Simon's Rock Farm Deepens Roots
Lucy Van den Heuvel ’19 had never worked on a farm before Simon’s Rock. That’s not entirely uncommon for the Rockers who help run the organic farm occupying nearly two acres of campus. In addition to helping provide fresh produce for our community, the Simon’s Rock Farm is a wellspring of research, education, and community engagement.
After taking a class focusing on agriculture and ecology—which involved learning organic and regenerative farming practices and conducting research involving the land—Lucy shifted her academic focus from visual arts and art history to environmental studies. “I knew that I loved working outside, being in nature, and food,” said Lucy, now an intern on the farm. “That class helped me realize the different ways my interests coalesced around regenerative agriculture—it sparked my interest.”
Like Lucy, each of the Simon’s Rock students who become involved with the farm—whether through science classes, community activities, clubs, or internships—approach farming in their own way, whether they arrive with an extensive agricultural background or none at all.
No experience is needed, for example, to join the Simon’s Rock Farm Club. Club members work alongside a farm manager from the local nonprofit Greenagers and learn everything from crop seeding to land maintenance. Farm clubbers also make visits to nearby farms in the Berkshires and go on foraging expeditions. Students in the club work together to learn about and take care of the farm animals—which include chickens and livestock—and harvest produce like broccoli, brussels sprouts, gourds, grapes, squash, and hearty winter greens when it’s ready to be shared with the Dining Hall.
The Simon's Rock Farm stand, typically held on campus each year.
This past year, the farm interns even lived together in a house on campus. Lucy noted that the housemate experience has enabled the group to deepen their focus on developing the farm as a sustainable and permanent fixture on campus.
In addition to the many ways that Simon’s Rock students engage with the farm, so too does the surrounding community. The farm typically hosts a farm stand on campus each year, which is open to students and residents in the area, and often provides fresh food to groups that visit campus each summer. Through Greenagers and the Simon's Rock Center for Food Studies, the farm is also a rich space for connection with our local neighbors through educational events, programming, and youth outreach.
The Simon’s Rock Farm has evolved to serve a variety of campus-wide needs since the early 2000s, and today’s student farmers are intent on growing its role as a source of sustainable crop production, education, and communal bonds.