$5 million, 30-acre WSU organic farm charted by grad student

 

 

PULLMAN, Wash. – At first blush, it’s like a scene from an idyllic Disney movie. Children play on swings as sheep bah nearby, raindrops collected in large vats feed tidy rows of carrots, and families pick handfuls of cherries from slouching branches. Within viewing distance, grizzly bear cubs play like overgrown puppies in a gated pen.

 

But this isn’t fiction; it’s a not-too-distant scene at Washington State University.  This summer, construction begins on its New Organic Farm — courtesy of generous donors, vision-driven professors and staff, and the brain work of a student who designed the farm for her thesis project.

 

She calls it an edible landscape. 

WSU student Laurie Mooney, who will complete her graduate degree in landscape architecture this August, is just as happy composting as she is designing landscapes.  A self-described foodie with a desire “to know where my food comes from and how to grow it nutritionally,” Mooney came to WSU in part because of its reputation as a leader in organic agriculture research, she said.  In 2006, it became the only university in the U.S. to offer a major in organic agriculture. 

 

Knowing that WSU was raising a new crop of farmers and food growers, “I wanted to be part of it,” she said.

 

So, while pursuing a graduate degree in landscape architecture, Mooney also obtained a graduate certificate in sustainable agriculture. When she got word that WSU’s organic farm was expanding and relocating from four acres to potentially 30, she agreed to design a master plan and incorporate it into her thesis.

 

 “We needed a landscape architect and Laurie was the perfect candidate,” said WSU Regents Professor of Soil Science John Reganold, who leads the organic agriculture major. “She worked closely with faculty and the organic farm manager in coming up with a design for what’s basically a ‘living laboratory.’”

 

Talk about hidden muscle — last month an alumni couple donated $5-million dollars to help expand and transform the farm. The gift was given by Chuck and Louanna Eggert, who met as students at WSU and went on to found Pacific Natural Foods when organic was still considered fringe. Today, their company sells 180 different organic food products on store shelves from Pullman to Pittsburg.

 

“I remember giving a neighbor some organic tomato soup and he laughed and asked if it had been made by a bunch of hippies,” said Eggert from his office in Tualatin, Ore.  “If I did that now, instead of laughing, I’ll bet his eyes would light up with appreciation.”

 

The Eggert’s decision to plow $5-million into WSU’s new farm is as much about educating students and the public as it is an investment in the farm itself, he said.  Mooney’s design is a prime example.

 

“Her model integrates organic farming, alternative energy systems and people in ways that I’ve never seen.  I can only imagine how much she learned while working on it, and how much other students will learn by literally getting their hands dirty while working at the site.”

 

All of which means that one day, a mere 10-15 minute walk from the hustle and bustle of lecture halls and laptops will lead to an earthen oasis where organic tomatoes ripen on vines, plump chickens peck the ground, and inside an aquaponic greenhouse, live fish in tanks help fertilize soil with recirculated water. 

 

Perhaps most fairy-tale-like of all, Mooney designed a pedestrian trail to wind through an “edible forest” where people can pick and savor walnuts, fruit and mushrooms.

 

“The trail was designed to provide self-guided tours, where people can take a walk, see the sights and sample some of what’s grown – all without interfering with the farm production work,” said Mooney. “We want people to feel welcome.”

 

The new farm also will include a children’s garden, an orchard, dryland grains and a residence for students working at the site. A community center with a commercial kitchen and classrooms will include a food stand where people can buy and cart home the harvest.

 

Construction will be done in phases, said Reganold, with some initial work already completed. For instance, WSU’s chapter of Engineers without Borders designed a windmill and solar panels and have installed them at a test site on the land, he said.

 

“The entire project, with all of its buildings, may take about a decade to complete. As for the organic food?  I’d say that in three years, we’ll be saying, ‘Taste this place.’”

 

Related:
04-19-12 WSU News – $5 million investment: Alumni support organic ag, teaching farm expansion