Officially chartered on March 1, the Farmer’s Club is one of Brandeis’ newest student organizations. Inspired by Professor Laura Goldin’s (AMST/ENVS/HSSP) class Greening the Ivory Tower: Improving Environmental Sustainability of Brandeis and Community, the club is the result of two group projects which explored the benefits of having a “green roof” and farmers’ markets.
According to the club’s president Jay Feinstein ’17, “This was a really instrumental incubation space for the project idea. There were so many different projects that started here … after the semester ended, we decided to combine our initiatives together to form a club.”
As Annie Fortnow ’17, the club’s off-campus manager, elaborated about the club’s development, “After watching ‘Growing Cities,’ which was about urban agriculture and the future of farming in cities, we decided that we wanted to create a smaller version of that on the Brandeis campus.”
The club plans on constructing raised-bed farms, which are to be constructed solely out of milk crates, on the rooftop of Gerstenzang. The most recent plan estimates the creation of approximately 1,000 to 2,000 square feet of growing space.
Feinstein explained the decision to use Gerstenzang as the site of the farm: “We talked to Daniel Feldman [vice president for planning at Brandeis] … Our original space was the Shapiro Science Center, but then we realized that it did not have a railing and that the railing would cost $70,000.”
“It’s also a really big space,” continued Fortnow, “So if we want to expand in the future, it is definitely a space that will be able to do that.”
Although the club is still applying for funding, they have already developed several ideas as to what they plan on growing. “We’re starting off with greens and tomatoes, really anything that can be grown in a milk crate,” Feinstein said. “Anything people want to buy from a farmers’ market, or anything that people want to eat, or anything the dining hall wants to buy from us, that’s what we’re growing, whatever’s in demand.” Eben Holderness ’18 is the farm manager and will use his experience to advise on what types of plants should and should not be grown.
The Farmer’s Club also has two upcoming events open to the Brandeis student body and the greater Waltham area. On Saturday, April 18, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Gosman parking lot, the club hopes to host their first farmers’ market.
When asked about his goals for the farmers’ market, Feinstein asserted, “We hope for people to get excited about sustainable agriculture and to get excited about local vendors coming to the school, building a greater community. We have entertainment, a cappella groups, all these different student groups involved. We have all these outside organizations getting involved, so I guess building with the Brandeis community and beyond on and off campus.” According to the most recent count, 265 Brandeis students have RSVP’d as attending on the Facebook event.
On April 19, the Farmer’s Club will be giving away clay pots with herb seeds to current Brandeis students at ’Deis Day. Students will be able to decorate and customize their own pots as well as learn more about the club’s plans for the farm and Brandeis community.
