By: Izaiah Bokunewicz, sophomore, Plant Science

Last winter, I wrote a blog describing my involvement with the Student Farm. At that time, I was a freshman, and I also volunteered a large amount of time working with the Student Farm’s indoor hydroponic production project. With my volunteer involvement last year, I was just an engaged student farm club-member.

The Student Farm hydroponics system, located in the greenhouses across the street from the Creamery.

Nearly one year later, I write a new blog post, with a different perspective. This perspective is immensely influenced by many experiences and accomplishments that I have gained over the last year. These experiences and accomplishments are related to my greater involvement in the Student Farm, thanks to my leadership position as a Co-director of the Student Farm Club. In this short post, I want to reflect on our accomplishments this fall, and write optimistically about the Student Farm’s future, as well as goals, for our executive team, and for our club-members.

Events/Accomplishments:

Fall Harvest Festival:

The Student Farm welcomed over two hundred guests to the farm, for an evening with live music, freshly prepared foods, and was joined by Sustainability Institute Director, Dr. Paul Shrivastava and University Provost, Dr. Nicholas P. Jones, who reflected on the success of the farm.

Student Farm co-directors Izaiah and Carissa and Dr. Shrivastava and Nick Jones at the Student Farm Fall Harvest Festival

President’s Tailgate:

The Student Farm Club was invited to be President Barron’s Student Organization Guest for Penn State’s 2017 Home football game vs. Pitt. In this experience, eight students in the Student Farm Club Student joined faculty advisors, Leslie Pillen and Dr. Dave Mortensen, and celebrated a large tailgate/lunch with university donors and administrators. Following the lunch, which was catered with an unbelievable amount of produce off the Student Farm, the event progressed into Beaver Stadium where we watched the game. During the game, the Student Farm Club guests had the opportunity to share experiences and information about the Student Farm with some guests, including BIG10 Commissioner, Jim Delaney and Pennsylvania Governor, Tom Wolf.

Student Farm Club members meet guests and discuss the farm’s mission with tailgate guests.

Open Club Meetings with Guest Speakers:

On October 5th, Charlie Szoradi, CEO of Independence LED Lighting LLC, spoke to the Student Farm about the future of indoor agriculture. Charlie is well-known in the sustainability industry and with his company, Independence LED Lighting, that manufactures interior LED lights and LED grow-lights for food production.

On November 2nd, Mark Bomford, Director of Yale University’s Food Systems Program, spoke the Student Farm Club about the evolution of Yale University’s Student Farm, relative to their success. This speech was very valuable to hear and to think about, because one of his key talking points spoke out for “having no correct blueprint to follow” with regards to developing a university-student-farm successfully. Being unique and trying to create solutions or educate about as many points and projects that are connected to sustainable agriculture as possible, is the avenue for greatest success.

Class Gift Recipients:

The Class of 2017/2018 Class Gifts selected three programs, which will receive financial gifts, as Class Gift Recipients. The first one was an alma mater display in the HUB, the second was support for the PSU Textbook and Educational Resources Fund, and the third was a Student Farm Endowment. The Student Farm’s selection as a class gift was thanks to many people, but most especially thanks to a group of rising seniors, (this past summer) who interned on the farm.  After their internship, they put in a great amount of effort into getting the Student Farm Endowment, to be a Class Gift candidate. It made it, and seniors voted it into the top 3 choices, making it one of this year’s Class Gifts. This was very recent and details as to what this gift will directly impact with the Student Farm, are still being determined.

The most recent exciting news — an endowment for the Student Farm was chosen to be one of three Class of 2018 Class Gifts! Photo: Carissa Heine

2017 Penn State Homecoming Parade:

In mid-November, the Student Farm Club had a float in Penn State’s 2017 Homecoming Parade.  This year was the first year that the Farm Club was in the parade, and because of this, the Homecoming Parade waived our flat-bed fee!  With engagement and support from multiple Farm Club members, the farm built a float that can be re-used in future years. We also handed out pelleted seeds, donated from seedballs.com, rather than all-pre-wrapped candies. The parade was a great success.

The Student Farm Club 2017 homecoming float… We Are!

All of that, over the past three months, is a lot! Thankfully, the Student Farm and the Student Farm Club have had a very successful fall semester, and much has been learned.  With this success, there are many great decisions that must be made and actions that will need to be done, in the near future.

A huge project and decision that the Student Farm Club must help to make, is the future of the Student Farm’s site. This decision is huge, because next summer is the Student Farm’s last year, with a guaranteed spot, on campus. In 2016, the Student Farm was granted a one-acre, “pilot program plot” for three years. Many questions are on the horizon as to where the Student Farm will go, and what the capabilities of the farm can be, based on its size and location.  

Photo: Alyssa Gurklis


For the time being, thanks to a great fall season that has engaged our University and surrounding community with events and educational opportunities, the future looks very bright. Just a couple of years ago, many people asked questions such as, “Can Penn State students manage a student-farm close to campus?” And  “How can a program like this be managed, and how impactful impactful could it truly be to Penn State?”  Today, these questions have turned into questions, more like, “Where on-campus is the new Student Farm location going to be?” and “Can you believe how-well the Student Farm’s been managed, and are you seeing its impact across campus, from teaching classes out the farm, to providing the greens for salads, in our dining commons?”

Again, the future looks very bright.