Academic Programs
The Evergreen State College offers full time, 3 quarter, agricultural programs aimed at providing students with the skills to manage a production agriculture facility and to become more knowledgeable about global and local agricultural practices, understanding agricultural systems, organic horticulture and small livestock production.
Below you will find links to the web-pages of many Evergreen agriculture programs, as well as links to past and future agriculture program descriptions from the academic calendars.
Academic program offerings:
This program is offered every other year, most recently 2011/2012.
The Ecological Agriculture program provides a broad, interdisciplinary study of agriculture from a critical perspective of social and ecological sustainability. In fall quarter, we will examine the history and present predicament of North American agriculture. During winter quarter, we will consider alternatives and possible futures of agriculture. In spring quarter, seminars will focus on third-world agriculture, and we will offer several modules of study-for example, compost studies and/or tropical cropping systems and seminar and development.
We will emphasize "systems" thinking, expository and scientific report writing, library research and quantitative reasoning skills. Lectures will focus on ecological principles applied to agro-ecosystems, soil science and fertility management; crop and livestock management; and agricultural history, socioeconomic aspects of agriculture and the regional to global food system. Labs will provide a hands-on introduction to soil science, experimentation, energy flow and nutrient cycling through farms. Field trips will allow students to visit farms that are working toward sustainability, and to interact with farmers.
Students will also have the opportunity to gain practical experience in food production at the college's Organic Farm under the direction of the farm manager. This will be part of Practice of Sustainable Agriculture in spring quarter. Other student projects and internships will also be spring-quarter options.
If you have questions or need more information about this program please contact: Martha Rosemeyer
The Practice of Sustainable Agriculture
This program is offered every year, Spring, Summer and Fall Quarters.
The Practice of Sustainable Agriculture program consists of two parts: an academic program and farm practicum. The academic portion of this program will focus on practical small scale organic farming, including farm management, crop selection and management, orchard and berry management, flower raising, summer and winter gardening, irrigation, composting, cover crops, and pastured poultry. Additional instruction can be expected in soils, greenhouse management, grafting and pruning, equipment operation, small farm economics, pest and weed control strategies and marketing. The practicum portion will give students a chance to apply their knowledge on the college's Organic Farm. There will be field trips to visit a range of different types of organic farms, including at least one three-day field trip spring quarter and a possible extended field trip summer quarter.
Please direct questions and comments about this program to: Steve Scheuerell
This program offers students a flavorful buffet laden with local and global food systems topics. Students will explore the U.S. food system, grow food at Evergreen's organic farm, investigate issues in agricultural and food system policy, compare Olympia food systems with urban food systems in Central America, and learn cooking skills at weekly program meals.
Students will participate in lectures, workshops, field trips, films, program meals and seminar. Students are expected to maintain a weekly activities journal, write several brief themes and complete a library research project resulting in an annotated bibliography and a seven- to ten-page paper.
Specific activities will include: local farm tours, visits to a farmers' market and community supported agriculture farm/s, composting and organic gardening workshops, a food preservation workshop, a U.S. farm policy workshop and weekly meals involving students' cooking, among others.
Please Direct all questions and comments about this program to either: Liza Rognas or Martha Rosemeyer
Food, Health and Sustainability
This program is offered in some form every other year, most recently 10-11
Throughout history, food and cooking have not only been essential for human sustenance, but have played a central role in the economic and cultural life of civilizations. In this program, we will primarily be taking a scientific approach to food. We will also include political, historical and anthropological perspectives to help us understand the context of our relationship to food.
In fall quarter, we will focus on the taxonomy of food organisms and their food quality and sustainability issues in production, as well as the chemistry of the basic food molecules. We will study how different parts of plants and animals have been used as food (vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes, fish and shellfish). We will discuss the role of evolution in the domestication of plant and animal species, used as food by different human populations. We will consider the chemistry of water, acids and bases and how they interact with the basic food molecules. We will also survey microbes, and discuss their involvement in fermentation as well as in food safety. In the laboratory, we will be examining different parts of plants used as food, studying the reproductive structures of flowers, yeast metabolism, types of grains as we prepare for a symposium and field trip on grain growing and baking quality. We will study the physiology of taste and smell, critical to the appreciating of food. We will be addressing historical, economic, and political aspects of the current global food crisis throughout the quarter. In winter, we will focus on different types of foods and chemical changes upon cooking, Pacific Northwest foodways, as well as basic biological molecules (carbohydrates, fats and proteins), physiology, nutrition and human health.
Please Direct all questions and comments about this program to Martha Rosemeyer
Over the past five years our group has set out to establish an organic garden capable of supplying a variety of plant stuff suited for natural product chemistry. The goal is to have at our disposal a sustainable source of starting material for course related lab work or advanced independent student research projects. Three crops have been cultivated successfully, hops, mints and alliums (mostly garlic). This biochemical garden covers an area of 2500 square feet and is proud to be part of the Organic Farm.
Please direct all questions and comments about this subect to: Peter Pessiki