Sustainable agriculture: student-led research – Sept 15, 2019

Tom Bryan, coordinator of the GreenHouse Learning Community program, introduced the field trip participants to  student research into sustainable agriculture in the FH King and College of Agriculture and Life Sciences fields, adjacent to the Eagle Heights Community gardens in the Preserve. Tom discussed how his program works to instill a connection to the land in students at Madison and how the goals of GreenHouse align with Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. Tom also walked the Friends through the student managed gardens and discussed interesting things about the enormous variety of crops grown there.

​FH King farm director Paul Lima walked the Friends through their plots and discussed new techniques that the farm is trying this season and the ways that FH King works to build on the student culture of land-food connection. Hugelkultur is something that all Wisconsin produce garden enthusiasts should know about. Sweet potato researcher Savannah Holt explained in detail how various growing techniques impacted crop yields. The group will host a Sweet Potato Harvest Fest on October 5, 1-5 pm to help record data and share the harvest of Savannah’s research. Friends Host and photos: Matt Chotlos.

“There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace."
​ -Aldo Leopold