Community Farm
The Farm: A Bird’s Eye View
The Eckerd College Community Farm is a one-acre sustainable farm and food forest situated between the soccer and baseball fields in the heart of Eckerd’s campus in St. Petersburg, FL. Built on the foundation of the student garden that broke ground in 2010, the EC Community Farm provides produce to the campus, while creating opportunities for hands-on education, service, and recreation. Through classes, workshops, performance events, and open volunteer days, the Farm seeks to engage and build community on campus and beyond and contribute to the health and well-being of students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding ecosystem.
How it works
Whether through formal coursework, internships, work-study, Reflective Service Learning, or extracurricular volunteering with the Garden Club, students participate in every level of production, from planning to planting, weeding, harvesting, and composting. The Farm is guided by an Advisory Committee composed of students, faculty, and staff. Daily operations are collaboratively managed by a Farm Manager, Jon Prieto within the Office of Sustainability and a Faculty Director, Dr. Liza Conrad.
Sustainability and Service
As a “liberal arts farm,” the EC Community Farm embodies the idea that truly sustainable food production necessitates the insights of many disciplines from the natural and social sciences to the arts and humanities. Over time, the Farm seeks to create a community hub for cultivating and disseminating knowledge about sustainable agriculture in South Florida and supporting local efforts to promote a more environmentally sustainable and socially just food system.
Contact
For questions about Farm operations, email Farm Manager Jon Prieto (prietojr@eckerd.edu).
For questions about academic programs or to set up a tour or workday, email Faculty Director Liza Conrad (conradlj@eckerd.edu).
Get Involved!
To stay in the loop, sign up HERE for the Farm email list.
Or just show up! Specific tasks will vary by the day and by the season. This fall, volunteers can expect to turn compost, clear grass from the food forest, plant annuals and perennials, spread mulch, and, of course, pull weeds. If there's something you're interested in doing, just ask Farmer Jon.
All students, faculty, and staff are welcome to volunteer at the Farm during the following times:
Open Volunteer Hours with Farmer Jon*
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Wednesday 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
*These are also the times when students enrolled in Reflective Service Learning courses affiliated with the Farm can carry out their service hours Please note that RSL hours can not be earned during Garden Club hours listed below.
Garden Club Volunteer Hours
TBD for Spring Semester
Farm work is hot, dirty, and hazardous to bare feet. Please dress accordingly (most serious gardeners/farmers consider this to include, at minimum, closed toed shoes and a sun hat) and bring your own sunscreen and water.
Leadership
The Farm is guided by an Advisory Committee composed of students, faculty, and staff. Daily operations are collaboratively managed by a Farm Manager within the Office of Sustainability and a Faculty Director.
2021/2022 Farm Advisory Committee Members:
Jon Prieto, Farm Manager
Liza Conrad, Faculty Director, Biology
Evan Bollier, Sustainability Director
Dave Himmelfarb, Faculty member, Environmental Studies
Adam Guerin, Faculty member, History
Aaron Chimelis, Student representative
Colby Stratman, Student representative
For Faculty
There are many ways for faculty to incorporate the Farm into their academic programs, whether a single assignment, a semester-long engagement, a research project or RSL. For more information, contact Faculty Director Liza Conrad (conradlj@eckerd.edu).
POLICIES GOVERNING ACADEMIC PROJECTS AT EC COMMUNITY FARM
Faculty are encouraged to meet with farm leadership (Farm Manager, Faculty Director) in advance of their project.
To conduct an academic project on EC Community Farm you must complete an academic contract to be reviewed by the Faculty Farm Director at least 30 days prior to initiation of the project.
Academic projects conducted on the farm must occur during business hours unless other arrangements have been made.
EC Farm Manager is not responsible for instruction or supervision of academic projects on EC Community Farm unless prior arrangements have been made.
Reflective Service Learning must have a clear connection to the learning objectives for the course.
Reflective Service Learning must be completed during designated times and hours. Students participating in RSL must sign in with the Farm Manager for their hours to be counted.
Independent studies required approval of the Independent study contract form and must abide by all policies governing independent study at Eckerd College.