Jones Family Farms in Connecticut: History, What It Grows, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Jones Family Farms is a diversified fruit, Christmas tree, timber and winery operation of more than 500 acres in Shelton, Fairfield County, worked by one family for about 160 years. It was named a 2023 New England Leopold Conservation Award recipient, a rare honor for a Connecticut farm so close to the New York suburbs.
| Location | Shelton, Fairfield County, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Founded | Family has worked the land for about 160 years; no single founding date published |
| Sectors | Strawberries; blueberries; Christmas trees; timber; winery |
| Scale | 500-plus acres (farm website and award announcement) |
| Why it is elite | 2023 New England Leopold Conservation Award recipient; six generations of family farming |
| Ownership | Jones family; Terry and Jean Jones and son Jamie, sixth generation, who started the winery |
| Official website | Jones Family Farms official site (farm page) |
History of Jones Family Farms
The Jones family has worked this land in Shelton for roughly 160 years. According to the farm's own history, fourth-generation Philip Jones started the Christmas tree farm in the 1940s, and his son Terry, the fifth generation, added strawberries and blueberries in the 1960s. Terry's son Jamie, the sixth generation, started the winery in 2004. The award announcement describes a former dairy farm that grew to more than 500 acres.
The farm's motto, attributed to a great-great-grandfather, is 'Be good to the land and the land will be good to you.' In October 2023 the Sand County Foundation, American Farmland Trust and New England Forestry Foundation announced the farm as a New England Leopold Conservation Award recipient. The award includes $10,000 and a crystal sculpture.
What Jones Family Farms Grows and Raises
Jones Family Farms grows strawberries, blueberries, vegetables, pumpkins and Christmas trees, and it manages woodland for timber such as tulip poplar and eastern white pine. A vineyard and winery, developed by Jamie, adds a value-added product line. The farm welcomes visitors for harvest-your-own picking, Christmas tree cutting and winery visits.
The farm also hosts school tours and research trials, which puts it in the company of the region's university and extension partners. Stewardship runs through all of this: a forest and farm landscape this close to the New York metro area stays working because the family keeps managing it for several uses at once.
How Jones Family Farms Makes Money
Pick-your-own and retail
Harvest-your-own strawberries and blueberries and a Christmas tree season bring customers directly to the farm. These direct channels give the family control of price and a front-row view of what visitors want.
Winery
Started in 2004, the winery turns a farm visit into a hospitality and retail product. Wine extends the season beyond the fruit calendar and adds a product that can be sold in the tasting room and through other channels.
Timber and education
Managed woodland yields timber, and school tours and research trials add educational and partnership value. The sources used here do not publish revenue figures, and none are estimated.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Jones Family Farms
Stack enterprises on one footprint. Over generations the family added fruit, trees, timber and wine to the same land, so a poor strawberry year does not sink the whole business. Each enterprise draws customers who may buy another.
Make land protection part of the brand. A motto about being good to the land and a recognized conservation award gives direct-market customers a reason to choose the farm. In high-land-cost Fairfield County, that identity helps a farm hold its place in a developed region.
It takes a family six generations to realize that the cure for a blueberry shortage is a winery. At farm.FM we tip a glass to that kind of long-range planning, and our farm satire and farm humor have never gone out of season. The ranch humor in our feed rarely visits Shelton, but the farm jokes about Christmas trees and pick-your-own strawberries are always welcome.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
How to Contact Jones Family Farms
Website: https://jonesfamilyfarms.com/farm
No street address, phone or email was printed on the pages reviewed, so check the official site for current hours, picking seasons, winery hours and contacts. Information as of November 2026.
Jones Family Farms Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Jones Family Farms official site - The farm's own history and offerings
- New England Forestry Foundation - Award announcement for the 2023 New England Leopold Conservation Award
- Shelton Patch coverage - Local news report on the award
- USDA NASS Census of Agriculture - Official data on Connecticut farms and land
- Connecticut farmland preservation - State program that protects working farmland
Jones Family Farms FAQ
Where is Jones Family Farms?
It is in Shelton, Fairfield County, Connecticut.
How big is Jones Family Farms?
The farm website and the award announcement describe it as 500-plus acres.
What award did the farm win?
It was named a 2023 New England Leopold Conservation Award recipient.
What does the farm grow?
Strawberries, blueberries, vegetables, pumpkins and Christmas trees, plus timber and wine.
Jones Family Farms shows how a Connecticut family can keep 500-plus acres working near the suburbs by stacking fruit, trees, timber and wine. Read our Connecticut farms guide for the wider picture of land, markets and programs in the state.