Members of the Student Organic Farm reflect on a season of growth
October 21, 2024
As the harvest comes to a close, CFANS undergrads from the Student Organic Farm reflect on how they've grown alongside their crops.
By NETANYA SADOFF, BS '25, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE, POLICY, AND MANAGEMENT
Nestled snugly on the outskirts of St. Paul Campus lies one of CFANS’ best kept secrets: the Student Organic Farm. At the Student Organic Farm—or SOF, for short—education is not limited by the dates of semesters or the walls of a classroom; rather, it follows the cycle of the growing season, with learning opportunities abundant year-round. Earlier this season, we sat down with three CFANS students involved with the farm and asked them about their experiences. Here’s what they had to say.
Trystan Schultz
Major: Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
Trystan first heard about the Student Organic Farm when it was offered as an option for completing the Community-Engaged Learning component of the course ESPM 3011W Ethics in Natural Resources. Intrigued, Trystan chose to complete her volunteer experience with SOF. As a volunteer with SOF, Trystan was introduced to the simple-yet-rewarding joys of the farm and garden, and enjoyed every minute of it. After her semester of volunteer work wrapped up, Trystan found herself unable to leave the farm behind: the satisfaction of plucking a perfectly ripe tomato, the bittersweet feeling of selling the last pint of berries for the season; these fond experiences from her time as a SOF volunteer stirred her to come back to the farm in the spring—this time, as a paid employee.
“I'm very much a hands-on person and while it is a lot less technical than what you'd be learning in a classroom or lab, I think it's really nice to be able to engage with science in a practical, real-life setting. Not just seeing how something appears textbook-wise, but in actuality. For example, we get to observe firsthand how a disease actually affects an infected plant in the field and implement solutions to prevent its spread.”
Yueyue (Hannah) Zhu
Major: Animal Science
Hannah learned of the Student Organic Farm’s existence whilst browsing through a collection of fliers pinned to a campus job board. At the time, she was seeking an on-campus internship with opportunities to obtain real-life experience pertaining to her Animal Science major. When she stumbled across a SOF job posting among the overlapping bulletin postings, she knew she had found exactly the job she was looking for. As part of the SOF crew, Hannah takes part in all of the tasks required for keeping the farm running smoothly, from seeding to weeding.
“What’s surprised me the most about the farm is the weeds. They grow and spread so fast; they’re like monsters, taking over our field!” Hannah chuckled, masking her barely-contained exasperation.
Before I could even finish asking which weeds trouble the farm greatest, she interjected, “Burdock. We’ve spent whole days just rooting them out of our field.”
As an organic farm, SOF does not use synthetic herbicides to treat their crops or land. As a result, preventing and eliminating stubborn weeds requires a significant amount of elbow grease from the students throughout the growing season.
Despite the challenges posed by weeds, Hannah finds much to love about working at the Student Organic Farm. When asked what her favorite part of her job at the farm was, Hannah responded, “Selling, definitely,” gesturing at the market stall before us.
Rin Barnum
Major: Plant Science
For Rin, the introduction to the Student Organic Farm came by way of the Plant Science major newsletter via email. He had seen the SOF mentioned in the newsletter several times over the months and was curious about the farm, based on the limited amount he’d seen of it so far. Like Hannah, he was enticed to apply by the prospect of receiving hands-on experience in his major– and not needing to leave campus to do so didn’t hurt either. Rin might be a Plant Science major, but among the folks of the SOF he is known first and foremost for his skill with identifying pests and diseases afflicting the farm’s crops.
“I'm surprised that I've got to actually have more experience with insects, pests, and plant diseases. I came in thinking that my knowledge on these things might be mildly useful, but I didn’t expect just how much I’d be applying my skills on the job. I’ve identified bacterial wilts and have now become the go-to insect identifier for the farm. It’s wild!”
Rin enjoys helping identify problems with the farm’s crops and find solutions to save the ailing plants. However, he’s frustrated with the current options available to undergraduates interested in plant pathology at the college.
“I wanted to do a Plant Pathology degree, but they don’t have that here for undergrads. I hear they’re trying to add a minor for it. There’s been some talk in the Plant Pathology department.”
As a current senior at CFANS, Rin does what he can to engage with his passion as a member of the SOF. He looks to graduate school in the near future to study plant pathology in earnest.
The harvest season has ended, and with it the Student Organic Farm has closed their weekly farmer’s market locations on both the St. Paul Campus and East Bank, and is preparing to hunker down for the upcoming winter. The season may be over, but you can stay engaged with the farm year-round to get the latest on seasonal happenings by subscribing to the newsletter and following along on Instagram.
