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 TCollege 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 ti on s Plannin Collabora 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 Inputs Propagation Supplies Crop Seeds & Plants $0 $1000 $2000 $3000 $4000 $5000 $6000 $7000 t Electric Fencing Row Covers Managemen Soil Cover Pesticides ated Pest Fertilizer $0 $1000 $2000 $3000 $4000 $5000 $6000 Integr Certified Scale s Bins terial Packing Supplies Ma Tools $0 $1000 $2000 $3000 $4000 $5000 Post-harvest Area Signage, Tables, and Benches Site Preparation ucture tr Irrigation as Walk-in Cooler Multipurpose rm Infr Building Fa 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.