Today, the Organic Farm celebrates its 10th anniversary with a day of workshops, lectures and nature walks that culminates in a birthday carrot cake and a bluegrass concert by the Fogey Mountain Boys.
Scott Stokoe, the manager of the Organic Farm, described the anniversary celebration as an "open house" for the community that mixes outdoor education and social interaction.
"I think this event is a perfect example of the mission of the farm. What we'd like to do is blend a mix of reveling in the outdoors with a little bit of educational hands-on activity." Stokoe said. "Back when the farm was founded, there were a lot of people who were uncertain whether Ivy League students would spend their free time growing vegetables in the dirt. The fact that we've lasted this long really shows that students have been committed."
Student farmers will run various stations around the farm where visitors can learn about subjects ranging from soil composition to aquaculture. They will also lead guided hikes for visitors interested in exploring the area.
Jim Hornig, professor emeritus of chemistry and environmental studies, who was present at the farm's inception, will give a keynote address at 5:30 p.m. as part of the celebration.
"The farm's always been kind of marginal," Hornig said. "It doesn't fit comfortably into any of the academic departments and it doesn't quite fit into the outdoor programs. But it's carved out a bit of a niche now and it's starting to become a part of the institution and the culture here at Dartmouth."
Hornig called the farm's endurance, "a testament to student perseverance." The idea of starting an organic farm was first brought forward by students in 1988, but their proposal was rejected by the College three consecutive times before eventually being approved in 1996.
"We've been running on a small start-up budget for ten years," Norah Lake '06 said. "But this event is a statement that we're still here and growing, despite any obstacles we've run up against."
Lake said she hopes that students will bring their parents to the celebration as part of Parents' Weekend.
"We're at kind of a unique time right now, where we're starting to think about how the farm fits into the rest of the College. Right now the administration takes a great deal of pride in the Organic Farm. We'd like to take that and run with it, and really build on the good will of the campus," she added.
Jessica Saturley '07 said that she hopes the event will attract members of the campus that have never been to the farm.
"I would really like this to give a broader section of the student body a sense of what the farm has to offer," Saturley said. "There's a reason to get out there. I think it's a really great way to help people experience this thing that's a little more out of the way."
Among the visitors to the Organic Farm today will be Ross Virginia, an environmental studies professor who teaches a course on ecological agriculture. Virginia was the chair of the environmental studies department when the farm was founded.
"I joke that I'm Dartmouth's agriculture department," Virginia said.
Virginia said that he will be attend the event to celebrate the work of all the students who have made the Organic Farm possible.
"The farm is the best example of student activism that I've seen at Dartmouth," Virginia said. "The faculty and the administration are along now for a great ride, but students have worked for this program and voted with hard work to make it happen."
