IAA Students Spend Summer Learning on Terp Farm
Michael Perise and Jonathan Hollingsworth (far right) interning at Terp Farm
Image Credit: Meredith Epstein
It has been a long time coming. A space where IAA and other UMD students can work side by side, learning and growing the very food they eat together. This is Terp Farm.
Founded in 2014, Terp Farm is now in its second season. Farm Manager Guy Kilpatric, along with dozens of students over the course of the year, coaxes vibrant and nutritious vegetables and fruits from its well-tended soil. Many of these students are IAA students – visiting the farm on field trips, getting hands-on experience in the Crop Production Practices class, and fulfilling internship requirements.
This summer, two of the four student workers at Terp Farm are Sustainable Agriculture majors at the IAA. Jonathan Hollingsworth of Takoma Park, MD and Michael Perise of Dunkirk, MD have been putting in 40 tough hours of work each week since the spring semester ended.
Hollingsworth took the position with the intention of mastering fundamental farming skills, developing more confidence as a farmer, and “analyzing alternative methods and actions.” He finds it valuable that Kilpatric takes time to explain the reasoning behind the practices. Perise, who has grown up raising crops including vegetables and tobacco, hopes to add new sustainable farming practices to his repertoire. “I see a great interest in local produce,” he says, adding that he hopes to start his own business after completing his IAA certificate.
Some of the work at Terp Farm follows a regular schedule – squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and cabbage must be picked on certain days. Washing and packing follow in the soon-to-be Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) certified wash station. Water flows through leaves and fruits, which flow neatly into bins, which stack into the van and wheel their way to campus. Terp Farm produce is featured primarily on the Green Tidings food truck, in catered meals across campus, and in the 251 North dining facility.
Other work only knows the time that nature affords it – seedlings are transplanted into the field between bouts of rain, when the soil will not be damaged. Pest control is a race. Plants do not take holidays. “Just when you hit a stride, something breaks,” Perise muses, “but that’s just farming.”
The challenges are many, and so are the rewards. “Farming requires such a breadth of skills – construction, carpentry, plant science, ergonomics, and more,” describes Hollingsworth. “There is a steep learning curve and it teaches you how to be humble.”
Perise added that he has learned what his limits are being out in the elements, but that in the end, “experiencing things hands on is the best. It sticks to you.”
The IAA is thrilled to have sponsored these students’ summer internship experiences and to be closely involved with educational experiences on Terp Farm. It is vital to have this resource available to our students!
