Lessons learned in Season 1 from the Student Organic Farm

1
Lessons learned in Season 1 from the Student
Organic Farm

• Cornercopia Student Organic Farm
• WUSA Presentation
• December 7th 2005 Part 1

2
Todays Agenda

• Farm History
• Outcomes of Spring 2005 Class
• Fall 2005 activities, events outcomes
• Spring 2006 Class

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Farm History

• During Spring semester 2004 students approached
  MISA with the idea that students needed a place
  on campus to try growing things organically
• A small test plot (20 X 30 ft) was grown during
  summer 2004 with enough success to grant a 1 acre
  plot for a student farm for 2005

4
Fall 2004

• During Fall 2004 the 1 acre site on the corner
  of Cleveland and Larpentuer was selected and
  planted in a rye cover crop in anticipation of
  spring.

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Spring 2005

• 18 Students enrolled in the Student Farm
  Planning Class where consensus building
  techniques were used to make decisions about a
  master plan for the student farm.
• Students used the Building A Sustainable Business
  Guide as a textbook to help focus on Production,
  Marketing, Operations, Human Resources and
  Finances

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Outcomes of the Class

• Mission Statement
• To steward a student managed, organic,
  sustainable farm that provides food, a place for
  community building, multidisciplinary education,
  research and outreach.

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Outcomes of the Class (continued)

• Farm Design Layout Monoculture Blocks,
  Companion Block, Keyhole Block, Jeavons Block,
  Space for Perennial Guilds
• Guiding Principles for Management Structure,
  Crops Farm Management, Research, Outreach
  Education
• Potential Markets
• Potential Partnerships

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Farm Layout
Perennial Guilds
North
Cover Crop
Cut Flowers, Perennial Nursery, Experimental
Plots
Paths for tractor turn around
6 blocks of intensive vegetable, herb flower
cultivation
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Block Layout
Rotation with No Mulch / Rye Straw Mulch
Rotation with Straw Mulch
Companion Plantings / Polycultures
North South Bed Orientation
Block Size 62 h x 42 w Block Space 14,880 7
beds (4 bed2 path) /block
Temporal Polyculture Jeavons Plan
Keyhole Beds / Intensive Polycultures
Rotation with Alfalfa Hay Mulch
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Monoculture Block Layout
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Monoculture Blocks
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Companion Block Beds 1-4
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Companion Block Beds 5-7
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Companion Block
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Companion Block
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Jeavons Temporal Polyculture
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Jeavons Block
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Keyhole Block

• Permaculture technique used to maximize bed space
  and minimize pathways
• Ours designed by David Campbell using companion
  plantings throughout

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Keyhole Block
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Keyhole Block
June 2005
August 2005
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Management Structure
Farm Manager
Faculty Advisors
Student Program Coordinator
Interns Volunteers

• Guiding Principle The student farm will be
  cooperatively planned and managed by a core group
  of students in collaboration with MISA,
  University faculty and other organizations.