Today we’d like to introduce you to Anna Katharina Abma.
Hi Anna Katharina, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our Story
Abma’s Farm is a fourth-generation family farm with roots going back nearly a century. Our story begins with our founder, Barney Abma, who immigrated from the Netherlands in the early 1900s and settled in New Jersey. In 1931, he purchased 50 acres in Wyckoff, where he and his wife Anna started a small family farm with livestock, vegetables, and an orchard. 
Over the decades, the farm grew alongside the family. Their sons expanded operations—most notably building up a large egg business that eventually reached tens of thousands of hens and served communities across northern New Jersey. 
As agriculture and the surrounding area evolved, so did we. The farm diversified into produce, greenhouses, and eventually a retail farm market, always staying rooted in hard work, faith, and family values. Today, more than 90 years later, we’re still family-owned and operated, now in our fifth generation. 
In recent years, we expanded into Hillsborough as a natural next step in our growth. This location allows us to farm on a larger scale—growing produce, raising livestock, and supplying not only our markets but also CSA programs and dozens of retail partners across the region. 
A few years ago, we opened our Hillsborough location to the public, creating a space where guests can experience the farm firsthand. In addition to our market, we offer family-friendly activities like a petting zoo, pick-your-own crops, bottle feeding for young animals, hayrides, and more. It’s become a destination for families to connect with agriculture in a fun, hands-on way while enjoying everything the farm has to offer.
While we’ve grown from a small family farm into a larger operation, our mission hasn’t changed. We’re still focused on connecting people to their food, their farmers, and each other—creating a place where families can gather, learn, and make lasting memories.
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Anna Katharina Abma.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Not exactly—like most farms with a long history, it hasn’t been a completely smooth road.
Over the years, we’ve had to adapt to a lot of change. Agriculture itself has shifted dramatically, and being in New Jersey, we’ve also faced increasing development pressure and rising costs. Earlier on, transitioning from traditional farming—like our large egg operation—into a more diversified model with retail markets, greenhouses, and agritourism was a big shift that required taking risks and rethinking how we operate.
There are also the everyday challenges that come with farming: unpredictable weather, crop losses, and the constant need to adjust from season to season. Expanding into Hillsborough brought its own set of challenges as well—building something new from the ground up, developing the land, and creating an experience that stays true to who we are while serving a new community.
But each of those challenges has helped shape where we are today. They’ve pushed us to grow, stay flexible, and keep finding new ways to connect people to the farm while continuing the legacy started generations ago.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I like to joke that, like any farm wife, I wear a lot of hats—and sometimes all in the same day. One minute I’m shoulder-deep helping deliver a calf, and the next I’m out in the middle of the night delivering piglets at 2 AM. In between, I’m handling wholesale invoicing, running everything retail from start to finish in Hillsborough, and doing whatever else the day calls for. When you call the farm, that’s me on the recording too. No two days ever look the same, and that’s part of what I love about it.
My role really spans a bit of everything, but I tend to live on the more creative side of the farm. I run what we call the “arts department,” and I actually draw and paint just about everything you see around the farm—from signs to murals to seasonal displays—helping shape the look, feel, and overall experience for our guests. And when I’m feeling up for it—or when the farm needs a little comic relief—you’ll usually find me making videos for our social media, giving people a behind-the-scenes look at farm life with a bit of humor mixed in. Most people tell me I should get into comedy… maybe that’s a later-in-life career.
One of the things I’m probably most known for started as a dare from my mother-in-law and somehow turned into a yearly tradition—I’m the Grinch… or officially, Mrs. Grinch for copyright purposes—at Abma’s Farm in Hillsborough. It’s become such a fun way to connect with families and create something memorable for kids.
I’m also really proud of the work my husband and I have done building our CSA. We started a vegetable CSA nearly 13 years ago in Wyckoff, and over time it has grown and expanded into Hillsborough as well. Today, in addition to our produce CSA, we also offer a meat CSA, which has been an exciting way to continue connecting families with locally raised food. Along with that, I stay closely involved on the livestock side, especially working with our beef cattle and helping take both the animals and our kids to cow shows. That’s something that blends the hard work side of farming with mentorship and tradition, which means a lot to me.
What sets me apart is probably that mix of grit and creativity—I can jump into the tough, hands-on farm work when needed, but I also love bringing personality, storytelling, and a little humor into what we do. Farming is hard work, but it should also be fun, and I think I help bring that balance.
Anna Katharina Abma
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that you have to be willing to adapt while still staying true to who you are.
Farming—and life in general—rarely goes according to plan. There are so many things out of your control, from weather to markets to timing, and if you’re not willing to pivot, you won’t last long. We’ve had to evolve over the years, try new things, take risks, and sometimes learn the hard way. But through all of that, the most important thing has been holding onto our values—family, faith, hard work, and giving people a real connection to the farm.
I’ve also learned that you can’t do it all alone. It really takes a team—family, employees, and community—to make something like this work. And sometimes the best thing you can do is ask for help, trust others, and lean into the people around you.
And maybe on a more personal note, I’ve learned not to take everything so seriously. There’s a lot of hard, messy, unpredictable moments in this life, and being able to laugh—sometimes at yourself—makes all the difference.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.abmasfarm.com
- Instagram: @abmasfarm
- Facebook: @abmasfarm
