Liz Goodman, communications
Established in 2005, the Student Organic Farm (SOF; formerly called ‘Cornercopia’) is managed by Tori Dahl and her team of hard-working undergraduate student interns. Partnering with the Department of Horticultural Science and the Rogers Lab, the SOEstablishedF uses organic practices to grow, harvest, and market a wide range of crops and uses local resources to improve farmland quality.
The certified organic farm has been an invaluable campus asset and serves as a demonstration farm, an interdisciplinary teaching space, and a research extension resource. It also builds community both on and off campus with a market stand and a CSA program.
Every summer the SOF hires student interns to help grow produce and manage different aspects of the farm. Undergraduate interns learn valuable skills and come to understand how interdependent systems function within an agroecological landscape, ranging from weeding and composting to harvesting, marketing, and record-keeping.
“It’s so nice to pick vegetables and eat fresh food - those are beautiful things - but it does take so much hard work. There are so many weeds, so many challenges every day, and you’re just trying to prioritize and decide what you need to get done that day.”, intern Ava Nelson said.
Building on this hands-on learning model, this year, the departments of Horticultural Science, Animal Science, and Applied Economics began a research collaboration on the multidisciplinary aspects of raising broiler chickens organically, thanks to a grant through the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Through this grant, the students are learning about diversified organic production systems, integrating plant and animal production, and essential skills in farm financial management and marketing.
Intern Emily Nue led the poultry production system this year, and was grateful to have had an on-campus opportunity to practice what she’s learning in the Animal Science program.
This synergistic approach aligns with the realities of small-scale, organic farms in the Upper Midwest and better prepares undergraduate students with the leadership skills and knowledge necessary to support and launch new organic farms.
Intern Michelle Danielson said, “You don’t really know how challenging farming is going to be until you do it, so there’s a learning curve. In doing this work, I’ve learned more about where your food comes from and how much work the people bringing you that food do every single day.”
But it’s not just all hard work, Claire Aho added, “Having a job where you get to be outside every day makes me never want to have an inside job ever again - and the people are great! I’ve also really enjoyed learning about plants and soil.”
While the SOF interns reflected on their experiences so far this season, common threads were dedication, teamwork, learning, community-building, equity, and integrity.
All agreed that they became fast friends and have had a lot of fun working and learning together on the farm. Their majors include Animal Science, Nutrition, Environmental Sciences and Policy Management, and American Studies, which are all applicable to farming.
The SOF balances many forms of capital - natural, financial, human, and intellectual - to maintain a dynamic living classroom for the UMN and surrounding communities. Funding for the farm has been sourced mainly from various grants through the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the USDA, and the MN Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA), which help to cover the costs of supplies and undergraduate internships. The team understands that the SOF is also reliant upon their market buyers and CSA members to continue to operate.
“We definitely have some advantages being here on this site”, farm manager Tori Dahl explained, “but the big challenge for me is trying to balance the goals of providing education and maintaining the plots while also cultivating community buy-in. We work so hard each day to provide this. It’s a hard balance to strike.” Dahl said.
Nelson chimed in, “If we want a world in which our food system operates more effectively, we have to think about farmers, too, and what local food sources can look like - because it’s good when your food comes from down the street.”
On November 20th, the SOF will take part in Give to the Max Day—and we need your help to keep growing. With funding from MISA coming to an end this year due to budget cuts, your support is more important than ever.
Donations will go directly toward essential supplies such as plastic for our high tunnel, a new shed for chicken feed, landscape fabric, tools, and gloves—many of which need replacing after years of use. As supply costs continue to rise, your gift will make a meaningful difference in sustaining experiential student learning and supporting the future of local, organic agriculture.