Organic Farm Project Looks for Fertile Ground

Author: Tim McCahill

A portion of land on a leased plot west of Bicentennial Hall has been designated by a group of Middlebury College students as a potential site for an organic garden. The land, which is roughly seven acres in size, lies adjacent to Route 125 and, say the students, represents an ideal combination of rich soil and prime location.

The designation of land is the latest stage in a project first conceived last summer. Meeting coincidentally at an organic farming conference over the summer break, sophomore February students Jean Hamilton and Erwin Konesni discussed using their shared backgrounds in organic agriculture to write a proposal for funding for the project. Soon after returning to school in September Hamilton engaged students who had investigated starting a similar garden as part of a course in the Environmental Studies Department.

"From talking to them I realized there was a ton of interest [for a garden]," Hamilton explained. Taking the lead from these students as well as Konesni and others, Hamilton drafted a grant and submitted it to the Environmental Council. The funding allotted allowed Hamilton to further research the feasibility of starting a garden on College land, developing criteria for land selection, traveling to neighboring schools with similar programs and contacting local organic farmers and community members.

"It was an opportunity for a lot of people to vocalize [their views]," she noted.

With this initial phase completed, Hamilton and others associated with project, including Dane Springmeyer '02, began to work more ardently to identify a plot of land that would satisfy most of the criteria listed — including proximity to campus, nearby water sources and soil type and quality.

"The evolution of getting to that site in which we're interested came just a couple of weeks ago [in April] when we'd gotten a lot of information about pieces of property that were College-owned," explained Springmeyer. They investigated these potential sites with a local organic farmer, Will Stevens, who manages the Golden Russet farm in Shoreham, Vt.

The garden, if approved, would occupy a segment of a 100-acre field owned by the College but leased to a neighboring farmer. The plot begins adjacent to Route 125 and extends up a small hilly knoll visible from Bicentennial Way. According to Springmeyer and others working on the project, the soil on the plot — a rich loam ideal for agriculture — is one of its greatest advantages.

But challenges do exist. Most notably, the current leaser of the field needs to work in conjunction with the students so that all interests can be accommodated. "We're into this because we're pro-farming and we believe in working the land," Springmeyer noted. "And we don't want to do anything that will affect his yield from the land." According to College Forester Steve Weber, who is working with the students and oversees many of Middlebury's landholdings, the College's lease terms do allow for it to remove leased land according to a pre-defined schedule. But Weber viewed this as an option that was not desirable, citing a lack of specific precedent.

"It's having a garden in the middle of leased land that isn't ideal," he said.

Weber went on to explain that the proposed site, though close to the College and containing good soil, was somewhat removed from nearby water sources — a problem that might surface should land acquisition be finalized in the future. Moreover, located a few hundred yards away from the knoll is a site being used to deposit upturned soil and construction refuse from LaForce Hall. While members of the College's Office of Facilities Planning claim that materials stored on this site do not pose a threat to water sources that could be used in the garden, the construction waste, if anything, presents a visible contrast from the proposed garden's somewhat more idyllic surroundings.

Time is also a concern. Students linked to the project voiced the necessity of having a system designed so that involvement in the garden can be sustained over time and after project initiators graduate. Moreover, given proper weather conditions, summer planting will begin within the next few weeks on and nearby the proposed site.

Walking out to the plot on Saturday evening, Springmeyer, Hamilton and Konesni were visibly excited at the prospect of having their aspirations realized. Noting widespread backing for the project — but as yet no official College administration recognition — the group collected soil samples from the proposed site and examined maps designed by Springmeyer that outline the boundaries and topography of the plot.

"The garden's vision is for students primarily to learn about sustainable food production," he explained a few days later. "It really connects with the College's peaks of environmental studies and service learning."