Support Crew
Soil chemist Kim Stearman (left) and farm manager Randy Dodson harvest the first organically grown tomato from the high tunnels of Waters Farm.
Farm manager Randy Dodson has overseen and set up the organic farm infrastructure, including the organic plot treatments, high tunnel construction, and additional projects with sweet sorghum, shitake mushrooms, bees and strawberries.
School of Agriculture faculty involved in organic farming include Drs. Kim Stearman, soil chemist; Michael Best, agricultural economist; Janice Branson, soil scientist; Bruce Greene, animal scientist; Jim Baier, agricultural engineer; Jed Young, horticulturist; and the director of the School, Wade Faw. Dr. Dennis George, the director of the Center for the Management, Utilization and Protection of Water Resources, and the Agricultural and Human Sciences Dean Pat Bagley have supported the organic farming program. Undergraduate student participation in the organic farm is also an integral component of this new program. Students, such as Nathan Dodson, Will Greene and Will Phillips, have helped Randy Dodson set up the organic research farm. And Phillips has even developed a project on his own to compare conventional sweet sorghum with organic sweet sorghum.
Initially, the farm will be used for teaching soils, horticulture, irrigation and organic farming courses. Select undergraduate students will conduct research projects at the farm as part of a senior research class.
