2016

ANNUAL REPORT THREE YEAR REVIEW erp Farm is the University of Maryland’s sustainable farming operation dedicated to growing produce for the campus dining program, supporting educational opportunities for students, and providing food to those in need. In 2014, Dining Services, in collaboration with the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Office of Sustainability, launched the three year pilot program for the farm. The CollegeT of Agriculture and Natural Resources provided up to five acres of land at the Central Maryland Research and Education Center in Upper Marlboro, MD; researchers and staff at the facility and in the college share technical advice and expertise with Terp Farm. Terp Farm helps fulfill a major component of Dining Services’ Sustainable Food Commitment: purchasing 20% local and sustainable foods by 2020. 2016 marks the completion of the Terp Farm pilot project, funded by the University Sustainability Fund. During the last three years of operation, Terp Farm produced 29,671 pounds of produce and hosted 2,071 visitors, while continuing to build its network of stakeholders, all invested in sustainable food and agriculture. With three years of demonstrated success behind us, the Terp Farm team looks eagerly ahead to continued growth in 2017 and beyond.

Herbs 1,186 Root Broccoli Vegetables 572 2,486 Greens 4,626 Watermelon 1,229

Cucumbers 2,209 Sweet Corn 567 Peppers 1,811 29,671TOTAL total29,671 lbs Terp Farm Crop Yield Cabbage pounds 1,616

Tomatoes 6,294

Squash 7,076 6,041 19 pounds of academic courses produce donated facilitated

Academic Courses [394] Community Visitors [131] Workshops [165] 2,071 Interns [20] Visitors and Volunteers total Living Learning Programs [110] people UMD Sta [195]

Student Sta [9] Volunteers [28] Events [1,014]

Terp Farm 2016 | 2 MEDIA HYPE Terp Farm has been in the news! We were eager to share our story and progress with new audiences.

Here are some of the places that have featured Terp Farm in a story or segment: 2016 »» PGCTV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnT7RPQ-aKQ&feature=share »» Greatist.com http://greatist.com/health/healthiest-colleges »» EdibleDC http://digitaleditions.sheridan.com/publication/?i=333184&p=52 »» Lancaster Farming http://www.lancasterfarming.com/news/southern_edition/terp- farm-showcases-sustainable-farming/article_1c0e22f5-56da-5109- 84c8-f53def655375.html »» AmericanFarm.com http://americanfarm.com/publications/the-delmarva- farmer/2940-mock-audit-held-for-gap-certification?utm_ source=Campaign+Created+2016%2F04%2F22%2C+1%3A56+PM&utm_ campaign=5th+Eblast+Newsletter&utm_medium=email »» Diamondback http://www.dbknews.com/2016/02/04/terp-farm-increases-crop- production-student-involvement/

2015 »» CBS Baltimore http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2015/10/14/university-of-maryland-is- expanding-farm-to-table-concept/ »» Big Ten Network http://btn.com/2015/10/05/btn-livebig-marylands-terp-farm-fills- bellies-and-minds-with-good-stuff/ »» American Farm http://www.americanfarm.com/publications/the-delmarva-farmer/ events/1704-terp-farm-food-grown-by-students-for-students »» NASDA http://www.nasda.org/News/39054.aspx umd »» Diamondback B1G Steps, Small Footprints | Fall ’14 »» http://www.dbknews.com/2016/02/04/terp-farm-increases-crop- TERP production-student-involvement/ Farm »» http://www.dbknews.com/archives/article_597ed8c8-7066-11e5- Grows for the 81ef-b74ea28b741d.html Greater Good p. 10 »» http://www.dbknews.com/archives/article_5f255af2-b259-11e4- afbb-0f631906d39e.html »» SMADC http://smadc.com/blog/cafeteriafoodscrapstofarmreadycompost/

2014 »» SustainableUMD Magazine https://www.sustainability.umd.edu/progress/sustainableumd- magazine-2014

ENERGY INITIATIVES 3 > LEAF LEADS THE WAY 7 > GREEN GAME CHANGER 15 > RESEARCHERS FISH FOR ANSWERS 18

Terp Farm 2016 | 3 NOTES FROM THE FIELD

t is a privilege to once again report from the field We started with a goal three years ago to demonstrate as we mark the completion of our first three years the value of a farm to our campus, and now have truly Iat Terp Farm. Watching the farm grow has been emerged as a showcase for the university land grant tremendously gratifying, as have been the countless mission. We feed, but we also teach, and hopefully interactions I have shared with the students, faculty, inspire new people to consider putting down their staff, and other members of our farming community own roots in the traditions of farming, so that we who come to visit the farm or lend a hand in the work. can all work together to produce a better future. One thing I have learned from this experience is Moving ahead, the farm will continue to grow and be that the legacy of farming is still greatly valued in shaped by way of the folks who come to put spades in the institution we represent, but also in our greater the ground, adding their own stories to the legacy of community as a whole. There is a common feeling the farm along the way. When they do, I will be there while working in the fields alongside the old tobacco to greet them with tools in hand, ready to make this barns in Upper Marlboro, that by doing so we are great effort an even greater success. upholding an important tradition. Today Terp Farm As ever, is becoming part of that rich history.

Guy H. Kilpatric Lead Agricultural Technician

Meet Guy H. Kilpatric Lead Agricultural Technician Farmer Guy grew up in the foothills and valleys of Western Maryland, where life is steeped in agricultural heritage – though he is the first farmer from his family. His diverse skill set and thoughtful approach to farming follows many years of experience on organic fruit and vegetable farms, in addition to completing the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His knack for agricultural sustainability is as evident as his passion for growing delicious food, which is truly an inspiration to anyone who meets Guy at the farm.

2016 SNAPSHOT 11,596 1,221 9 pounds of produce people visited the farm academic course partners

Terp Farm 2016 | 4 SUSTAINABILITY AT TERP FARM

Terp Farm was funded as a three year pilot project by the University Sustainability Fund. Our mission is to be a model of environmental stewardship and bring awareness to three critical aspects of sustainability: economic, social and environmental. Here’s an overview of how we practice sustainability on Terp Farm.

d Educ un atio Ro s Cent ar op na Ye Cr er l

SOCIAL Terp Farm is an educational ECONOMIC resource for the community. Terp Farm does not sell produce for Terp Farm hosts interns, academic profit, but instead aims to grow enough classes, and volunteers to work produce to oset the costs of managing and learn on the farm. Terp Farm donates a portion of each harvest to the farm. The high tunnel enables Dona ve year-round food production and harvest. hunger relief organizations—including

ti g the UMD Campus Pantry. Terp Farm plans its plantings based on Fo

Dining Services chefs’ needs.

od

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on s

Plannin

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ENVIRONMENTAL Terp Farm makes all of its decisions with environmental impact in mind. Local food helps the environment by reducing transportation and following growing seasons. Crop rotations, cover crops, and composting build soil health. A pollinator Lo garden and border plantings create a welcoming habitat for natural pollinators. ce on Fo ca ur od l vati Reso Conser Soil Health

Terp Farm 2016 | 5 UNIVERSITY SUSTAINABILITY FUND GRANT SUMMARY In 2014, Terp Farm received a University Sustainability Fund grant to fund the three year pilot project. Throughout the project, the team made modifications to the initial grant budget based on realities of implementing the vision for Terp Farm. Far less money was needed for pesticides and a walk-in cooler than expected. Thus, these funds were diverted to propagation supplies, irrigation, and other key material inputs. After three years, approximately $40,000 remains of the initial grant. The Office of Sustainability has approved Terp Farm utilizing these funds for crop inputs and materials costs in the 2017 growing season.

Mulch Grant Funds Spent 2014–16 Grant Funds Remaining

Soil Amendments nputs Propagation Supplies op Seeds & Plants

$0 $1000 $2000 $3000 $4000 $5000 $6000 $7000 t Electric Fencing

Row Covers

anaeen Soil Cover

Pesticides ated est Fertilizer

$0 $1000 $2000 $3000 $4000 $5000 $6000 nte

Certified Scale

s Bins

teal Packing Supplies a

Tools

$0 $1000 $2000 $3000 $4000 $5000

Post-harvest Area Signage, Tables, and Benches

Site Preparation utue

t Irrigation as Walk-in Cooler

Multipurpose

n Building

a Small Scale Farm Equipment

High Tunnel*

$0 $5000 $10000 $15000 $20000 $25000 $30000

*High tunnel valued at $17,538; donated by Rimol Greenhouse Systems. Terp Farm 2016 | 6 FOOD SAFTEY AT TERP FARM

Good Agricultural Practices Certification Since 2015, Terp Farm is audited annually and receives its Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) Certification from the Maryland Department of Agriculture. GAP certification includes the development of a food safety plan, ongoing documentation through logs and analysis, and an audit from the Maryland Department of Agriculture. All of these components ensure safe food and require that farms put in place response plans to worker or volunteer injury. Food safety plans reduce the risk of microbial contamination and the spread of food-borne illness. Ultimately, the GAP Certification makes Terp Farm safer for everyone—the students eating the food on campus and the students volunteering out on the farm. Snapshot of the Food Safety Plan

»»CROP PLAN OVERVIEW • Terp Farm grows over 90 unique varieties of vegetables in succession throughout all four seasons.

»»FARM AND FIELD • All Terp Farm volunteers and workers are trained on food safety and required to follow specific procedures on the farm. • Water sources are regularly tested for pathogens and contaminants. • Animals are kept out of all production areas. • Terp Farm uses compost from Western Branch, a Prince George’s County facility that regularly conducts safety tests on the compost.

»»FIELD HARVESTING AND TRANSPORTATION • The Terp Farm team built a washing station in a barn to effectively clean and sanitize vegetables.

»»PACKINGHOUSE AND STORAGE AREA • Food storage and transportation areas and containers are kept clean to ensure food is safe when it arrives on campus.

Maryland GAP Mock Audit On April 15, 2016, 30 Maryland farmers came to a workshop at Terp Farm to experience first-hand how a Maryland GAP auditor assesses on-farm food safety.

Terp Farm 2016 | 7 SPRING 2016

Final Year of Terp Farm Pilot Begins

This year, Terp Farm relocated its field production to a two acre plot located behind the Terp Farm high tunnels to avoid the flooding from the previous spring and co-locate Terp Farm operations. Terp Farm hosted the Plant Sciences Capstone (PLSC460) for a third year in a row. Introduction to Environmental Health (SPHL498N), came back out to Terp Farm for a one day tour and volunteer session. 2015 summer student staff member, Michael Perise, was the first student to complete his cooperative education (INAG099) with the Institute of Applied Agriculture at Terp Farm. Michael worked 16 hours per week at Terp Farm as a part of his certificate in Sustainable Agriculture.

Terp Farm hosted the University of Maryland Dietetic Internship for the first time in 2016. Five sets of two-intern teams visited the farm throughout the spring. Interns toured the farm and worked alongside Guy for the day, assisting with springtime tasks. Interns then documented their experiences with blog and social media posts for Dining Services’ websites.

Spring seedlings nearly ready for transplanting

Freshly harvested Hakurei (Salad) turnip UMD Dietetic Interns joined the team five weeks throughout the year

Terp Farm 2016 | 8 SUMMER 2016 Students Dig In

Four student staff members, two of whom were supported by the Institute of Applied Agriculture, worked at Terp Farm this summer. The Upper Marlboro Facility restored one of the cottages on site so student workers could live on the farm while working and learning. Meet this season’s crop of student farmers:

top left to right to bottom

Alex Mahlandt is a Plant Sciences junior. His dream version of a farm would produce all the necessary ingredients for hummus, which he would then make and sell from a stand. In his free time, Alex is also a dedicated cyclist and enlightenment seeker.

Jack Murphy is a sophomore studying Environmental Science and Policy. Jack is passionate about advocacy and social justice, but he also just loves being outside and active. The biggest skill he gained this summer was learning to operate a tractor.

Lillian Kahl is a student in the Institute of Applied Agriculture studying Sustainable Agriculture. After years of arboreal work, Lilli made the decision to try out farming, and immediately showed a knack for the job. Her plan is to develop a cut flower business that operates like a food truck, selling fresh bouquets that she grows herself.

Ryan Snell is studying Sustainable Agriculture and Landscape Management at the Institute Applied Agriculture. Having grown up in the Southern Maryland region, Ryan is no stranger to farming. His hope is to one day have a farmstead with his fiancé who is also a student of agriculture. Ryan is also a remarkably skilled guitarist with roots in the bluegrass tradition.

Terp Farm hosted a collaborative workshop to educate area farmers on food safety with a Good Agricultural Practices Certification Audit with Future Harvest Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, the Maryland Department of Agriculture, and University of Maryland Extension. Terp Farm also served as a host for a visit from the Chesapeake Collaborative Regional Alliance for Farmer Training (CRAFT), bringing 30 local farmers to Terp Farm. The Terp Farm team also expanded its collaboration with the Accokeek Foundation by visiting the Agriculture Conservation Corps’ capstone presentations and touring the Ecosystem and National Colonial Farms. Additionally, Terp Farm hosted staff from across the University to tour and learn about sustainable agriculture.

Terp Farm 2016 | 9 FALL 2016 Sharing the Harvest

The fall semester was a busy one on the farm, with up to three student groups visiting each week. The Introduction to Environmental Health (MIEH300) class expanded from 30 students in previous semesters to over 100 students visiting Terp Farm over the course of 6 field trips. The Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture (INAG123) course toured the farm and the Agroecology (PLSC405) course helped conduct a nutrient balance assessment of Terp Farm soils.

Individual volunteers joined Guy on the farm each week contributing 88 hours to help grow and harvest crops. Volunteers from the Integrated Life Sciences Honors Program returned for four visits to the farm. Summer staff member Lilli continued interning at Terp Farm as part of her Independent Study (INAG199) and developed a business plan and crop plan to expand the experimental flower production started in 2016. Lilli piloted flower sales at the Farmers Market at Maryland to gauge interested and conduct a market analysis.

Some of the youngest Terps spent the day at Terp Farm when preschoolers from the Center for Young Children visited Terp Farm for a field trip. The youngsters were studying fruits and vegetables in class and were able to see how they grow in the field (and take a wagon ride!).

Terp Farm hosted the first ever Maryland Young Farmers Crop Mob—with 20 young farmers joining Guy to construct Terp Farm’s third high tunnel. Farmers received a learning opportunity that they can bring back to their own operations and Terp Farm got much needed extra hands to assist in construction.

FALL HARVEST FESTIVAL Back for More

On September 23, Terp Farm hosted its second annual Terp Farm Fall Harvest Festival with the help of 60 volunteers. The Harvest Festival was expanded from its first year offering a buffet of local foods, a performance by UMD alum Haley Fahey and her band, wagon rides, farm tours, yard games, and pumpkin painting. Student visitors flocked to the flower field to take pictures and pick their own bouquets.

rvest F a es H t l i l v Friday, October 9 a a

l F rvest F a es 51 H t i ll v a a

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F ttendedFestival 395 Students 33 Faculty/Sta 60 Volunteers Fall Harvest 26 Alumni/Other Fall Harvest Festival

Friday, October 9, 2015

Terp Farm 2016 | 10 2016 SUMMARY

Terp Farm Crop Yield Produce Deliveries*

T C

R V

11,596 S P total C

P pounds

G

P C D H D P R H *5,326 lbs of delivered produce came from generous contributions by researchers at the Maryland Experiment Station.

Visitors and Volunteers

1,221 Academic Courses [240] total Community Visitors [156] Workshops [95] Interns [20] Living Learning Programs [43] UMD Sta [125] Volunteers [28] Events [514]

•Analyzing Alternative Enterprises •Good Agricultural Practices Certification Mock Audit •Plant Sciences Capstone •Master Gardening Advanced Class •Introduction to Environmental Health •Chesapeake CRAFT Tour •Independent Study •Maryland Young Farmers Crop Mob •Introduction to Sustainable Agriculture •Agroecology •Agricultural Tractor Operations and Maintenance •Professional Development Terp Farm 2016 | 11 •Food Ethics ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Farm Staff Volunteers Grants Guy Kilpatric Gabrielle Greenfield Maryland Parents Association Allison Tjaden Kevin Kammer University Sustainability Fund Kate Richard Diandrea Campbell Advisors Financial and In-Kind Support Lar r y Tumlin Frank Allnutt Johnny’s Selected Seeds Michael Perise Meredith Epstein John Gray Rimol Greenhouse Systems Student Staff and Interns Donald Murphy Lillian Kahl Chris Walsh Alex Mahlandt Colleen Wright-Riva Jack Murphy Ryan Snell

Campus Stakeholders

Terp Farm 2016 | 12

2005 Largo Road • Upper Marlboro, MD 20774 terpfarm.umd.edu terpfarm • @terpfarm