The beautiful 230-acre Smiley Farm on Stage Road provides a bucolic landscape for travelers passing through the Town of Wallkill on Interstate 84. As one of only a few remaining dairy farms in Wallkill, the scenic farm setting has not only been identified as an important viewshed for the town, but also as a vital contributor to the continuation of the town’s agricultural heritage.

The property was owned in 1895 by Noah and Phebe Stage and the road which passes through it was named after that family. In 1959 the farm was purchased by William and Winifred Smiley. [1] William is the son of a railway postal clerk from Newburgh and when he bought the farm it seemed like nothing could slow down Wallkill’s booming growth. “They didn’t see a developer they didn’t like” back then, Smiley recently told a reporter. His son Russell now runs the farm. [2]

The Smiley farm is a dairy operation maintaining a Holstein herd of approximately 75 animals, with 40 to 45 milkers. The Smileys maintain an extremely neat farmstead, and have received the Dairy of Distinction Award. In 1995, they implemented a barnyard water management system according to plans and specifications of USDA in order to treat and control runoff from their barnyard area. As a consequence of this and other conservation practices adopted by the Smileys, including cover crops and conservation tillage, they received a sign from the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District in spring of 2007 acknowledging their environmentally sensitive farming practices.

Unlike many modern dairy farms, a unique aspect of this operation is their emphasis on growing most of what their cows consume. In addition to the hay and corn silage produced by most dairy operations, the Smileys also grow and process their own grain corn and other small grains such as oats and barley. They are top notch crop managers – consistently producing yields near the high end of the county average. They stay abreast of and use new agronomic technologies such as “Roundup Ready” corn and minimum tillage planting techniques in order to maximize production while minimizing herbicide usage, erosion and water quality impacts. They commonly participate in crop trials sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension and others. In 2005, they hosted research plots to evaluate the effectiveness of corn pest controls. [3]

The farmland itself is a valuable agriculture resource since nearly three-quarters of its soils are considered “statewide important,” but its prime location and soils also make it extremely attractive to developers. Thankfully the Smileys submitted an application to Wallkill’s newly established Farmland Preservation Program in the fall of 2005 in an effort to ensure the land remain in agriculture use.

Through the efforts of Wallkill’s Commission for Conservation of the Environment and the town’s grant writer Michelle White, $2.1 million was secured in May of 2006 from the New York State Department of Agricultural and Markets to purchase the “development rights” on the Smiley farm. In a Purchase of Development Rights program, or PDR, farmland owners are paid for permanently protecting their land from development. Property enrolled in these programs is placed under a permanent deed restriction, known as a conservation easement. Protected land can be passed on to other family members or sold, but future landowners are required to follow the terms of the agreement. Landowners continue to own the property and can use it for farming, forestry, recreation and other uses compatible with agriculture. Agricultural conservation easements principally limit the ability of landowners to develop property for non-farm purposes or use it in ways that conflict with agricultural use of the property. The land remains in private ownership and on the tax rolls. [4]

“My family couldn’t be any happier when we heard that the farm was included in this round of grants,” Russ Smiley told a reporter. “We’re thrilled and can’t thank everyone enough. The protection of working farms is extremely important.” [5] According to his father, developers had offered to buy the Smileys land for two to three times the amount paid for the development rights. “We could’ve cashed in a long time ago,” Bill Smiley said. “But this is home.” [6]

In 2006, additional funding was secured from the Orange County Open Space Fund for the farm. When this ‘PDR’ project is completed, the first for the Town of Wallkill, the 230 acres will be permanently preserved for agricultural use. Once this happens, Wallkill will join other Orange County towns – notably Warwick and Montgomery – who have taken active efforts to preserve local agriculture and open spaces. [7]