Students operate the 10-acre farm, living in a house on the property and managing the care of the animals including turkeys, goats and chickens, as well as the growing and harvesting of field crops including strawberries, onions, garlic, tomatoes, peppers, squash and more.
Students who live at the farm learn to balance their full-time coursework with the chores that keep the place running. They participate in a more sustainable lifestyle and experience the full cycle of farming, from planting seeds to harvesting crops used in the dining hall, from incubating eggs and raising the chickens to delivering eggs to the Kenyon Inn for breakfast. Students also learn the value of recycling and repurposing by using materials from College building projects to construct chicken coops and turkey tractors. Volunteer students and staff help, but ultimately, it’s up to the people who live there to make sure 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 live on 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. It’s more than just hands-on experience for these students. It’s a chance to live the agricultural life to its fullest while still earning a liberal arts degree.
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)