2. 2
Haverfarm Annual Report 2015
Presented by Aubrey DeLone, Haverfarm Manager
With input from Claudia Kent (Assistant Director of Facilities Management
Sustainability & Grounds) and Helen K. White (Assistant Professor of Chemistry &
Director of Environmental Studies)
Contents
Haverfarm Mission……………………………………….3
Haverfarm Workers………………………………………4
Collaborations with Student Groups…….………...6
Community Outreach…………………..……………….8
Sharing the Harvest…………………………………......9
Connections to the Curriculum……………………..10
Buzz on Bees…………………...…………………………..11
Haverfarm by the Numbers...………………………..12
Haverfarm Financial Review…...…………………...13
Reflections…………………………………………………..14
Looking Forward………………………………………….16
3. 3
Haverfarm Mission
The Haverfarm is a year round farming and educational space designed to integrate
sustainable food and agriculture into the academic and extracurricular lives of
Haverford students, faculty, staff, and community members. With a focus on
interdisciplinary and experiential learning, the Haverfarm invites students and other
members of the community to engage with issues of food justice and local,
progressive agriculture. Produce is distributed to students, community members, the
dining center and local food banks.
Abby Fullem ‘16 and Allison Love ‘18
harvesting peppers on a Sunday.
4. 4
Haverfarm Workers
The Haverfarm is managed by Aubrey DeLone who coordinates all farming-related
activities. During the semester, students work on the farm through a student-run
internship program. In the summer, one student intern funded by the Center for Peace
and Global Citizenship (CPGC), works on the farm. All students gain experience in
planning, crop selection, planting, growing and harvesting. Through these practices
students acquire leadership skills and develop relationships with the surrounding
community.
Paige Carson ‘18 and Jessie Smart ‘18 covering crops on
the Haverfarm before the first frost
Farm Manager, Aubrey DeLone
Farm Advisor, Adrian Galbraith-Paul
5. 5
Claudia Kent (Assistant Director of Facilities Management) serves as liaison to
the Haverfarm to ensure immediate needs are met. Aubrey, Claudia and Helen
White (Professor of Chemistry and Director of Environmental Studies) meet
every week to review the current progress and future opportunities for the
Haverfarm. Adrian Galbraith-Paul (Heritage Farm, Philadelphia) advises Aubrey
and students on Haverfarm operations.
Helen White
Claudia KentShoshana Rybeck, high school student volunteer
Jasper Ajoupa ‘18, Abby Fullem ‘16 and Alison Love ‘18
Meghan Wingate ‘17
6. 6
Every Sunday there are workdays where 10-15
students help with planting, weeding, harvesting,
cover-cropping and laying row cover to protect the
crops from frost. Farm consultant, Adrian Galbraith-
Paul, often attends these workdays to provide expert
advice. Adrian has taught Aubrey and students how to
use a 4 row precision seeder, bed rake and how to
manage production of baby greens. He also led a
workshop discussing outdoor mushroom cultivation,
which led to the establishment of a mushroom growing operation at the Haverfarm.
The Haverfarm hosted two 8th Dimension service days with 40 first year students
attending to help clean up the farm and HCA garden. Aubrey also recruited the
Womens’ Cross Country team to help with bed preparation and planting.
Collaborations With Student Groups
Planting garlic to overwinter.
Building hoop houses for winter greens
7. 7
Students from several groups including the Haverfarm, E-Haus, ETHOS and the
Haverfarm PE class gathered for a dinner at E-Haus led by Abby Fullem ’16 (head
chef). Over 130 Haverford students enjoyed the meal. The goal of the meal was to
spread awareness about the different environmental groups on campus.
E-Haus farm dinner
ETHOS hosts food day on Founders Green
Students plant Broccoli
on a Friday night
8. 8
Community Outreach
During the summer, a weekly farm stand
provides produce for students at the
Haverford College Apartments (HCA),
and at Founders Great Hall for faculty,
staff, and community members. In
August, the Haverfarm hosted an end of
season potluck to share and celebrate the
harvest with members and friends of the
Haverford Community Gardens.
9. 9
Sharing the Harvest
Haverfarm donates to Saint Mary’s food bank whenever the harvest allows. Over the
summer, Aubrey and Meghan worked with Shoshana Rybeck, a high school
volunteer to maintain the farm and clear an area for a farm meeting space. They also
worked with summer campers in the garden. In the fall, Esteban Kelly, an important
leader and creative force in food justice and co-op movements in Philadelphia,
visited the Haverfarm to discuss community outreach possibilities.
Meghan Wingate ‘17 and Farm Manager Aubrey Delone
harvesting baby greens for the St. Mary’s Food Bank
Esteban Kelly, Guest speaker from Anti-Oppression
Resource and Training Alliance (AORTA)
10. 10
Connections to the Curriculum
Since Fall 2015 Haverfarm has collaborated with these courses:
ENVS101 Case Studies in Environmental Issues
ENVS397 Senior Seminar in Environmental Studies
ANTH224 Microbes--Animals--Humans: Ethnographic Adventures in
Multispecies Worlds
Chris Roebuck and his Anthropology class at the Haverfarm
Spring 2016 Curriculum connections:
ANTH309: Anthropology and Urban Ecology
BIO 300: Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology
Praxis III: Independent Study-Bryn Mawr College
HLTHH115: Introduction to Health Studies
PE Credit: Students meet with Aubrey DeLone twice a week to earn PE credit
and learn garden basics including:
- Bed preparation
- Seeding , transplanting and weeding
- Harvesting
11. 11
The Buzz on Bees
Eli St. Amour,
Beekeeper
In spring 2015, Haverford College received two beehives. Eli St. Amour, a local
apiarist, provided hives, materials and educational workshops to students
interested in beekeeping. This program is geared towards students who will work
hands-on with Eli to care for the hives and to educate the campus community
about the importance of this threatened pollinator. The farm is planning to add
more hives and programming in the spring of 2016.
12. 12
Haverfarm by the numbers
0.25 acres maintained
10 Campus dining deliveries
12 Farm stand weeks
23 Drop-offs to St Mary’s food bank
240 Summer student intern hours
208 Semester student intern hours
257 Volunteer hours
3 Class visits
206 students on Haverfarm email list
14. 14
Student Reflections
The farm is a testament to the love and
collaboration of students, teachers, gardeners,
beekeepers, cooks, plumbers, architects and
carpenters, groundskeepers and administrators.
What other project on campus has brought
together so many different kinds of people? My
involvement with the farm was the most
educational and meaningful part of my
experience at Haverford and I feel overwhelmed
by gratitude and excitement as I watch my old
friends and their new friends continue to rock it.
Alanna Matteson ‘15
The most meaningful parts of working with the Haverfarm
came from the opportunities for experiential learning in both
the CPGC garden internship program, and the ENVS Capstone
Seminar. Through a number of hands-on projects in both
programs, I learned to think about the intersection of
agriculture, community organizing and institutional
advancement.
Stuart Hean ‘14
The most meaningful part of working at the Haverfarm was
that I was engaging with academic issues that I studied in
class--such as environmental degradation, climate change,
and local economies--in a hands-on way that was truly
making a difference on my campus and in the world. I
believe that combining the theoretical with the practical is
crucial to a well-rounded education, and the Haverfarm gave
me that opportunity.
David Robinson ‘14
15. 15
One of my favorite experiences from the farm has been
harvesting produce and bringing it to the dining center.
In the fall, we met one or two mornings a week to pick
tomatoes, kale, peppers, mint, eggplants, and
everything else that was ripe. The crisp morning air
wakes us up as we bend over dew-covered plants with
our harvesting knives or lean shoulder-deep into a
cherry tomato plant. Carrying our box loaded with
produce, we ran into students and dining center
employees who were excited by the vegetables.
Questions like “You grew that?” “are we going to eat
those?” make me feel the connection between the
dining center, the student body, the food we are eating,
and the land we are living on.
Alison Love ‘18
During my summer as a CPGC intern, I learned
about sustainable agriculture, pursued my
individual interests in farming, and found a
potential profession doing meaningful and
important work. I have become more deeply
connected with my food and found a more
tangible way to think about my academic
studies The farm reflects Haverford's values as
it engages the community in issues of social
justice and teaches about sustainable practices.
As the farm continues to grow, it will only be
able to do this more thoroughly and
m e a n i n g f u l l y .
Meghan Wingate ‘17
I have enjoyed seeing farm projects through to their
completion. This began my first year when the farm was
just an idea and I got to help plan, plant and harvest the
first crop. Since then, I have been able to see ideas from
brainstorming sessions, like farm stands, screen printing
t-shirts, hiring a farm manager and consultant, ordering
tons of compost, hosting joint dinners with environmental
groups and building a greenhouse, come into fruition. The
ability to watch projects be developed and occur, as well as
making connections with people and the earth, has been
one of my favorite parts of the Haverfarm.
Abby Fullem ‘16
16. 16
Looking Forward
Develop benchmarks for harvest
Spring and summer Community Supported
Agriculture (CSA)
Greenhouse and Environmental Studies work
space
Design and implement garden education curriculum with summer camps
Collaborate with and supporte nearby school gardens
Additional beehives
Signage for Haverfarm and HCA garden
High tunnel for extending growing season
New tool shed
Improve drip and overhead irrigation systems
Cobb pizza oven at HCA.
17. 17
Thank You!
ENVS 397 class of 2013 and numerous Haverford College students
and alumni, Initiative in Ethical Engagement and Leadership,
CPGC, CER, Haverford Beekeeping Club, Bricolage, EHAUS, Dan
Weiss, Kim Benston, Jesse Lytle, Mitch Wein, Ann Figueredo, Jon
Wilson, Joshua Moses, Chris Roebuck, LaFarm, Facilities
Management, Adrian Galbraith-Paul, Eli St. Amour.
