With the assistance of the newly hired farm manager, Betsy Garties, Dartmouth's Organic Farm is gearing up to cultivate the farmer in every Dartmouth student.
Student volunteers will provide a lot of labor for the farm, said Garties, who is a professional farmer with a degree in soil and crop science from Texas A&M University.
"We are also going to be hiring work study students," she added.
Garties said she is hoping people will get involved with the farm on an academic level, with a class project or independent study.
"I'd like to think of it as a resource for students," Garties said.
Ross Virginia, chair of the Environmental Studies department, said next term's Environmental Science 79, Soil Science, will utilize the farm.
Virginia said the department has been interested in the farm since its inception and he said he hopes students may soon be able to become academically involved with it.
"The farm is sort of an outdoor lab," Virginia said. "Many institutions have farms ... Courses develop from them."
Virginia said since the majority of the growing season falls in the Summer term, the department will actively encourage sophomores to participate with the organic farm.
"We hope to see an interdisciplinary and broader-based program for a wide variety of students," he added.
Earl Jette, director of Outdoor Programs and chair of the farm's advisory committee, said he is already seeing a greater level of student interest in the farm.
Starting this spring, the farm will start growing "salad greens, tomatoes, beans, peas, broccoli, cabbage -- about 20 different varieties of vegetables in all," Garties said.
Garties said the vegetables will be sold in bulk to Dartmouth Dining Services, the Hanover Inn and directly to students.
This summer, junior Jim Hourdequin's proposal for the farm was approved by the College, which awarded a $29,000 dollar grant to start the farm.
Garties said the farm, which is located about three miles north of Hanover on Route 10, will eventually be self-supporting.
"The current budget expects the farm to be weaned off College resources," Garties said.
Jette said the organic farm is not currently working to raise funds, but he said he will start a fundraising drive this summer.
Brenda Goupee, business manager for Student Life, said the farm is on a three year trial period.
"We are looking for creative ways to keep it going -- to make it a viable department at Dartmouth," she said.
Goupee said Dartmouth's farm was instituted as an educational tool, not as a business competing with local farmers.
"The real purpose is to be an educational resource," Garties said. "We are doing it as a demonstration of a real working organic farm."
Garties said the farm will plant a variety of plants to spread out the costs of insect damage.
