Farmelton
The Carleton Farm
A project of the Bio 160 Agroecology Course

Sustainable Lawrence University Garden!

College Name
Lawrence University

Brief Description of College
Lawrence University is a nationally recognized undergraduate college of the liberal arts and sciences with 1,400 undergraduates.  Lawrence is located in Appleton, Wisconsin, a city at the center of the Fox River Valley in the northeast part of the state.

Farm Size
.25 Acre

Produce of Farm
Peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, peas, radishes, carrot, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, basil, cilantro, thyme, and beans.

Farming Approach
“Our agricultural practices are sustainable because they are pesticide and chemical free. We use companion planting and natural compost on our garden to achieve bountiful yields.  Sustainable also means that we use products right here on campus as inputs to our land.”  It is not certified organic because of the expensive federal certification. 

Where Produce Goes
Farmers’ Market and Jason Downer student dining facilities.

How Farm is Funded
The university provided the land and financial backing. 

How Farm is Staffed and Supervised
Run by two part-time student managers and summer interns.
An advisory council made up of staff and faculty oversees the garden.  The council helps from year to year business and finances. 

Purposes of Farm
The farms purpose is to educate the community about sustainability and organic agricultural practices.  They work with YMCA Project Youth Team and are actively seeking more community involvement.

How Farm was Initiated
The idea of a garden was developed by student and faculty members.  Jeff Clark, a professor of geology, researched a good location.  The university's president Jill Beck helped arrange financial backing and secure the location of the garden.  The details of creating the farm were given to an environmental science course of 20 students.  Guest experts also came to help with the process and the farm was finally established in 1995. 

Other Information
Lawrence offers an organic market gardening class.

Earth Day 2007