The Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm is excited to introduce two new staff members who have recently joined our team! These two hires are joining the team at a crucial time as the farm continues to expand its programming and acreage. There are lots of new possibilities now that we have more staff supporting the program’s mission, and we look forward to seeing what opportunities and improvements are to come.
Leslie Pillen, Associate Director of Farm and Food Systems, has spent months developing these positions and finding the right people to fill them.
“As the farm puts down roots and has the opportunity to serve more students,” she said, “these two new members of our team will enable the program to continue supporting the amazing student leaders who make the program what it is. Expanding the farm site from one to four acres brings both more opportunity for engagement, but also more complexity to the system, so a backbone of staff to train and mentor students is crucial.”
One of the new roles is the Student Farm Education and Operations Manager, which has been filled by Darin Ripp. Ripp graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in Wildlife Ecology and Environmental Studies. As a student, he was an intern on his university’s farm, and after graduating he worked for diversified vegetable farms. He also did ecological gardening for private clients in Pittsburgh. Darin’s background in agricultural education sparked his interest in the Education and Operations Manager position, and once he learned about the mission of the Student Farm he decided to apply.
“I was yearning for deeper connection with learners and the narratives that come with working with and growing food,” Darin said. “I really wanted to work in student-centered spaces and help students grow food for themselves and their community. The Student Farm is unique in that it has a very interdisciplinary lens, which makes me excited because so many different objectives are embedded in farming.”
The Education and Operations Manager position will teach and guide interns and other workers on the farm and oversee agricultural operations and student experiences across the now four-acre farm site. Roles will include welcoming tour groups, helping students with independent study projects, keeping the farm on schedule for planting, ensuring produce is available to campus dining throughout the year and more. Having a staff position to focus on these tasks will allow the farm to operate efficiently and continuously improve.
“One of my goals is to pair interested students with operational tasks so they can learn new skills and venture on to become whatever they’re aspiring to be,” Darin said. “I want to bring them into the process of planning and selling as much as possible.”
Darin sees a lot of potential for the farm as it expands. He hopes that more acreage will allow the farm to grow more food, reach bigger markets and consequently have more opportunities for student involvement.
“The expansion is also a chance to showcase what food sovereignty can look like using student power to feed ourselves as a campus,” he said.
Leslie is thrilled to now have an education and operations manager on the farm to offer students personal training and experiences in agriculture. In addition to Darin’s position, the new food systems coordinator position will give students the opportunity to get involved in different sides of the food system.
“Students across disciplines have interests in many aspects of food systems, including topics like food waste, food insecurity and justice, or wholesome eating” Leslie said. “The new food systems coordinator position will help us build connections between the farm, the broader campus and community, and these crucial topics.”
The Food Systems Coordinator position has been filled by Marta Plumhoff. Marta graduated from the University of Michigan with bachelor’s degrees in Cellular & Molecular Biology and Environmental Toxicology, as well as a master’s degree in Environment and Sustainability. She also served as the Outreach Manager for the University of Michigan’s Sustainable Food Program, where she gained experience with community organizing and food justice engagement. That role sparked Marta’s love for agriculture and community, and it led her to find the Food Systems Coordinator opening at the Dr. Keiko Miwa Ross Student Farm.
“I was so impressed by the success the Student Farm has had,” Marta said. “I could tell that at Penn State, the students really get to be leaders, and that role has so much more of an influence on their success later. [The Student Farm] is very student-centric, and I wanted to be a part of that.”
The Food Systems Coordinator position will oversee campus and community engagement opportunities for students at the Student Farm, as well as across the campus and throughout our surrounding communities. These engagements include collaborations with courses, faculty, university service groups and the broader local foods community.
“I think of my role as a nexus between all of the moving parts that interact with the Sustainable Food Systems Program,” Marta said. “I foster all of those connections so that we can keep growing and building a bigger and better network of food systems work.”
Marta is particularly excited to interact with the students who join Student Farm Club and other related student organizations. She is currently working with SFC leaders to bring back Cooking Collaboratives and other programming that was paused at the beginning of the pandemic, as well as initiating new projects for the school year.
Marta joined the Sustainable Food Systems Program in mid-summer, and she is already enthusiastic about the program and what it offers students.
“The Student Farm serves as a front door into the food system because it is very accessible to students and opens you to so many more possibilities,” she said. “Students may go on to continue working for a community member that they met through one of our programs or an organization that they found out about, or they may find a new interest in sustainable farming or food justice. It’s a welcoming and accessible place for people to get their feet wet in the world of food systems and then from there they can go any direction they want.”
We can’t wait to see what opportunities are in store for Darin and Marta as they continue their work with the program. Next time you’re on the farm, be sure to introduce yourself to these two amazing new members of the team!