The Dickinson College Farm is a 20-acre diversified vegetable and livestock operation. The farm raises produce for the Dickinson College dining hall, manages a small CSA, and sells as a vendor at the Carlisle Central Farmers' Market. Currently, Dickinson College sends all of its food waste to the College farm where it is composted. The Dickinson College Farm was a recipient of the 2007 DEP Composting Infrastructure Grant. During the compost portion of our PASA field day, farm staff will explain the nuts and bolts of their mid-scale composting operation, from the cafeteria tray to the field. Included in this discussion will be the farm's vermicompost project, which contributes greatly to the farm's fertility, as well as ongoing collaborative research with the DEP on composting glycerol, a by-product of biodiesel production.

After lunch, Steve Bogash, Franklin County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator, will lead hands-on scouting of vegetables, pest and predator identification and discuss pest lifecycles in an attempt to develop a long term plan to produce great crops with minimal outside inputs. Recognizing and managing pests and beneficial organisms is the key to developing an effective IPM strategy. We’ll also learn about the various pollinator research being carried out on the farm looking at how experimental housing units for bumble bees help to attract and increase populations of these beneficial pollinators.

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