The Campus Farm is an outdoor classroom where students grow produce for the University and Ann Arbor community while learning about sustainable food systems.
By Jena Brooker, ’19
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Read time: 2minutes
Photos by Leisa Thompson
Eat a stir-fry, salad, or stew at one of U-M’s dining halls, and chances are some of the vegetables have come from the Campus Farm, less than 10 miles away. Located in U-M’s Matthaei Botanical Gardens, this hidden gem, created in 2013, spreads across nine acres, employs over 25 students, and last year provided $135,000 worth of produce and plants to the University. Beyond being the perfect farm-to-table model, it also serves as an outdoor class for sustainable food systems.
“The farm is a way for students to be a part of the food system but not just as a consumer,” explains the Campus Farm’s manager, Jeremy Moghtader, ’98, MS’04. “By learning where the food comes from, the impact of how it is grown, and by helping to grow it themselves, we serve as a platform for engaging these students in deeper conversations about sustainability,” says Moghtader, who has worked at the farm since 2016.
Staff members were uncertain in March what the summer season would look like due to COVID-19. But by taking extra precautions — like pausing the volunteer program and following the University’s COVID-19 guidelines — they were able to keep operating at full capacity. The adoption of these precautions was a smooth transition for the farm. Certified as a Good Agricultural Practices entity, it already followed strict food-safety guidelines.
Michigan Alumnus gained an inside look at the farm this past summer by tracking tomatoes and Swiss chard from planting to plating.
Every Monday, the farm team takes a walk to plan the week and learn about pests and diseases affecting the plants as well as sustainable land management techniques. Here, Moghtader tells senior Je Toi Green (at left in photo) and senior Helen Rhines not to worry if they fall behind. “With farm tasks,” he explains, “you never get to everything in a timely manner.”
Rhines seeds several trays of crops in the greenhouse in July. Later, they will be transplanted into the ground. Transplant seeding for the summer harvest of Swiss chard and tomatoes begins in the greenhouses to allow for a longer growing season. The Campus Farm grows over 18 different types of crops, including kale, peppers, watermelon, squash, and a robust production of microgreens.
Abby Hackett, ’19, a Campus Farm Management Fellow, tills a field in July to prep for planting. The fellowship allows a recent graduate to stay on and help for two growing seasons. This fall, the wider student body has the chance to take the first fully instructed class at the farm: “Campus Farm Ecological and Organic Farming Practicum,” an LSA class. “I’ve learned a lot about how flexible farming has to be,” says Hackett. Whether it’s adapting to a pandemic, a groundhog, or weeds that have gone to seed, the student farmers must constantly learn new skills.
After a month in the greenhouse, the Swiss chard and tomatoes are transplanted into the ground in both the field and the hoop houses. “I keep my feet moving,” says senior Becca Harley, as she swiftly plants “Bright Lights” and “Fire Fresh” varieties of Swiss chard. This year, staff members are growing more than 19 kinds of grape and cherry tomatoes in all colors. The farm has four hoop houses that use passive solar energy to heat the inside, allowing them to grow hardy plants, like spinach and kale, in the winter.
By mid-July, the Swiss chard is ready to be picked. The students move quickly and efficiently, tearing the outside leaves off the Swiss chard but leaving just enough in the center so it can be harvested again in a few weeks. The produce is then taken to the wash-and-pack room to be cleaned and prepared for sale.
In August, students armed with small buckets navigate their way through the impressive tomato forest formed when the vines start to reach the top of the hoop house. Moghtader warns students to pick the tomatoes before they become too ripe because they can “crack easily.”
Tamannaben Patel, ’20, an employee at the student pantry Maize & Blue Cupboard (profiled in the summer 2020 issue of Michigan Alumnus), stocks the fridge with the tomatoes. The produce also goes to Food Gatherers, a food rescue program located in Ann Arbor. The farm received funding from the American Public Gardens Association and the United States Botanic Garden to continue to do the critical work of combating local food insecurity during the pandemic.
Frank Turchan, executive chef at MDining, drizzles balsamic vinegar on a caprese salad in South Quad. After months of cultivation, the harvested tomatoes and chard are transformed into dishes served in the dining halls.
Jena Brooker, ’19, is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in the Ann Arbor Observer, Planet Detroit, and Curbed Detroit. She was a student manager at the Campus Farm for two years.
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