Students engage with the Kenyon Farm in various ways. They get hands-on experience during volunteer hours, and those seeking deeper involvement can apply for summer internships or student worker positions during the academic year. Kenyon classes also visit the farm for tours and hands-on activities, while select students have the opportunity to work closely with faculty members conducting research on the farm.
Volunteering
The Kenyon Farm offers weekly volunteer opportunities throughout the academic year, open to all students, faculty, and staff. Volunteers work alongside student workers and/or professional staff to complete tasks integral to farm operations. Tasks include seeding, planting, weeding, and harvesting produce; livestock care; mycology work.
Individuals who are unable to attend the scheduled volunteer hours are encouraged to contact the professional staff to set up times that align with their schedule.
Bethany McCarty
Kenyon Farm Manager
mccarty2@kenyon.edu
Volunteer inquiries regarding vegetable production and livestock care.
Jacob Clark
Assistant Farm Manager
clark7@kenyon.edu
Volunteer inquiries regarding mycology and shiitake production.
Summer Internships
Becoming a Kenyon Farm intern is a unique educational opportunity to gain experience and knowledge of working on a farm and to be directly involved in the local foods program of the College. Farm Interns learn the fundamentals of operating a small sustainable farm from seed to sales. Interns participate in all aspects of farm operations. They gain experience in sustainable and regenerative farming practices, soil health, irrigation, pest management, tool and equipment use, planting schedules, local food systems, marketing/sales, and customer/community relations.
Farm interns work alongside and report to the farm manager and assistant manager to accomplish daily work integral to farm operations. This includes, but is not limited to, working with crops in the high tunnels, field work, soil prep, seeding, transplanting, watering, weeding, harvesting, livestock care, gathering and washing eggs, operating farm equipment, mowing/string-trimming, keeping accurate records for production and sales, preparing customer orders, communicating with customers, setting up and operating a produce stand, and providing farm tours for visitors.
• Students learn about the Kenyon Farm and interpret how it relates to Kenyon College and the Knox County community.
• Students learn and implement sustainable and regenerative farming practices and investigate how these practices impact the environment.
• Students engage with the complete cycle of crop production and learn about various production methods.
• Students learn how to care for livestock, observe animal behavior to identify best care practices, and manage livestock on pasture to benefit soil and animal health.
• Students will work within the local food system to distribute food grown/raised at the Kenyon Farm through Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) weekly shares, sales on Middle Path, sales at the farm, and through donations.
• Students learn how to properly handle produce, identify proper worker hygiene, and carry out the Kenyon Farm food safety plan.
• Students learn how to safely operate farm equipment, identify proper PPE and utilize the farm tools/equipment to complete various tasks.
• Students learn how to keep accurate records and analyze data related to production and sales.
• Students learn and demonstrate employable skills, such as communication, time management, flexibility, teamwork, problem solving and multitasking.
• Students reflect on their internship experience, complete a self evaluation of their work performance, and receive feedback from their supervisor.
• Daily journaling;
• Active participation in weekly staff meetings;
• Planning and completion of a team project that will be presented in poster form during Family Weekend in October.
Student Work During the Academic Year
Student farmers gain hands-on experience in all aspects of farm operations. They learn about sustainable and regenerative farming practices, soil health, irrigation, pest management, tool and equipment use, planting schedules, local food systems, marketing/sales, and customer/community relations.
Student farmers work alongside and report to the farm manager and assistant manager to accomplish daily work integral to farm operations doing many of the same things that Summer Interns do.
The Kenyon Farm also offers a mycology assistant position, providing a unique educational opportunity to gain hands-on mycology experience and be directly involved in the cultivation of shiitake mushrooms, as well as potential research projects in mycoremediation. Mycology assistants will learn the fundamentals of running a small indoor growing facility. The role requires attention to detail and the ability to complete tasks in a timely manner. Responsibilities include washing and cleaning equipment, processing raw materials, harvesting mushrooms, and conducting the lab work necessary for cultivating fungi.
All student positions are extremely competitive. Students interested in working at the farm are encouraged to attend volunteer hours regularly.
Academic Engagement
The following classes have had experiences at the Kenyon Farm.
- "Introduction to Environmental Studies" (ENVS 112) visits the Kenyon Farm during their food and agriculture unit to see first-hand some of the practices they learn about in the classroom.
- "Sustainable Agriculture" (ENVS 253) visits the Kenyon Farm and other farms in the Knox County area to learn to identify crops, to see a diversity of agricultural practices, and to get hands-on experience with farm work.
- Students in "Permaculture and Winter Farming" (ENVS 240) conduct a practicum at the farm for the last half of spring semester. In 2023, the students established facilities for indoor mycology production, specifically shiitake mushrooms. In 2024, students worked in the high tunnels planting and caring for spring crops and inoculated logs for outdoor shiitake production. In 2025, they plan to experiment with growing microgreens and composting with fungi.
- "Information in Living Systems" (BIOL 116) visited the Kenyon Farm in fall 2024 to gain real-life insights into different types of plants, like vascular and nonvascular, and to learn how genetics impacts decisions made on farms (like what type of livestock to raise).
- Students enrolled in the fall 2024 "Ecology Laboratory" (BIOL 229) course used different survey methods to estimate the number of insects on the farm.
- "Denaturing 'Nature'" (ENGL 103) visited the farm in the fall of 2024. During their tour, they discussed how the farm is managed, different factors that are considered when making decisions about produce and livestock, and what sustainable agriculture involves. In a subsequent writing assignment, the students connected these discussions to course readings, specifically romantic and pastoral poetry, in order to reflect on how literature has shaped cultural values around farming.
- "Solar Power Systems: Science, Policy, and Practicum" (ENVS 104) visits the farm to investigate the farm’s solar power system installed on the barn. While at the farm, they also look at our solar powered mobile chicken coop and the electric fence, and discuss the difference between AC and DC power.
Gambier, Ohio 43022