Big Hill Farm, Gustavus’ own student led produce farm, is finishing its sixth fall harvest season and gearing up for their first winter in a greenhouse. The farm, although small, provides about half of all the fresh produce in the caf.
Usually, Big Hill Farm closes their gates after the fall harvest and waits for the thaw in spring to start planting again. This year will be different with the addition of a greenhouse and hydroponics system. According to Kailey Holmes, a senior Communications Studies major and one of the farm’s five interns, this winter will be more of an experimental season.
They have practiced with planting tomatoes in the greenhouse already and have noticed that the tomatoes grew bigger and faster than the ones planted outside. “It’s a very controlled environment. The watering is controlled, it’s not being battered by rain, the nutrients are constant, and there are less risk of bugs and animals,” Holmes said.
The environmental student organization, Gustavus Greens are behind the addition of the new hydroponics system, which is completely different from the type of planting that the Big Hill Farmers are used to.
“It’s a more efficient ecosystem because the plants grow in water, there’s no soil. The water filters through to all of the plants and they receive nutrients that way. It’s all about new technology that makes producing food more sustainable,” Danielle Trajano, the Gustavus Greens’ Treasurer and a sophomore Political Science major, said.
“It’s all about new technology that makes producing food more sustainable”
—Danielle Trajano
The Greens applied for a grant last year to fund the creation of this new system and had it up and running by spring. “Last year we grew a ton of lettuce and the system worked really well. We also grew some kale that we made into these delicious parmesan kale chips,” Trajano said. Members of the Greens will be helping to teach the Big Hill Farmers about how to get the most out of their new system this winter.
The biggest harvest of the year for Big Hill Farm can often happen in the summer, before students are back on campus. Dining services is excited about the possibility of Big Hill Farm growing year round, allowing students to get even more benefit from the local farm.
“We love the tomatoes and cherry tomatoes because they are just so much better than what we can buy from California. The cucumbers this year were great,” Assistant Director for Purchasing for Production as well as Executive Chef, Paul Jacobson said.
“We love the tomatoes and cherry tomatoes because they are just so much better than what we can buy from California”
—Paul Jacobson
The most common place to find the Big Hill Farm produce is the salad bar, but it’s also common to find them being used in soups and casseroles, according to Jacobson. Dining services can’t get any more local than the Big Hill Farm, but they do try to keep it close to home by primarily buying foods from venders and distributers in Mankato, St. Paul, and Minneapolis. They may buy from other places, but Bill Hill Farm’s current only buyer is dining services.
“We’re looking to maybe sell at the Co-Op here in St. Peter, eventually,” Holmes said. To sell to more places than Gustavus, the farmers would look to get officially organic certified, but that process can take up to six years, and there are specific rules and regulations Holmes isn’t sure they’d pass.
“They look at soil samples, where you get your seeds from, make sure you don’t use pesticides, and run off,” said Holmes. Although they don’t use pesticides, the farm can get some runoff from the neighboring soccer fields.
Also, to be 100 percent organic certified, farmers can’t use genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and Holmes isn’t completely against their use.
“Sometimes GMOs make you have a higher yield or stronger crop. The pesticide on the skin of the fruit you eat is going to hurt you a lot more than the interior design of it,” Holmes said.