Leon's Sod Farm began back in 1960 when Samuel Leon purchased a 42 acre chicken and field crop farm in Kingwood Township. The farm, located in western Franklin Township, is a unique business. There are 26 other sod farms in the State of New Jersey. Leon's Sod Farm started out as a farm growing field crops. As the income from field crops began to drop, Samuel Leon decided to put in three acres of sod in 1968. This product was so successful that within four years the Leon's increased their sod production to fifty acres. Leon's Sod Farm in creased in size in 1973 with the addition of 212 acres. Today Leon's Sod Farm stretches over 800 acres with 450 acres of sod. This includes some land that is rented. It takes about 6 to 8 months to grow sod. That's quite a long time to grow sod! Leon's Sod Farm also grows wheat. Leon's Sod Farm is a family run operation. Samuel Leon and his wife Irene retired in 1999. The farm's production is now run by his daughter Diane Leon Berger and son-in-law Wayne Berger. Even though the sod business is only forty years old there are many historic structures on the farmstead which date back to the early 1800's. The first building on the site can be dated back to 1807. The farm house was built in 1808. A carriage house was added in 1812. Barns were built in 1810 and 1815. The large barn was originally a dairy barn. It was later used for potato storage and poultry. Sod was sold to the Statue of Liberty in 1986 and to Yankee Stadium in 1970. It was also sold to Jayson Williams's (a basketball player) for his yard. Sod has been shipped as far away as Tennessee and Connecticut, but most of the sod is sold homeowners, landscapers and maintenance contractors within a 75 mile radius of the farm. "The busiest time to sell sod is March through December" says Mr. Berger. When asked if he ever regretted being a farmer Mr. Berger replied, "Sometimes when your out in the field and it's 98 degrees out, that is the time you regret being a farmer!" Mr. Berger became a farmer because his wife's father (father in law) was a farmer and brought him into the business. Tractors used on the sod farm. Leon's Sod Farm employs fifteen employees during the production season. The production of sod requires many different types of machines: tractors, plows, disks, sod harvesters, stone pickers, fork lifts, pallets, mowers and trucks. Tractors inside the sod farm barn. The most special memory that Mr. Berger has of his farm was when his daughter got married a few weeks ago.