Hello! My name is Grant Hoffer, and I am a sophomore in the Plant Science major with the Agroecology option. I am minoring in entomology and food systems. I became interested in plants and food systems when I was just a little kid. I remember helping my grandmother and my mother in their gardens before I was even in school! When I initially came to Penn State, I thought I only wanted to do research about plants and not be involved in their production. However, as I got more exposure to food production systems in my classes, I decided I wanted to be more involved in growing plants than just studying them.
In particular, I became interested in how we as a society can more sustainably produce food without the need for artificial inputs like fertilizers or pesticides and conserve natural resources like soil and water, all while still meeting global food demand. I even tried using some of these techniques and ideas at my own small garden plot like using compost instead of synthetic fertilizer and planting multiple plants close together and reducing how much I disturb the soil to help the health of the soil.
By working with the Student Farm, I hope to gain a better understanding of how a small vegetable farm works so that I can apply these principles in the future! In fact, I feel like I have already learned so much just in my short time with the farm. One of the things that surprised me about running a market farm like the Student Farm is just how much planning goes into deciding how many and of what kind of produce to grow and how heavily influenced those decisions are on market demand. We looked at some of the spreadsheets the farm uses to determine when to plant seeds to harvest the produce at a specific date. If that seems like a lot of information, it’s because it is! On top of that, I was fascinated with how the farm starts seeds in the greenhouse before planting them in the field. The sheer number of plants and the speed we produce them blew me away! I even started using some of these techniques to start seeds for my garden using my grow shelves that I have at home.
Most importantly, though, I hope to gain a better understanding of how a market farm like the Student Farm connects and interacts with its community. One of the best ways to help reduce economic impact by agriculture is to shop locally to reduce the impact of shipping and long-term storage. I am hopeful that this year, we will be able to host events at the farm again to show the Penn State and State College community what local food production looks like. I am also hopeful we will be able to have our Campus Supported Agriculture (CSA) program again. Not only would this be a good learning experience for me in terms of how a market farm reaches out to its community, but it would also be great to get our delicious, locally grown produce in the hands and stomachs of our fellow students and help them lead healthier lifestyles!