College of the Atlantic - Sustainable Food Systems

First stop on my New England trip was the Sustainable Food Systems program at the College of the Atlantic. On a sunny, crisp, full fall color day I met with Molly Anderson on this beautiful campus in Bar Harbor Maine. Bar Harbor is on Mt Desert Island surrounded by Acadia National Park. The campus is located right on the coast with great views into Frenchman Bay. The campus is relatively small for a 4 year institution and has a mix of old and new buildings. The college has a strong environmental commitment evident by the building design, waste management and campus food purchases.

According to COA’s website “small classes (average size is 12 students) emphasize engaged, interdisciplinary learning. Many classes are project-based, hands-on and are taught in a seminar format.” Students have only one option for a major, which is “human ecology”. However they can take different tracks within this major, one of which is sustainable food systems.

Academically, students in this track take classes about growing food such as agroecology and organic gardening. The bulk of classes, however, are about the social, cultural, political, ecological and economic factors of our food system. A key course is called “Our daily Bread: Following Grains through the Food System”. During this course students spend a month studying grains, bread making and food quality in the UK and Germany. This travel is part of COA’s transatlantic partnership and 65% of all COA students study abroad as part of their academic program.

Students in the sustainable food systems program get their practical food growing experience on Beech Hill Farm (BHF), a commercial vegetable farm that was donated to the College by a former COA graduate. BHF is 73 ac farm, 12 of which are cultivated with 5 acres in annual crop production. They grow all types of vegetables there but do not have any animal production. Greenhouses allow them year-round production (3 crops per year), roughly following some of famous organic producer /author Elliot Coleman’s advice and crop sequences Elliot’sFour Season Farm is only 30 miles away. BFT is staffed with one production manager, one business managers, 12-15 work study students during school time and 6-7 summer farm crew. Spring, summer and fall work crews They sell produce wholesale to COA and various high-end restaurants and retail through a 25 member CSA and a farm stand that also features other locally produced, value added products. The wholesale prices they charge are significantly above Sysco or other national wholesale chain prices. Beech Hill Farm also composts the food wastes from the COA campus and serves as a showcase for small windmill and solar energy production.

Overall I felt like this program is best suited for students who will be advocates for local food and sustainable food production. For it to be a place to become a farm manager, it is lacking some of the background academics in biology and ecological crop and pest management as well as the entrepreneurial foundation courses. That said, highly motivated students who are very active for multiple semesters at Beech Hill Farm can acquire the necessary skills to eventually run a farm. The program is not isolated to production Ag through its business style run Beech Hill Farm and its connections to organizations such as the Maine Organic Farmer and Gardener Association - MOFGA . One of the issues for the program is the 12 mile distance to the farm. That makes logistics both for teaching and for student workers difficult. A great opportunity is on the horizon as the College just recently received a gift of another farm, involving 120 acres of pastureland and various farm buildings. This farm could be developed into a showcase of sustainable animal production and education in Maine.

Thanks to Molly and Alisha for showing me around and explaining the program to me.