Our program featured Joshua Parr and Abigail Schaus who serve as managers of Food and Farm for the Lafayette College LaFarm program. LaFarm is a sustainability initiative at the College and the cornerstone of the Lafayette College Sustainable Food Loop. Their mission is to integrate curriculum and practice in sustainable food and agriculture for the campus community. They grow produce for the dining halls, recycle nutrients from composted food back to the soil, and serve as a home for collaborative student-faculty education and research. LaFarm provides healthy food to the community, multidisciplinary student engagement through classroom participation and academic research. LaFarm is located at the Metzgar Field Athletic complex.
The farm now covers 3 acres and is divided into quadrants. The crops are rotated annually around the quadrants. The main focus is on sustainability. Including carbon neutrality and zero waste. The students maintain the fields through all seasons. LaFarm has nine student employees but there are also volunteers from all majors on campus. Annual food production has steadily increased and is now at 15,000 pounds. 75% of the food is served in Lafayette dining halls. The remainder is sold to the Kellyn Foundation or through the campus market and online store. LaFarm is always a work i n progress. The next major innovation will be a large-scale greenhouse to process seedlings. Community volunteers are welcome. Information can be found at garden.Lafayette.edu.
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