Anyone who walks Penn State’s campus can sense that the university is rooted in agriculture. From our origins as Farmers’ High School to our world-famous Berkey Creamery ice cream, agriculture is woven throughout Penn State’s history. Today, students are invited to engage with the campus food system in an even more transformative way through the Sustainable Food Systems Network. Our network provides students with the resources and support they need to become impactful citizens and leaders of tomorrow.
Each program in our network— including a 4-acre working campus farm, on-campus gardens, student organizations, community partnerships and academic collaborations— are managed by students from nearly every discipline. Our students gain real-world leadership experience in communication, critical thinking, teamwork, professionalism, equity and inclusion.
Since launching, our student leaders have done more than just grow 66,000 pounds of produce. They have been at the forefront of campus food justice initiatives, reshaped the culture of campus engagement, brought fresh produce into campus dining halls and experimented with new growing techniques— all with minimal physical infrastructure to work with. We now have a unique opportunity to take our efforts to the next level. We have completed the concept design for a new farm facility that will transform the way our program can engage with students across the university: the Farm Hub.
The Farm Hub
With the help of DIGSAU, the architecture firm we are working with, we’ve designed a facility that will include the following features:
- Temperature controlled wash/pack station
- Outdoor classroom
- Restrooms (finally!)
- Kitchen
- Enclosed office space
- Amphitheater for classes and events
- Tool storage
- Pollinator garden
- Accessible gravel pathway
Our students envision the new farm facility as a multi-functional space for both educational programming and sustainable food production. Its practical, flexible design will elevate the farm’s functionality to be able to host student leadership retreats, cooking classes, film screenings, pop-up farmers markets, large classes, and countless other opportunities in nearly any weather condition. This expansion will not only streamline our production processes but also create a more comfortable and inspiring environment for the students who learn and work here. Here’s how your support will make an impact:
Where Does Our Produce Go?
A common question we receive is, “Where does all the produce go?” Thousands of pounds of our fresh, student-grown produce go directly to the University’s dining halls, ensuring that students can enjoy local, sustainable food. Beyond campus, our produce reaches the broader community through our Community Supported Agriculture program. Additionally, our Feed the People Market Stand provides fresh produce weekly to students, faculty, and community members, using a pay-what-you-can model to make healthy food accessible to all.
With the addition of our new wash-pack area, we’ll be able to safely and efficiently prepare and distribute farm-fresh produce to all these vital programs, allowing us to expand our reach and better serve students and the community.
Cooking Collaborative
Bringing community together through food is at the heart of what we do. Each month, our Cooking Collab student leaders host an evening of preparing and enjoying a farm-fresh meal together. By cooking together, students build their cooking skills, which will empower them for a lifetime of healthy eating. Currently, we either cook in a makeshift kitchen in one of our high tunnels—a space that could otherwise be used to grow more vegetables for the community—or must use borrowed kitchen space downtown. A fully equipped teaching kitchen will become the hub of our cooking classes, workshops, and food-based community events. The kitchen will enhance collaboration and learning among students, chefs, and community members, allowing us to offer impactful experiences that strengthen connections through food.
Harvest Fest
Harvest Fest is our signature annual event, bringing over 1,600 people out to explore and enjoy the farm. This festival serves as a bridge between the campus and local community, uniting everyone in celebration of the bounty of the season and the beauty of the fall in Happy Valley. As a welcoming venue for community events like Harvest Fest, the new event lawn and stage will become a hub for celebrating local food, music, and culture year-round. It will enhance our ability to host large festivals and enable smaller, more frequent events that foster connection, learning, and celebration of agriculture, nature, and food systems.
Youth Education
Our Youth Education project team enables students to engage with local children and educate on topics that are at the root of our mission. We strive to provide local school districts with hands-on activities that help youth to be more aware of where their food comes from and the choices they’re making, because they are the future of the planet and its prosperity. Creating a dedicated classroom space in the farm facility will offer an ideal setting for hands-on educational programs, inspiring the next generation to embrace sustainable practices and develop a connection to the land.
Wellness Programs
We host a variety of programs and events designed to promote wellness within our community. However, a lack of clear farm entry points and other way-finding signals leads to confusion for first-time visitors. Clearly marked and designed entrances will not only help us guide guests smoothly onto the farm and create an inviting and calming space for visitors to begin their experience. Clear entryways will set the tone for wellness programs, farm tours, and community activities, offering a warm welcome and organized starting point for all who come to the farm.
Putting Down Roots
Along with the new Farm Hub, we plan to implement other features to improve access, farming operations, and the range of student learning opportunities and community involvement on the farm.
Year Round Growing & Learning
New high tunnels on the farm now allow us to grow in every season, meaning we can support year-round visits and produce offerings for campus.
More Community Event Space
Community is a priority for us. We have goals to build flexible event spaces that can host anywhere from 50 to 1500 guests.
Perennial Food Forest
This alternative growing method will expand experiential learning opportunities and the range of foods we can grow.
Diverse Gardens
Our new gardens around the farm site will include a Natural Dye Garden, a Mushroom Yard, an Indigenous Garden, a Pennsylvania Natives Garden and a Perennial Berry Field.
Transportation & Accessibility
Safe and easy access to the farm remains a top priority. Transportation enhancements now include electric-assist bicycle docking, CATA bus service to the farm, and special event busing.
Outdoor Community Kitchen
Just as the kitchen is often the heart of the home, we envision an outdoor kitchen space as a vibrant focal point on the farm for teaching, learning and enjoying farm-fresh vegetable culinary creations.
We Need Your Support
As we begin the process of growing our infrastructure, we invite our community to remain engaged in envisioning the programming that can happen in this space. What activities and events do you want to see on the farm? How can these new spaces serve your campus and community organizations?
Building a new farm facility is no easy task, but we believe this new space will have endless potential for our students and greater community. Please consider giving to this student-led expansion effort by giving though the button below or contacting our development director. An investment in this space is an investment in the impactful citizens and leaders of tomorrow.
Help Us Grow
Lesley Larson
Associate Director of Development
Student Affairs
Phone: 814-865-3216
E-mail: lesleylarson@psu.edu