By Amanda Kerr
The rhythmic beats of the Police’s “Every Breath You Take” blare from a Bluetooth speaker across rows of eggplant, cabbage, cucumbers, peppers, herbs, zucchini and more. On a recent hot fall afternoon, the song seems fitting as volunteers and student workers meticulously weed the rows, hand-pick pesky insects from leaves and clear beds for winter crops.
It’s hard work, says Dahlia Reppert, a student worker at NC State University’s Agroecology Education Farm, but the reward of seeing the crops grow from seeds to produce is worth it.
“The environment is centered around gaining skills and experiences, and because there is a wide variety of task areas, I have the opportunity to learn something new every day,” says Reppert, an agricultural science major who serves as the farm’s volunteer lead.
With 1.5 acres of bed space, hoop houses and a small food forest, the Agroecology Education Farm, located within the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Lake Wheeler Road Field Laboratory, provides a space where students and community members alike can come to learn and practice agroecological principles in a real-world setting. Another 4 acres serve as grazing pasture for cattle from the college’s Beef Education Unit.
Ann Bybee-Finley, director of the Agroecology Education Farm, says the farm offers a wide range of learning opportunities.
Source : ncsu.edu