Students begin innovative community supported ag project at Bradford Farm
by Kristy Tiesing, posted May 5, 2009
On a warm, sunny afternoon it is easy to find MU junior Andrew Van Engelenhoven out at Bradford Research Center, along with a handful of other MU students. These students have begun a very ambitious project. What started as a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) entrepreneurial project, has turned into an intensive task that all involved have committed much time to.
As an entrepreneurial project for a class, the students involved were going to run a CSA located at Bradford Farm. This meant that people in the community would subscribe to get local produce from the CSA every week for 25 weeks for a price around $250.
However, since the project for these students is somewhat new, they decided to work more like a farmers market. They will still be offering produce to the community weekly, but there are no subscribers or upfront costs.
“Basically the bar has been lowered so we have a better chance at success, which really is a good thing,” VanEngelenhoven said.
If all goes as planned, VanEngelenhoven will be the president of what is now being turned into a club. The group is now seeking approval to be the Tigers for Community Agriculture club. The group members are now working with, Ken Schneeberger, professor of agricultural economics, Dave Trinklein, associate professor of plant sciences, and Tim Reinbott, superintendent of Bradford Research and Extension Center, to ensure their success.
The group is in charge of five hoop houses that are 20 x 36 ft. each. They also have various plots around Bradford Farm. In total, the group is directly in charge of about three acres of produce. They are also working with various students such as Abby Berndt, a junior plant sciences major, who is working on a capstone project involving a variety of tomato plants. Berndt’s tomatoes, along with the products of other students’ capstone projects, will be available for purchase with the produce from Tigers for Community Agriculture.
They are looking to sell about 25 6-gallon bags per week, feeding about 80 to 100 people. The produce available would include but is not limited to: tomatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, swiss chard, collards, beets, peas, and a variety of purple carrots. The group is looking to have their first yield available for purchase in mid-June. The intensive practice this project involves is calling for a lot of helping hands.
“We are really looking to increase our numbers, the amount of work we are doing is very extensive,” MU junior agricultural journalism major Jena Thompson said referring to the number of public participants. Thompson does public relations and marketing for the group. She is currently building a Web site, and has formed a Facebook group for Tigers for Community Agriculture.
VanEngelenhoven is also attempting to practice sustainable agriculture. He is using corn-powered heaters in the hoop houses and is incorporating plasticulture, which involves lying biodegradable plastic directly on the ground, using the embedded energy in the plastic and incorporating a dripline to get water directly to the roots of the plants. However, in this first year they are having some difficulties becoming completely sustainable.
“Sustainability is not an achievement, it’s a process,” VanEngelenhoven said.
Tigers for Community Agriculture is in its first season and making good headway. Saturday, April 25, at 10 a.m. the group held its first Planting Party at Bradford Farm. For more information or to get involved; email Jena Thompson at jmtrh7@mizzou.edu.
