Student Farm

The mission of the Albion College Student Farm is to cultivate a student-organized, all-natural, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing produce garden for the benefit of students, faculty, and members of the Albion Community of all ages.

Using a combination of fields and a hoop house, the student farm has grown a wide variety of peppers, tomatoes, green beens, onions, squash, corn, beets, and herbs at its location in the Whitehouse Nature Center.

The goals of the student farm include:

• Experiment with organic gardening practices such as composting and planting heirloom seeds
• Raise awareness about the role of a local diet in reducing carbon footprint by offering our produce to Dining Services, student apartments, and annexes
• Help ensure equal access to nutritious food in the Albion community by donating produce to local charities
• Encourage Albion residents, especially youth, to learn about and appreciate organic gardening, become more connected with their local food system, and grow a deeper sense of community.
• Promote gardening as an uplifting, healthful, environmentally-friendly activity.

A group of five students started the farm during Albion’s Year of Sustainability in 2010.

Student Workers

The farm is a collaboration among Albion College’s Center for Sustainability and the Environment and the Whitehouse Nature Center.

During the school year, work on the student farm is all volunteer-based. In the summer, the Center for Sustainability collaborates with the Americorps programs to hire 5 sustainability  interns to operate the student farm and engage in other community sustainability initiatives.

Gardens and Hoop House

The 1,440-square-foot growhouse is a “greenhouse on wheels.” The hoop house was made possible by a generous gift from the Baird family in honor of Jessica Baird’s, ’11, graduation. Jessie was one of the founding members of the student organization.  The outdoor garden includes a 6,000-square-foot vegetable garden, raised beds, and a berry patch.

In the past, the student farm has grown a variety of different herbs and produce, including:

• Winter squash
• Watermelons
• Tomatoes
• Peppers
• Various herbs, including basil, parsley, oregano, mints
• Onions
• Summer squash
• Green beans

Summer 2024 Plots

The Albion College Student Farm has a partnership with the Albion Community Gardens in offering food to the community of Albion.  The Albion Community Gardens offer  free garden plots to students and other community members for the May-September season.

How To Help

You can get involved with Albion’s student farm by volunteering during the school year, or applying to work at the student farm during the summer. Contact Thom Wilch director of CSE ([email protected]), or Monica Day, director of the Whitehouse Nature Center ([email protected]) for details.

Typical volunteering activities at the student farm include weeding, composting, and planting, cultivating, and harvesting crops.

Handshake will be updated with specific volunteer opportunities.