The Van Rycken Brothers landed in Brooklyn in 1663. They began their life in the new world with a new name; Suydam. It means “south of the dam”, and refers to the location of the home farm back in Amsterdam, Holland. Fifty years later, in 1713, part of the family moved to Somerset County, NJ, our home today.

Throughout the 290+ years since the Suydam's came to New Jersey, the farm, and the family continually evolved. At one time the farm was a fruit, vegetable and dairy operation supplying markets in New Brunswick and New York City. Through the generations, (now 13), the farm has adapted to accommodate changes in both the market demands and the surrounding community. Field crops such as corn, wheat and barley were grown. In the early 1900’s the focus moved to Holstein and Brown Swiss dairy cows. In 1960 Suydam Farms won an award recognizing them as having the “Highest Production Herd in the US”. Changing markets meant more change for the farm. The dairy heard was later sold and hay production for horse farms became the primary crop.

The oldest part of the house dates back to 1765. The largest edition was added after the war of 1812. Although the oldest barns were lost to a fire in 1978, several survived which date back to the 1800’s. Part of Suydam family history includes tales of George Washington marching his troops at least four times across the farm while traveling from New Brunswick, Princeton and Trenton. The route was along “The King’s Highway”, now known as Route 27, which borders the farm.

Today, hay is still big part of what we do, along with seasonal crops which we retail to our neighbors here in Somerset and Middlesex Counties. Our products include potted and cut flowers, herb gardens, vegetable plants and field grown vegetables (of course Jersey tomatoes), pumpkins, Christmas trees, chicken eggs, and all grain fed pigs and lambs.

Suydam Farms remains a family farm to this day. It is currently operated by Ryck and Dee Jay Suydam and their four children; Matthew, Jenna, J. Paul and Lucas.

Our goal is to keep the farm viable and an asset to our community. Come see a 300 year old working farm in beautiful Somerset, NJ. Feed the chickens, talk to the lambs, and bring your friends and family. You will be glad you did.

See you in the barn yard!