Dickinson College
IN-4: Innovation 4

The Dickinson College Farm was spawned after the initial success of a student-run garden. The Farm serves as a living laboratory program for students, faculty and staff, while also functioning as a business that provides our dining halls with fresh produce through the months of March-November. This six-acre production site hosts a number of novel programs, such as cooking classes for their one hundred member community supported agriculture (CSA), and a number of renewable energy installations that are used for their pragmatic design—energy for the farm---and have seen use through workshops for the greater community.

Recently, the Dickinson College Farm went through a three year USDA organic certification process. This endeavor was managed by the Pennsylvania Certified Organic (PCO), and this certification assures our farm’s customers that our products are grown with a stringent approach to sustainable methods. This past year students were exposed to this process and collaborated with PCO, via a first-year seminar course taught by Helen Takacs, entitled The Business of Organic Farm. Through this seminar students were educated on the differences between how organic food are grown in comparison to conventionally, chemically-grown foods, and the policies that correlate with each of those growing techniques. The students met with PCO’s policy director, Kyla Smith, and assisted her during some of her inspection visits to the farm. This unique bridging of a non-profit and co-curricular and curricular advancement shows Dickinson’s commitment to connecting sustainability resources to professionals, community members, faculty, staff, and students.