How Birds Survive Winter – And How We Can Help
Falling temperatures, less food, severe storms and hungry predators all make winter a harsh season for birds, but our feathered friends have many tricks to...
About Us
The Talmage Family purchased the Riverhead Agway store from Agway in May of 2000 as a diversification of the family business. For many years from the early 70’s on we ran a small retail outlet for our wholesale products. Back then we sold greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers out of a hanger on the property. As the products grown in the greenhouses changed, we operated an “outlet” farm stand on the north side of Sound Avenue (called Friar’s Head Farm) where we sold perennials, annuals, hanging baskets, mums & patio geraniums. Jane (Talmage) ran the farm stand for many years and after she decided to retire in 1999 the decision was made to get out of the retail business.
Around that time Agway, Inc was having some difficult times and decided to sell off their corporate retail stores of which one was the Riverhead Agway. The Talmage family became aware of its availability and looked at it as an opportunity to open up a new outlet for the plants that we were raising wholesale and as means to diversify. We took that seed of an idea and nourished it to grow into the retail business it is today.
The current location of the store at Osborn(e) Avenue was no stranger to the Talmage Family. The building which the store currently operates out of was originally built as a potato storage & grading facility. LIPCO (Long Island Produce Company) owned by the (Talmage & Young families) who had recognized the need for uniform packing and grading facilities on Long Island had built or rented facilities on both the north and south forks. Local farmers could sell their products to LIPCO for packaging and retail sales. In the 1964 LIPCO sold the business to AGWAY, Inc which ran the potato operations at this location until 1989. That year Agway moved their retail operations from Polish Town, USA Riverhead on Pulaski Street to the converted grading & packing facility on Osborn Avenue. With the Talmage family purchase of the retail store, the ownership of this location has come full circle. We have since, tripled the size of the outside nursery area to handle the need for more plant display space, as well as expanded the inside retail space. In addition, this past spring solar panels were installed which have saved over 22,000 kg of CO2 from entering the atmosphere to date.
Today, Talmage Farm Agway has grown into the local resource for lawn and garden supplies (organics & regular), pet supplies and food, the largest assortment of Bird feeders, houses and bird seed in the area and of course high quality plant material. The nursery department specializes in regular, heirloom and certified organic Vegetable starter plants, Fruit trees & Berry bushes, Flower & Vegetable seeds (5 brands plus organic), a big selection of Roses, Camellias & Hydrangeas and of course a large selection of perennials (old favorites, unique & new varieties). We also sell the commercial farming supplies you would have found in the old Agway Farm Stores such as canning supplies, farm feeds(from A to Z & organic), buckets, fencing, gates, hay, shavings, straw, pasture seed mixes, stock tanks, stall mats, electric fencing, barn & fence paint, propane, wood stove pellets and coal. More recently we have brought back power equipment. In addition, with the increased interest in “Homesteading”, we stock everything you need for raising backyard chickens (including coops of various sizes and prices). If chickens are not your thing you can also get supplies for raising other livestock (cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, etc) and even beekeeping supplies.
Although thousands of items are stocked, we will happily special order what you need.
The store is managed and run with help of Talmage family members as well as with many of the employees who were with the Agway store prior to its sale. We employ 15 year round and add seasonal employees during the spring months. The Store is open every day with the exception of New Years, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
The owners and staff thank you for interest and your past and future patronage.
Come in and check out the long line of products we offer like power equipment, feeds, equine/form, wild bird, pet, nursery, lawn & garden, pond, and home heating. We also offer delivery, propane refills, and Senior Citizen Discount Tuesdays!
