Since 1871, the Berea College Farm has nourished its community as much as its caretakers. Its 500 acres of pasture and cropland offer students unique learning opportunities as they rear livestock, raise produce, and operate the business of feeding Berea students and the wider community through the Farm Store, campus Dining Services, and off-campus retailers.

All labor is essential at the Berea College Farm, so when the College had to send more than 90% of students home in March to protect them from COVID-19, the Farm lost hundreds of hours of their essential labor. Farm Manager Bob Harned said, “We started the spring semester with 25 students on the livestock team working 319 hours a week, then we went down to nine students working 180 hours.”

But Bob and his crew made the most out of each hour. Most of the students remaining were among the Farm’s most experienced hands, like recently promoted Pig Manager, Blaze ’21. With his classes now online, Blaze and the others had the flexibility to take on more hours with more productive daily shifts. Bob said, “These young people always deliver, but they really knocked my socks off with how they made it work. The animals didn’t complain either.”

Students with less practice also stepped in to lend a hand, like Mallory ’20, who is on track to graduate this summer. She said, “I’ve worked with plants primarily, but now working with the animals is a good look at how the Farm’s parts all fit together. I’m really glad I’ll be leaving with livestock on my résumé.”

Mallory’s usual crew, the horticulture team, also saw an influx of students eager to help when the crisis struck at the start of planting season. Horticulture Manager Janet Meyer said, “When over half my students had to leave, even more came knocking, most of them being international students. We’re actually ahead on weeding because these kids learn so quick.”

The entire Farm operation also benefited from advanced cleaning protocols Meyer had wisely instituted many years ago, which easily met the hygiene demands of the pandemic. Meyer even got some assistance from some helpful folks in Berea’s Marketing and Communications Department, who built her team an online sales form. This innovation enabled the greenhouse to provide plants to regional gardeners while observing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s social distancing guidelines.

The online order form also benefited the Berea College Farm Store when it had to close its storefront and lunch service just as demand for its high-quality organic meats, produce, and bakery goods skyrocketed amid pandemic fears. Luckily, the web form enabled curbside pickup and delivery to keep the community nourished, which is a top priority for Farm Store Manager Tammy Cornett.

 “Overnight we went from an eatery selling College Farm products to a full-scale grocery,” Cornett said. “We really missed talking to customers in the long lines at lunch, but the community needed to be fed, so we were going to work our tails off to make it happen. For about two weeks we were the only folks in town selling eggs! It was stressful, but my people are incredible. They filled every need and we learned a lot from each other. That’s what Berea does.”

By SAM MILLIGAN