ACRES Farm- Post by Sara Musselman

At the end of week two our internship coordinator Ben Marks, took us out to the ACRES farm near campus. ACRES is a student-run farm that prides its self on sustainable agriculture and also provides produce for the Washakie Dining Center. This farm is also an educational resource and provides information to local farmers about what grows best in the area or what they can do to facilitate growth in the harsh Wyoming environment. They are also very active with the community and have volunteer hours that people can attend and learn more about the farm, does composting, and donates a percentage of their food to the Laramie Soup Kitchen.

When we first arrived we stopped and took a tour of some of the things they have going on in the greenhouses. One thing that I thought was interesting was their aquaponic system. Aquaponics is a form of agriculture in which plants are grown in a running water system connected to tanks with fish which in turn fertilizes the plants. I don’t want to divulge too much about their process, but I have never seen this form of agriculture before and though it was an exciting idea. They had different fish in each tank including: Koi, tilapia and goldfish. Also, our coordinator Ben has also taken pride in a modified process currently in development. It will be interesting to see how that turns out in the next couple of weeks.

Next we headed out to the farm and got a tour of what they were growing. It’s amazing the wide variety of plants that they grow on this farm, from several types of lettuce, root vegetables, berries, herbs and other vegetables. Unfortunately, Wyoming has an extremely short growing season and they are only able to get so much from their plants. Still it is extremely impressive the wide variety they grow, and with the help of the knowledgeable staff, they turn out great produce for as long as they can.

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Above are pictures of the patch we planted the onions on.

While we were there we had the chance to actually plant some things; this included several types of onion and also a row of snow peas. It doesn’t sound like much but trust me, planning all of those by hand is a lot of work! I think one of the most important things in foodservice is to know the process of how food gets from the farm, to the kitchen, and what better way than to get your hands in the dirt and do it yourself! It was really enjoyable to be able to plant them ourselves; however, the other intern Amy and I just need to remember to bring water next time. It’s not fun to be out in the sun and not have any!! (we got water from other people, don’t worry)

Here is the coolest find on the farm: they have a self-powered salad spinner! Power to the people!!

This is Ben(there are a lot of different Bens on staff at this university), the person who gave us the tour of the farm and helped us plant. He was so welcoming and helpful. Thanks Ben!