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Students at the University of Maine are getting their knees dirty, uprooting carrots and picking peas to provide the Orono community with local produce. Black Bear Food Guild, a student-run garden at Roger’s Farm, participated in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Fair on Feb. 8. Eight other local farms participated in the event at the Orono Senior Center.
Since 1994, Black Bear Food Guild has provided the community with fresh, certified organic produce. This year, three sustainable agriculture students manage the three-acre plot. They offer approximately 95 CSA shares, guaranteeing shareholders a constant supply of tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, onions, melons and other produce throughout the growing season.
“What makes us different from every other CSA is that every year it changes hands,” said Mary Plaisted, a first-year sustainable agriculture student.
“For me, it’s a really wonderful and safe option to, you know, see how I do when I’m actually in charge of a farm and in charge of a lot of the logistics. And also there’s a lot of resources available, a lot of professors willing to help out if you have questions about a pest or something,” said Tracy LaFleur, a second-year sustainable agriculture student.
The three student farmers -Plaisted, Lafleur and sustainable agriculture student Nick Costanzi – will work at the farm throughout the summer. The work counts as field experience for the major.
“It’s what I want to do, and it’s what I love doing, and I feel it’s a really important thing to do. For me, being involved in agriculture is a really hands-on and a really honest way to be involved in activism,” Lafleur said.
Lafleur encourages students to go to Roger’s Farm if they are curious about the plot. She also directs students to Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. MOFGA provides a variety of educational programs on agriculture.
Black Bear Food Guild shareholders from last year get first dibs on this year’s shares. They are still collecting registration forms, but according to surveys given in January, all but three or four shareholders from last year plan to renew. Lafleur predicts there won’t be many free shares.
Union Supported Agriculture (USA) provides another opportunity for students to farm. The community union provides work shares-where students work on a farm eight hours a week in exchange for a farm share. A few students from UMaine worked shares last year and encouraged others to choose this route, according to Brent Hall from Food AND Medicine, who represented USA at the fair.
“We’re looking for young people to do work share with the farm every Tuesday from 8 [a.m.] to 4 [p.m.], all summer [from June 30 to Oct. 13],” Hall said.
Students can also learn about farming by volunteering at the Orono Community Garden at the Orono Senior Center. The plot provides fresh produce to approximately 50 seniors in Orono. Anyone interested should contact John Jemison at 581-3241.
“They can come help and work on the beds as long as school is in session, and if they stay in Orono during the summer, they can stay and help throughout the season. We’d sure love to have them be a part of it,” said Jemison, organizer of the Orono CSA Fair.
Jemison brings the seniors one free bag of vegetables a week. By the end of the summer, the bags contain eight to 10 pounds of vegetables.
He encourages young consumers to follow similar eating habits.
“If students understand and learn early in life how to grow good food, how to cook it and how to enjoy it, I think they are just going to be better off all around,” Jemison said.
A few young fair participants were UMaine alumni. Ryan Parker of Parker Produce in East Newport received his bachelor’s degree in music performance with a minor in business administration from UMaine in 2004.
“I never studied it [agriculture], and if you had told me at any point in my college experience that I would be farming for a living, I wouldn’t even have laughed, it would have been that ludicrous,” Parker said.
He said the university taught him how to be a life-long learner, and from his studies he developed a passion for agriculture. It became a way for him to combat some of the world’s problems.
“Farming the way I do is just an outlet for my life view or philosophy,” Parker said.
“You don’t have to study sustainable agriculture at a university to be a sustainable farmer. I’m proof of that. You do need to want to change the world though, and for that you need to [know] there is something wrong with the world,” Parker said.
Parker has been farming for five years and now manages 165 acres with 2.3 acres under cultivation. He predicts 90 percent retention of last year’s CSA shareholders. To learn more about his business, visit parkerproduce.org.
