Staff Writer- Amelia Dewberry
On the corner of campus by the soccer fields, Big Hill Farm is Gustavus’ one-acre, student-run microfarm. Students make all the decisions about what to plant and how to plant it, ultimately selling produce back to Dining Services, where it makes its way to students’ plates.
This fall, the farm team is busy working on crop harvesting, bed prep for fall, and raising the chickens, according to Co-President Eleanor Habben. Aquaponics occasionally runs in the nearby greenhouse. She’s particularly excited about the farm’s ongoing partnership with the Hillstrom Museum. Their soon-to-be launching exhibit is “Farm-to-Frame”, exploring food production, the land, and our connection to them both,” Habben explained. Big Hill Farm has been hosting Market Mondays outside the museum, where people can purchase fresh produce.
Big Hill Farm’s partnership with Dining Services is a sustainable initiative bringing hyperlocal, fresh produce directly to the cafeteria.
“We bring produce as it ripens into the kitchen and process it, marking down the weights and date of harvest,” Co-President Soren Sackreiter said.
The chefs then serve it in the salad bar or as a side dish. For Sackreiter, the most exciting part is seeing the farm produce used for catering events.
“Chef Adam really knows how to showcase fresh produce,” Sackreiter said.
It’s a reciprocal relationship: Dining Services pays the farm the same rates they would pay a market provider, and the farm uses the profits to continue purchasing seeds and equipment.
The ongoing challenge of a student-run farm is that there’s always more to do. Students working on the farm have to balance academics and other commitments with the dynamic, ever-changing needs of the farm. There are always more projects to be tackled or time-sensitive demands to meet.
“Sometimes I have to go out and fill up a water dish at 10:00 pm or harvest basil the night before the first frost.” Sackreiter said, “That’s part of the joy of leading this organization, though– every action comes with a direct result impacting someone through food, dirt, and fresh air.”
Habben and Sackreiter have spent the last few years reviving the farm into the vibrant, productive project it’s recognized as today.
“There’s also the lingering fear that after Soren and I graduate this spring, the farm will stagnate. We’ve gotten it to a great place — we have a relationship with Dining Services, we’ve done outreach with the Nicollet County Farm Bureau, the Board of Trustees has been talking about us — but if there’s no one to keep the farm going in June, it can easily fall back into disrepair,” Habben said.
Students are encouraged to come get their hands dirty with Big Hill Farm on Thursdays from 7:00–8:00 p.m. or for volunteer hours on Sundays from 1:00–3:00 p.m. There are plenty of tasks available to help with including weeding, harvesting, washing produce, changing chicken bedding, laying bricks, mowing, and sifting compost.
It’s also an excellent opportunity to step outside, be present, and de-stress. Habben debunked the common misconception that students shouldn’t come to a meeting if they can’t make it to another: “We’d love to see you anytime you can make it, even if it’s one Sunday a month for 30 minutes. And if you come to the farm, you get to take veggies home FOR FREE!!!”