s—on their newly acquired farmland.

Though Linwyck Gardens was originally established in 1988, it was only then that it became their central focus. What began as a handful of small greenhouses has since grown into a flourishing operation, now encompassing approximately 3 acres of greenhouse space and 40 acres of land. Over the years, they have expanded their offerings to include annuals, shrubs, hay, straw, and a vibrant selection of fall ornamentals. They start their crops from seed and plug or unrooted cuttings, and their biggest product is SunPatiens. The farm services customers including landscaping professionals, garden centers, golf courses, and fundraising organizations.

*Linwyck Gardens sells 140,000 SunPatiens annually, with top sellers being white and hot pink.*

John and Lissa’s two children, Katelyn and Sean, are actively involved in running the business. Sean, who has been with the operation for about eight years, manages the crew and most aspects of the farm, while Katelyn has been overseeing the office, sales, and assisting Lissa with the inventory system and production schedule for the past two years. John focuses on management and finances.

*Katelyn, Lissa, and John, and Sean Linney. Photo courtesy of the Linney Family.*

Preservation Story

The Linneys preserved their original farm in 2006. The family retained ownership of their 11.5-acre homestead and farmland, but relinquished development rights and permanently preserved the land through the New Jersey Department of Agriculture’s Farmland Preservation Program. This was done in partnership with the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC), Monmouth County through their Monmouth County Agriculture Development Board (MCADB), and Howell Township. Together, these partners purchased an agricultural easement, forever restricting development and ensuring the land will be forever available for agriculture.

Linwyck Gardens was one of the early farms preserved in their area. While other landowners opted to sell their land to residential or warehouse developers, the Linney family saw an opportunity to preserve their farming way of life and benefit their community by retaining green space, both while earning income through the easement purchase revenue.

*Sean and John Linney. Photo by Jena Cosimo.*

“Preservation has allowed us to support our family and grow our business, while continuing to live on and work our land,” said John Linney.

John continued, “My dad was an executive and taught me a lot about finances, which helped guide me in investing our income through the preservation program. We’ve had our share of developers making big offers over the years, and I’ve watched neighbors accept similar offers. I can tell you that preservation is straight forward, the offer is concrete, and you get your money – more so, in fact, in the long run than through development with its many approvals, delays, and infrastructure costs.”

“We are big fans of preservation and think more people should take part,” voiced John and Lissa Linney.

John further shared…“Every morning, we wake up, and I walk our dogs on our farm, while stopping to hand-water some of our plants. We could never enjoy this lifestyle in a housing development, and I can’t imagine ever seeing this torn down.”

*Chase and Clifford, the Linney Family dogs. Photo courtesy of the Linney Family.*

Expanding from their success, the Linneys purchased a second farm close by, dedicated to hay, straw, pumpkins, corn stalks, and gourds. In total, the family farms about 52 acres of their own or leased land.

In 2023, the Linneys preserved their second farm (26 acres) via the same program and partners as their first preservation effort. This time, MCF assisted with the appraisal process through a collaborative agreement with Howell Township. As a nonprofit land trust, MCF works with municipalities across Monmouth County to help facilitate land preservation and stewardship projects in a variety of ways.

“MCF congratulates the state, county, and local partners and applauds the Linney Family for working together to permanently preserve these farmlands. We are honored to have played a small role in the second preservation effort and to continue working with all involved on future projects,” said MCF Executive Director Bill Kastning.