LaFarm, The Lafayette College Community Garden & Working Farm
Location: Easton, PA
History:
In 2008, a group of committed students lead by Jennifer Bell (class of 2011) were inspired by other college farms, such as Berea College Farms, Dartmouth College Organic Farm, Warren Wilson College Farm and Dickinson College Farm. Lafayette students began to discuss with administration the potential of creating a sustainable farm and food loop at Lafayette and began looking for funding to do so. Securing a grant from the Clinton Foundation and land from the administration, the farm was started in the spring of 2009, when it began with both the community farm plots and the student run garden.
The college began a large-scale composting program to help complete the Lafayette College Food Loop of growing food, reducing waste by composting campus food waste and then using that using that compost at the farm. Early produce was donated to the college dining hall and the farm was bringing food to Safe Harbor, a local homeless shelter.
Soon, the campus dining halls began to serve LaFarm vegetables in the dining halls, and began selling produce directly to students through an on campus farmers market. The biology department began to grow Milkweed for monitoring Monarch butterflies, and other research initiatives were started at LaFarm. The college farm would not be operating today without significant input from professors in the departments of Engineering and Engineering Studies, Environmental Science and Geology. With some money from administration, and some from grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the college employed both 1 full time worker and 2 to 3 researchers/work-study farmers.
After 2012, the previous farm manager, Jenn Bell, left the farm to pursue her own farm dreams and Lafayette hired a new farm manager, Sarah Edmonds, a graduate from The Seed Farm who had previously owned her own farm & operated a CSA. Under Sarah, the farm rapidly expanded in programs and productivity, also receiving a good deal more funding from the school due to strong leadership from faculty both new and old. The Lafayette College Sustainability Initiatives began to provide funding for several part-time farm hands during the summer and began to replace outdated equipment with newer versions with Sarah’s guidance of funding.
As of 2014, the farm is the center of 5 student researchers’ summer work, over 3 separate yet interconnected projects, and the farm employs 6 more student workers during the summer, sells the majority of its produce to campus and donates fresh produce to low income residents of Easton through the Lafayette Tech Clinic Veggies in Communities project.
Size:
2 acres
~1 acre community garden, ~ 1 acre working farm, 2 acre deer fence, two tool sheds, compost area, solar powered well/water pump and irrigation storage tank, additional water run off community garden water source with 1600 gallon capacity, open walled gazebo, one apiary, two additional solar panels and one wind turbine.
Crops:
Summer Squash, Winter Squash, Cucumbers, Broccoli, Broccoli Rabe, Strawberries, Rhubarb, Asparagus, Raspberries, Horseradish, Oregano, Echinacea, Sage, Basil, Lovage, Tomatoes, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Hot Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Kale, Chard, Garlic, Carrots, Eggplant, Leeks, Green Onions and Storage Onions, Native pole nation gardens, cover crops and other seasonal produce and perennial and annual flowers.
Produce Use:
Our food is mostly sold directly to Bon Appetit Management Company in the Lafayette College campus dining halls, U-pick or other direct sales are a small part of our budget, and LaFarm donates to low-income residents of Easton through the Veggies in Communities project with donations accepted in return. Any leftovers are taken by farm workers.
Livestock:
None.
Education and Academic Programs:
Earth Day at the Farm yearly event: students spend time out at the farm eating, planting, playing and working in the dirt around Earth Day.
The Milkweed Watch at the farm: students are monitoring milkweed on the edge of the farm for Monarch butterfly activity in conjunction with the Biology department.
Certain first year seminar classes visit the farm for use as an example of part of the food system.
Work Days at LaFarm: Days when all students are invited to come out to LaFarm to work and learn about how their food is produced.
And cooperation and curriculum development with these programs: Independent Study or Research, Excel and Tech Clinic Intensives, Civil Engineering Capstone Design, Technology and Nature, Environmental Engineering, Hydrology, Organizations and the Environment and Introduction to the Environment: A Systems Approach.
Community Programs:
The community garden portion of the farm is available for rent to college faculty, students, and their families. LaFarm is beginning to include alumni as community gardeners and will be working with the local senior center soon to potentially begin involving more of the Easton community. Our community garden is about growing great food in a healthy environment. Our interaction with nature and with the whole Lafayette Community is also paramount to the garden experience. Strengthening this sense of community through a common goal of Stewardship & Cooperation is something that gardening can do, naturally.
The Veggie Van “Veggies in Community” Project: Student workers who grow food at LaFarm bring it fresh from the field in a van to the West Ward in Easton, a low-income area, and accepts donations in exchange for the fresh produce. The project is an initiative of the Tech Clinic, a yearly research project that strives to work with the Easton community, and is looking to expand into a low running program that can support itself economically.
LaFarm also host yearly events such as tomato tastings, strawberry festivals and local pizza events where we grow the ingredients that are put on the pizza made right at LaFarm.
Primary- Sarah Edmonds: edmondss@lafayatte.edu
Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/LafayetteCollegeFarm
Twitter: twitter.com/LaFarm1
Instagram: instagram.com/lafarmfotos
Academic Farm Association 