Students experience the full cycle of farming on this 10-acre farm, located within walking distance to campus. From planting seeds to harvesting crops, from incubating eggs to raising chickens, students help ensure the animals are well tended and the plants well maintained — a way of life that is uniquely demanding and rewarding.
The value of the experience is incalculable. Some of the students who work at the Kenyon Farm plan to operate their own farms when they graduate. Others are interested in working in public policy regarding food safety and sustainability issues. This hands-on experience is a chance to participate in agricultural life to its fullest within an academic environment.
Featured Courses
Conservation Biology
How do various factors impact the population of a species, and how can better management practices ameliorate impacts on biodiversity in order to preserve our planet? Through the lenses of evolution, ecology and population biology, this course explores conservation-related issues in our rapidly changing world
Solar Energy
The exigencies of peak oil, global warming and unsustainable growth in energy consumption have sparked a quest for clean, abundant, renewable energy to replace fossil fuels. This course explores the chemistry of fossil fuels and potential solar-energy alternatives, ranging from biofuels to solar panels to hydrogen.
Environmental Economics
This course uses economic analysis to better understand the nature of environmental issues such as pollution and the allocation of natural resources. The relative strengths of alternative policies will be discussed using a series of case studies focusing on actual policies aimed at correcting environmental problems.
Permaculture and Homestead Winter Farming
Our world faces a future of food insecurity and must be brought into balance with nature. This interdisciplinary course explores principles of permaculture that link biology, ecology, sociology, sustainability and community to farming. Get your hands dirty by assisting with planting and harvesting on the Kenyon Farm. (318)