AFJI Food and Farm Internship
12 Week Summer Internship with Community Partners
Appalachian Food Justice Institute (AFJI) Summer Internship: Food and Farms
The Farm and Food Hub Internship provides the opportunity for students to connect with community partners involved in our regional food system. This educational experience provides students with the opportunity to learn and work over the summer during the peak of the agricultural work demand. Aligning with the participatory research methods of the CRC, this internship provides an ethnographic approach to student-based agricultural programs at WVU and within our regional food system. While this Institute provides an internship for food systems related students, it also provides a means of understanding the role of the university in food system development and how a meaningful relationship between academia and the community can be developed. Specifically, the Institute provides the CRC a way to provide a hands-on curriculum regarding the food system in Appalachia while engaging in participatory action research with community partners, creating a mutually beneficial relationship between the center, community partners, and WVU students.
2023 Interns Introductions
Mazie Austin
My name is Mazie Austin. I am from Northern Virginia and grew up helping my family with our small vegetable garden every summer. In highschool I was in my horticulture program and gained a greater appreciation for agriculture. I first attended college at Old Dominion University and was undecided on what I wanted to major in. As I took general english classes and was assigned research papers, I began to do my own investigating on industrial agriculture. One of my first discoveries was how destructive the palm oil industry is and how it is an ingredient in a wide range of products. This opened my eyes to be aware of the ingredients labels and be conscious of how I spend my consumer dollars. Gaining this knowledge led me to want to expand my education on sustainable agriculture with the goal to help combat climate change and improve the lives of the people affected by unethical agriculture. I transferred to West Virginia University to study Agroecology and graduated December 2022 with a wealth of scientific wisdom. I did the Internship with the CRC to learn more about the social side of agriculture and to understand logistics of food access. I now have a wider perspective on how many moving parts go into running a sustainable farm and getting the food to the people that need it. I hope to continue working on my goal of improving the scientific and social aspects of agriculture.
Wyatt Gaines
I am a Morgantown native, a child of two first-generation college graduates and West Virginian natives. My upbringing and identity are intrinsically tied to the state and elements of Appalachian culture. That being said, my academic and career interests extend out from the state and are oriented toward public service. I’m an international studies major, with my studies focusing on political, economic, and sustainable development. These studies are focused on international service abroad, but there are strong parallels and links between less developed countries and West Virginia. Those similarities have been apparent throughout my life in West Virginia and a greater understanding found in college. This allowed me to foster a stronger appreciation for my area of study. When combined with an interest in agricultural development, my interests had me searching for a summer opportunity to get an experience that combined the disciplines of development studies and hands-on agricultural experience. That opportunity was presented to me in the form of the Appalachian Food and Farm Internship.
Trevor Letterman
My name is Trevor Letterman and I have lived in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia which is largely the suburbs for the DMV. I have grown up surrounded by people who have a great appreciation for the environment and plants. A large part of my family have degrees within ecology, agriculture, and biology so a lot of my free time was spent outdoors. In return this has given me a large appreciation for Appalachia and the associated culture that I would have struggled to be exposed to otherwise. A combination of time spent outside and helping with the family garden have led me to pursue an education in agriculture and environmental science. As I continue my studies I hope to gain more hands-on experience both with agriculture and environmental science with the end goal to take aspects and practices from both to create a self-sustainable agricultural system within Appalachia. These interests and goals aligned with the Appalachian Food and Farm Internship program so I decided to apply and gain some hands-on experience.
Heaven Smith
I am from the west side of Charleston, born and raised. I attended Capital High School and started my college journey at West Virginia State University. The environment that I was raised in is not known to be the best, that environment is deemed to have its residents a part of the working poor. I am grateful to have the family that I have, they hold me to high standards and have enlightened me for years about my worth, which has pushed me to be better than my community and what I am used to and not a product of it. How I became interested in agricultural work came from a spiritual awakening I would call it. Being acknowledged on the food and health care system was enough for me to want to become self-sufficient. One day I aspire to have my own farm and healthcare line and this internship has been confirmation that that’s exactly what I desire to do.
Emily Pingley
I’m a West Virginia native, growing up in a rural area in between chemical plants and coal mines. Growing up in an underserved community due to the exploitative nature of coal/natural gas companies I witnessed my community and my family struggle. Although we struggled, our community persevered through adversity and continues to help feed one another with food passed around through farmers and local churches. My family descends from agricultural work; my father’s parents bought land and established a sheep farm, my mother’s parents were adamant about growing a large food garden which fed my family growing up. Along with food gardens, my grandma procured her land to have elaborate flower gardens spreading our property. This zealous passion of hers continued down the line with my mother, and now to me. I am currently a student at WVU studying horticulture, in hopes to continue my education and career efforts toward agricultural science.
Appalachian Food Justice Institute Seminar
Led by Dr. Joshua Lohnes
To kick off the internship, and provide some educational framework, the intern group participated in the Appalachian Food Justice Institute Seminar led by Dr. Josh Lohnes. The Appalachian Food Justice Institute is an introduction to the complexities that are food justice theory, food system development and policy contexts, alternative food initiatives, food policy council formation, and diverse food geographies specific to Appalachia. Throughout the week students learned about food justice from a rural Appalachian perspective engaging with diverse theoretical and applied perspectives such as: race, ethnicity, class, culture, economics etc.. This orientation week proved to be the framework from which the internship's educational experience was based upon.
Poster art created at the end of the AFJI seminar
"This week was very insightful for understanding the wide-reaching social implications of the modern food system in Appalachia and America as a whole. The wide variety of speakers and topics, such as identity and what nutrition means in food desserts, was thought-provoking and a beneficial way to start thinking about the internship." - Wyatt
"This first week of AFJI opened my eyes to the injustice and food barriers in Appalachia that I haven’t experienced. It was very interesting learning about the steps the CRC and other organizations are taking to help people move around barriers to food and how to right past wrongs within the Appalachian food system." - Trevor
"This week was all about learning about the food system and how to work around it. Multiple speakers came in for an educating conversation. My biggest takeaway from this week was the importance of having a community and being able to be self-sufficiently stable."- Heaven
"The AFJI Seminar was great! It provided me with a new perspective on the social side of agriculture. My favorite parts were learning about the culture of Appalachia, the government programs that assist with food access, and how complex it is to coordinate or improve a food system." - Mazie
"The AFJI Seminar week was extremely informational. Josh delved into the complexities of the food system. It was surreal to mindfully and consciously identify the barriers to food access." - Emily
Where We've Been
Internship Timeline
Week 2
Mountain Harvest Farm
Placement Site: Mountain Harvest Farm
At this placement, we were there to be of assistance and help out at the farm. We assisted in all aspects of the farm from, seeding, pruning, trellising, CSA and restaurant prep, harvesting, and more! Working with Chico and his friends was an educational experience that was much enjoyed, seeing how efficiently they all worked was very knowledgeable. There was a wealth of knowledge gained from Chico and it was a great experience to learn from someone with so much experience.
Placement Site: WVU Urban Farm
Fencing at WVU Urban Farm
This placement is located in Westover, across the river from the WVU downtown campus. This site is shared by Dr. Nikki Brynn-Hoffman, who runs the Urban Farm, and other greenhouse staff from the WVU. This placement was primarily focused on the management of the Urban farm’s 16 raised beds and 1 large ground bed, where a variety of crops and herbs were planted. Maintenance included such tasks as: weeding, turning of compost, Greenhouse upkeep, fence construction, and many more tasks that demanded both physical and mental labor. In all this placement was incredibly informative for not just vegetable crop production, but also farming in an urban environment, and pest management.
Production bed at WVU Urban Farm
Placement Site: Garett Growers Cooperative
This placement focused on the post-production aspect of the food system emphasizing the cooperative aspect of agriculture. I worked with Garrett Growers this summer to develop strategic plans to advertise their system to new customers. I pulled data collected by the SDI internship from ArcGIS to make a cohesive list of prospective customers for Garrett Growers to expand into eastern West Virginia. I also made an infographic to advertise supporting and building local food systems to aforementioned potential customers.
Placement Site: Farmer's Market
Picture from Morgantown Farmers Market
Working at the farmer’s market was an immersive experience to witness firsthand the Morgantown community and local food systems. Working at the market has been beneficial for me to understand that although the market is a joyous day for local farmers to sell produce directly to those of the community, several socio-economic issues are highlighted there. The products sold at the market are catered to financially stable and well-off individuals. This is not a luxury that most of Morgantown can afford.
The market accepts SNAP, but when using snap at the booths change isn’t given back if there is a margin in what was purchased/payment. WIC programs supply expecting mothers or women who are already mothers with supplemental funds to purchase food at Farmers Markets, but many women struggle to find booths or stands that accept the token.
Toured Locations:
Backbone Food and Hemp Farm
Backbone Farm
"Backbone Food and Hemp Farm’s owners and operators Max and Katherine Dubansky are very interested in ecology and the cyclical nature of the land they farm from. The farm used to operate with work horses and adjunct equipment, but recently switched over to machinery which was interesting. Max and Kathy also produce many varieties of oyster mushrooms along with shiitake mushrooms. Max forages reishi and chaga mushrooms from their land, and has a specific interest in fungi, especially mycorrhizal fungi." - Emily
Mushroom cultivation site at Backbone Farm
"This trip to Backbone farm was a really unique experience. Max was extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of his farm to such an extent that he was able to create a self-sustainable design. From composting used mushrooms spawn and manure to taking into account the mycorrhizal fungi when designing the crop fields and crop rotations. It was very interesting listening to Max describe the soil and its health as an independent factor and the steps he takes to improve and sustain the nutrients within it." - Trevor
"Backbone Farm was one of the first farms that we visited, it was a spacious farm with various assets. We had a tour of the farm and received some knowledge from Max as he showed us his farm. We were able to see his crop productions, mushroom cultivation, and were also able to eat some of the food straight from the farm." - Heaven
"Going to backbone farm was a great learning experience. You can tell Max really understands and appreciates the environment. He told us all about soil and organic matter and seems like he really takes advantage of the cyclical nature of the environment and its resources. Learning about mushroom production was something new for me and it was super fascinating. He made it seem so simple." - Mazie
"Backbone farm is a great example of how a diversified organic farm can thrive with proper management and provide bountiful yields. Max and his family manage crops, livestock, and oversee a unique Hemp and Mushroom production. Seeing the methods of land management and hard work that goes into bringing their products to market was very intriguing and informative." - Wyatt
WVU Organic Farm
Dr. Kotcon giving a tour of the WVU Organic Farm
"This wasn’t my first trip to the organic farm, but it’s always nice to interact with the staff and livestock. The tour was directed by Dr. Jim Kotcon, who manages the sheep herd as well as overseeing operations along with Dr. Sven Verlinden. Dr. Kotcon has spent 20+ years working in organic agriculture. We saw small scale research happening as well as several kinds of livestock including sheep, bees, chickens, and donkeys. Dr. Kotcon explained to us the basis of the Organic Research Project as well as the machinery used on the farm." - Emily
Dr. Kotcon giving a tour of the WVU Organic Farm
"Visiting the organic farm of WVU was very interesting. I enjoyed learning about the different practices and precautions that have to be taken to keep organic certification. It was also very cool to see the research aspect of the farm, for example they compared different types of mulches from wood chips to sheep wool to see which held more moisture and some other factors." - Trevor
High tunnel located at the WVU Organic Farm
"Our trip to the organic farm was an educational one for sure, this is one of the farms owned by WVU, so there seems to be a teaching aspect to this farm. We received a tour of the farm and did some weeding. We were able to see some cultivating projects that were going on at the farm as well as some livestock. I enjoyed the setup of the farm and hope to be able to do some future work there!" - Heaven
"Going to the organic farm was nice. We pulled weeds and talked with Dr. Kotcon about the annual organic field day and he told us about their long term wheat plots that measure the organic matter and are compared with ley plots and compost plots. This farm is a great resource for the students and has great potential for research." - Mazie
WVU Greenhouse & Davis Store
Interns in the WVU Greenhouse
"Getting a guided tour of the greenhouse was interesting as I’ve had a few classes in the greenhouse but I’ve never had a guided tour from the actual greenhouse management staff. The assistant greenhouse manager gave us an in depth tour of the headhouse, the workrooms, and the adjacent plastic house that is home to the WVU Plant Collection as well as the three sections that are dedicated for class/research use. We got a peek into the controlled growth chambers which are used for specialized research work." - Emily
"I have been to the WVU Greenhouse before but getting a tour with explanations and the ability to ask questions was something I haven't experienced. Seeing the research rooms and the technology used to control the humidity, temperature, and other aspects of the room was something I haven't seen before. The research opportunities are exponential when you can control the climate. On top of that, seeing the school's plant collections was interesting as many of the plants I haven't seen in person or ever before." - Trevor
Plant from the WVU Greenhouse
"The WVU Greenhouse definitely exceeded my expectations. There was such a variety of plants and trees there that I didn’t even know existed, the variety of plants there from their shape, color, size, origin, etc. was very interesting to see. For the upcoming semester, I have work study at the greenhouse so I am very excited to see what that experience holds." - Heaven
"Touring the WVU greenhouse and Davis store was great. We learned about a few class experiments and how they sell some of the plants grown in Dr. Davis class and toured some rooms with control boxes to make the conditions perfect for each experiment. Then we saw the room with the pollination robot and the student collection of plants. There are huge rubber trees and staghorn ferns, fruit trees, and succulents. It is so cool to see exotic plants in West Virginia." - Mazie
Week 3
Work Days: Evan's Knob Farm
"Getting insight into Kathy’s operation at Evan’s Knob Farm was a very surreal experience. Kathy recently lost her son-in-law, who was a great help to her and her large homestead. Kathy is truly an inspirational woman, she raises and processes her own meat, she grows her own produce, makes textiles, and also makes several different herbal products. Kathy also participates in the WWOOF program, and she was housing a WOOF-er at the time of this visit. This provides help for the farm and an opportunity to learn from a self-sufficient farm, such as Evan’s Knob." - Emily
"Going to Evans Knob Farm and seeing all that is accomplished through Kathy was very inspirational, especially to learn that it is possible to do what you want to do if you put your mind and heart into it. Kathy is very self-sufficient and nicely educated in how to sustain that. She makes teas and soaps with herbs which is nice to see considering that is something that I am interested in." - Heaven
"When we went to Evans Knob Farm the first time we helped put down black plastic tarp on the plots and used metal staples and hammers to hold it down. The farm is so large. They have alpacas, turkeys, chicks, cows, and sheep. Kathy uses the wool from the animals to make art/clothing and sells it at farmers markets and online. She also makes teas and soaps with the herbs she grows. They sell their produce through a CSA program and are at the Morgantown farmers' markets. Their labor force is made up of WWOOF-ers as well as young and not so young friends and family members. Kathy is very impressive with her knowledge and work ethic." - Mazie
Pictures taken at Evan's Knob Farm
Community Food Innovation Center
"We visited the Community Food Innovation Center at Mylan Park, which I had no idea existed before the internship. Having a large kitchen available for all is very useful and a strong tool for farmers and food companies to rent is beneficial as these facilities are almost financially unattainable. We got a tour of the kitchen and a greenhouse they have located on their property which houses a program for veterans to grow food. We also met Mandy, one of the brains behind Healthy Kids, Inc. which makes pre-made healthy, local meals for children, elderly, and addicts." - Emily
Raised beds inside of a high tunnel at the Community Food Innovation Center
"The Community Food Innovation Center is for sure top three on my list of places that we have visited throughout this internship.The core foundation and the usage of that center is definitely something that we need more of throughout the US. One of the programs that we received insight on was Healthy Kids Inc. which is an operation that prepares meals for children, the elderly, etc. They also plan to start serving frozen meals made from all natural ingredients, which is a huge step in the right direction for better mental and physical health." - Heaven
"Going to the Community Food Innovation Center showed me a set up/system I have not even thought of. This is an essential part of the process to get well grown food to people in need. A “client” rents out kitchen space and prepares nutritious food for a “customer” to eat at a facility. The food is locally grown and prepared by certified culinary workers. Produce 1600 meals a day. They also have or will have dry and cold storage for farmers to rent. Flash freezers can freeze very quickly which helps keep the nutritional value high. The processing of the food part is a step that is often overlooked when thinking about how to get healthy food to the people that need it." - Mazie
Week 4
Garrett Growers Update
This week I worked on compiling a list of potential customers for Garrett Growers to explore new avenues for customers. I used data previously collected by the Sustainable Development interns from the previous year. There are several different types of customers, including institutions, companies, as well as individuals and wholesale opportunities.
Urban Farm Update
Week 4 at the Urban Farm consisted of week’s tasks included creating improvised drip irrigation with a soaker hose and recycled plastic bottles and the disassembling of the greenhouse irrigation system for cleaning. The drip irrigation allows for more timely and accurate watering without as much water and time wasted that can now be allotted to different jobs.
Animal deterrents placed on the fence at the WVU Urban Farm
Mountain Harvest Farm Update
This week, I did some field work at Mountain Harvest Farm, which was my primary placement for this internship. On Monday, we strung up some tomato plants and did some weeding as well. On Tuesday, we pruned blackberry shrubs, did some transplanting, and assisted with some CSA packaging. Wednesday were our group work days so we all worked at the Urban Garden and seeded some plants and had a discussion on a groundhog prevention plan.
At Mountain Harvest Farm this week Heaven and I strung up tomatoes and picked weeds by the kale in a high tunnel. Chico told us about air flow being super important for pathogens and pollination. It is important to prune to keep air flow moving. It is also beneficial because the pollen needs dry conditions and some air movement to help the tomatoes self-pollinate. Chico told us it is vital to understand how the plant works and play with the conditions to get optimal growth. Another tip we learned was to water less once the plants reach the desired size. The next tasks we worked on this week was pruning black berries and transplanting spinach. We learned that they soak the bottom of the trays with the spinach before transplanting to help with the “shock” and make the transition smoother. They used to direct seed but have had more successful germination with transplanting. The last task we worked on was helping package veggies for CSA and restaurant orders. One resource they use is a Salad Ace which is basically a huge salad spinner to help remove excess water and debris.
Pictures from working at Mountain Harvest Farm
Week 5
Weekly Discussion: Community
"What really comprises a community is a group of individuals who share common interests, characteristics, or goals and are connected by social, cultural, and geographical ties. It is a concept that emphasizes the sense of belonging and mutual support among its members. Appalachia as a whole itself has communal ties through mutual resilience and support, my corner of the region is no different. My memories involve community members coming together to help one another in times of need." - Emily
Arnettsville Public Library, a community space located in Morgantown
"To me community isn’t limited to physical location but rather a large pool of traits and qualities that people possess that compliment each other. To expand further on this community can also “be” a similarity that people share that allows them to gather and congregate around similar ideas and activities." - Trevor
"To me, community means to have unity. To have people or resources that you know you can rely on when you need a helping hand. A community could also be viewed as motivation that can be used to help elevate and improve things that you may not have noticed. A community is also a solution with more eyes and ears to handle tasks or even obstacles. In my opinion, no one can live an efficient life without a community, whether that community is family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, etc." - Heaven
"Community in modern America is incredibly atrophied and limited due to forces of urban sprawl, pursuit of capital gain above all, and the weakening of local and rural communities from depopulation. Through the experiences of this internship and the problems of food accessibility in West Virginia have highlighted to me the strong need for community and local food system development." - Wyatt
"Community is part of identity. A community should be diverse and be inclusive to make everyone feel accepted. A community should bring people together and give people a sense of belonging. The people within a community need to be willing to work together and be open minded." - Mazie
Tour & Work: Mountaineer Food Bank
Inside of the Mountaineer Food Bank warehouse in Gassaway, WV
"We toured one of the Mountaineer Food Bank facilities in Gassaway, WV. I found it interesting how the food bank also distributes items that aren’t food, such as clothes, cleaning supplies, and pet food. We worked with them to fold/assemble packing boxes to transport orders." - Emily
"Mountaineer food bank allowed for a glimpse into the logistics of distributing food across the geographically isolated region of West Virginia. We got first hand accounts of the problems faced by organizations like MFB, such as being susceptible to the waxing and waning of agricultural lobbies and having to make due with inconsistent types and quantities of food as well as navigating internal politics and cultural proclivities around types of food. In all this trip was informative in identifying the challenges of food distribution to those in need and definitely sparked my imagination with problem identification." - Wyatt
"The Mountaineer Food Bank was an eye opening experience as it serves the majority of West Virginia. Seeing the amount of not just food but also clothes and other items transported and handled within the facility was surprising." - Trevor
Group picture on the way to the Mountaineer Food Bank
"The food bank gets food for free or cheap from surpluses or government subsidies. Then they distribute it to school for lunches or seniors. One issue they have is the difficulty of coordinating. They also get a lot of things that not everyone wants like chickpeas which are not the most culturally appropriate for west Virginia. The biggest issue though is getting a lot of red items like pop tarts and not a lot of green items like fresh veggies. One amazing thing is they also have pet food and clothes for seniors and kids." - Mazie
Week 6
Weekly Discussion: Accompaniment
"Accompaniment often involves a reciprocal dynamic, where both parties support and benefit from each other. By providing accompaniment, you can experience the joy and fulfillment that comes from helping and supporting others, which can foster a sense of gratitude and satisfaction. Not only does accompaniment foster an environment full of gratitude, but also an opportunity to learn. Working together on Wednesdays with the other interns provides a strong sense of accompaniment. Working with one another not only makes jobs easier but being with other individuals with several similarities yet each being different is refreshing." - Emily
Group lunch after a work day at Mountain Harvest Farm
"Accompaniment to me is the ability to add on, whether that's to a community or to an individual. The ability to add your presence, accompaniment for me is one of the building blocks of a community, it's important to recognize that accompaniment is not limited to people but rather can be broadened to several subjects such as animals can accompany people, ideas can accompany people, and specifical tools and systems can accompany people. It's important to try to accompany people and add value to their goals if that's me helping them 1 on 1 or helping them find the tools to achieve their goals" - Trevor
"I view accompaniment as an action of community, it is known to assist something, whether that be a person, a pet, an organization, object, etc. To accompany is to add on to something to benefit it in a way. There are a few things that can be gained from accompaniment, relationships, advice, action, ideas, etc. Accompaniment is a beneficial relationship and things that are beneficial seem to have multiple ways to gain something." - Heaven
Interns receiving a tour of Mountain Harvest Farm
Accompaniment to me means being supportive in a group setting or 1 on 1 setting. I think it almost is a microcosm of community, with being supportive and present for someone builds up a relationship. Accompaniment takes a important role in both smaller and larger groups of people. In a smaller group, or even in 1 on 1 relationships, accompaniment can be the mechanism that builds trust, reliability, and a sense of belonging. In larger groups, it can be the mechanism that allows for the creation of a cohesive cohort of people, a well functioning team, or any other sort of group that works together. Without accompaniment, many of these relationships and groups won’t function to the best of their ability and the mission of the group suffers." - Wyatt
Chico from Mountain Harvest Farm informing interns
"Accomplishments can be gained with positive accompaniment. A lot can be gained by accompaniment if it is executed well. When people are brought together and their strengths and weaknesses are utilized then amazing things can get done. One way of looking at it is by thinking of people as puzzle pieces. If I am weak in writing and my partner is weak in speaking then I would have my partner write and I would speak. I think that there is a direct correlation with community because it gets back to the idea of helping people and lifting each other up." - Mazie
Evan's Knob
Cattle from Evan's Knob Farm
Work days at Evan's Knob Farm provided the interns an opportunity to examine the demanding labor requirements of agricultural work, even at a small, homestead scale. At Evan's Knob, the labor is mainly sourced through family and friends. However, through the WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) Program, Evan's Knob was able to find a worker for a brief period of time. Speaking to the demands of this type of physical labor, however, this WWOOF-er unfortunately left their position early, leaving Evan's Knob a person short. To try to provide assistance in this regard, the AFJI interns helped with numerous work days on the farm.
This week Heaven, Mazie, Trevor, and Emily worked at Evan's Knob. We helped Kathy put in posts for her pea crop netting, as well as weeded one of her garden plots. We also got a tour of her expansive operation from Corrina, Kathy's granddaughter, (who was just as excited as us) who showed us the various livestock that live on the farm, as well as the berry and herb production areas.
Pictures from the work day at Evan's Knob Farm
Week 7
Weekly Discussion: Development
"Development is a vital part of life, if there is no development there is no outcome or product. This internship has assisted in some relationships that I have developed, I’ve developed a friendship with the other interns, a relationship with Mountain Harvest Farm, and a future opportunity with the Baltimore Farm Alliance. No development means no progress and at this age and time, I am all about progress so I am grateful to have been a part of this internship for various reasons." - Heaven
"Development in the social and political economic sense is important to understanding especially in a past-present-future context when concerning West Virginia. Understanding the problems faced by the state in this sense is the only way to make plans for the future." - Wyatt
"Development can not always be rushed and is part of the process to get an end result. Development can get messy and can be like art, where it looks worse before it looks better." - Mazie
"Developing connections with Backbone Food and Hemp Farm, Evan’s Knob Farm, and my coworkers has been crucial to this experience. Learning about each of their individual journey’s is beneficial to accompanying one another in the challenges we face." - Emily
Pictures from Mountain Harvest Farm showcasing the "development" of tomatoes in the high tunnels.
Maryland Line Farm
Discussion with Dr. Sam Horrocks: American Agrarianism
"Listening to the lecture on American Agrarianism from the farm operator Sam Horrocks was interesting . I wasn’t familiar with the term beforehand, it seems to be a very broad philosophical way of thinking about returning to the land and remaining virtuous and knowledgeable on being self-sufficient." - Emily
Maryland Line Farm's Maple Syrup Production Lines
"Work on Maryland line farm was intense but satisfying and getting to hear about some of the American traditional philosophy around agriculture." - Wyatt
"The discussion we had with Sam on American Agrarianism was a very intriguing discussion. Prior to this discussion, I hadn't heard of the term agrarianism before. Hearing about the history and foundation of the term was knowledgeable, after the discussion I did further research on the term and could certainly see myself relating to this term." - Heaven
"Sam introduced the term American Agrarianism to us and told us about the history of agriculture and how the perspectives of it changed throughout the years. I had never thought of agriculture as a philosophy or its role in the civil war and industrialization." - Mazie
Finished Fence Posts at Maryland Line Farm
Week 8
Weekly Discussion: Agents of Change
"Agency to me specifically collective agency is the act of a group of people working together to achieve a common goal. As a group they act together to reach their goals faster and more efficiently. Collective inquiry is the process of discussing and sharing knowledge amongst a group to gain a larger understanding of the goal this group is trying to achieve. This in itself does a good job of explaining the role collective inquiry plays in collective agency." - Trevor
Group picture eating lunch at the Rodale Farm Institute field day
"When I think of collective agency I think of an opinion or idea that was created with many contributions and compromises to get to a consensus. I feel like just the word collective means someone's contributions are going to be lost. Optimistically, collective activities would be something that a lot of people had agreed with and are content with. Pessimistically though my first thought is that the opinions that carry weight come from the people already in power. The loudest voices in the room get heard. Not everyone is empowered enough to speak up for what they want and sometimes people also do not know what they want. And maybe that is what agency means to me is making sure everyone is heard." - Mazie
"When I think of the work I have done this summer along with thinking of collective agency as well as collective inquiry, the people I work with are in my eyes- agents of change. These individuals have taken initiative to make change. I’m thankful for working with them, their interesting and tactical lifestyles are something I strive for." - Emily
Four leaf clover found when working in the field
"I feel like in today's world, especially in America, the average individual has little to no agency over their lives. We go to college out of necessity to survive and provide for ourselves in our society, which offers little help of sympathy to those who don’t have the means to devote time, money and effort to a college education or a trade. But, I think being able to work with farmers and participate in the creation and cultivation of things really allows me to see a little bit of what I can do when given the opportunity and I really want to strive to see more of that in my life and build up my agency." - Wyatt
"Being an Agent of Change is very important to me, I view myself as an agent of change. Taking where I grew up and what I have seen around me into consideration, change is much needed. In my opinion, the change starts with you and change means something different, so I am here to be different than the normal. Being able to change what is deemed to be “normal” is not the easiest task, but with desire and consistency, anything is possible!" - Heaven
Rural Action: Chesterhill Produce Auction
Produce available for sale at the Chesterhill Produce Auction
"The trip to the Chesterhill Produce Auction was interesting. I learned about the Americorps program and was intrigued by the Amish community. I found it interesting that the auction and the Amish have a symbiotic relationship with one another- neither would be as successful without the other. The auction completely decimates price premiums seen in stores because of the bidding style. The fluctuations in price vary through the seasons demands and seasonality affect production/consumption." - Emily
"This trip allowed me to see one avenue of bringing agricultural produce to market and how valuable a non-profit like Rural Action can be in making agriculture in a region viable in a place that otherwise would have no realistic way to sell their produce and subsist financially from farming." - Wyatt
Produce available for sale at the Chesterhill Produce Auction
"Visiting the Chesterhill Produce Auction was something I have never heard about or experienced. Seeing the system they have in place to efficiently move produce from initial drop off to actually auctioning the produce off to the purchasing process was very intriguing to me. Having never experienced this before, the community support around it was also very new and surprising but was very cool to see in person and help with the process." - Trevor
"The trip to the Chesterhill Produce Auction was a new experience for me. I have never been to an auction before and to see how it was run was an intriguing environment. It was very fast paced and involved. To learn how the auction is upkeep was the most interesting part to mean, their sense of community to be able to keep an operation like that going was very inspirational." - Heaven
"We went to the Chesterhill Produce Auction in Ohio. The whole system can be functional because of the high Amish population and their family labor. They have a thrift store, livestock auction, and field trips for students to learn about agriculture." - Mazie
Donation Station sign at Chesterhill Produce Auction
Week 9
Weekly Discussion: Strategies of Scale
"Scale is important when it comes to anything, it determines how many people and how much resources are needed. When it comes to production methods, scale plays a vital role in how that production takes place, examples include machinery needed, workers needed for that production, and even time spent to upkeep the production. The majority of what’s required when it comes to certain production is wholly dependent on scale." - Heaven
"Some practices don’t make sense on a small scale farm that make sense on a large scale farm. It is important to think long term because investing in expensive equipment makes more sense if a farm will be operational longer then the amount of years it will take to pay off. In regards to that it is also good to think about if you want your farm to expand in the future or stay at the same scale because some production strategies will make more sense." - Mazie
Sign representing scale of food systems at Chesterhill Produce Auction
"Scale was interesting to consider since the obvious difference in production at all the community site, but even with these large differences commonalities like the maintenance needs for organic farming methods existed regardless of size. It adds perspective to how the farmer must plan in accordance with their scale." -Wyatt
"Seeing the differences in how each farm uses machinery and human labor was interesting in terms of scale. Most farms we’ve been to were small/medium scale farms with some machinery..." - Emily
"I discussed scale in relation to the local food pantry, The Rack, and Mountaineer Food Bank, the amount of produce that travels between the two is completely different and with that the time, money, and experience all are different. In turn each of these have influencing factors that affect efficiency, availability, and accessibility to the public." - Trevor
Baltimore Farm Alliance
Baltimore Farm Alliance member Denzel giving interns a tour
"I really enjoyed getting to see how large of an operation the farm alliance had and how a net of farms that rely on the non-profit to give them market stability as well as training, resources, and a sense of community in an urban setting was fascinating. The diversity of farm operations in the alliance and the strong commitment of some partners to use the alliance’s tools to feed their community with charity and co-op methods was very inspiring and fascinating. Seeing their large farm their acquired and the creative ways of access water, integrating with the community, and creating a productive piece of agricultural lands in the middle of a dense urban landscape gave me tons of ideas about urban farming and future projects I hope to work on." - Wyatt
"Visiting the Baltimore Farm Alliance was a really great experience. Learning about the already established urban farms they have and the steps they are taking to secure more land for food production. The steps they take to ensure that the proper demographic is being represented it truly respectable and eye opening, from working with the community directly to create more opportunities to working with the local government to secure long term leases. It was an amazing experience to see what is possible to achieve within city limits and they are still within the beginning stages of what their final goals are." - Trevor
Plot of land located at an urban garden in the Baltimore Farm Alliance
"Getting a tour of the Black Butterfly Farm and getting oriented to the Baltimore Farm Alliance was a beautiful experience. Learning about the program they foster for underserved areas of their community, specifically for black and brown people, and how their management is 50% POC was inclusive on levels I have never seen a nonprofit organization operate on." - Emily
Plots of land located on an urban farm in the Baltimore Farm Alliance
"The Black Butterfly Farm has to be the most community based farm that I have visited throughout this internship, the morals and actions taken to keep this kind of operation going is influential and impressive. In an operation such as the Baltimore Farm Alliance everyone helps everyone and their sense of community is what keeps them going. This alliance proves the importance of community and how beneficial a community can be." - Heaven
"Touring the Urban Farm in Baltimore was so awesome. It was great to see the diversity within the organization. My favorite part was seeing the culturally significant crops they grow such as okra and fish peppers." - Mazie
Pictures taken during the Baltimore Farm Alliance tour
Rodale Institute
Tractor tour of Rodale Farm Institute
"Visiting Rodale Institute was a very cool experience. This was the first time I have been there and truly enjoyed it. Their large range of research was impressive and intriguing. It was very cool to see the amount of people coming together with all different ranges of experience and interest. I definitely look forward to going back to learn more about their research in hopes of applying it to work I hope to do in the future." - Trevor
Rodale Farm Institute site
"The Rodale Institute was such a great experience. It was a welcoming environment to people of various desires and goals. There was so much to see and learn from this experience. I enjoyed going around to different stations and learning about different aspects of agricultural work." - Heaven
"Rodale was awesome, I got to learn a lot about organic methods and experimental methods of farming being conducted at the institute and also learned about their farmer training program that personally interested me. The literature I was able to find there alongside the potential future work I’d like to do at the institute made this trip very worthwhile." - Wyatt
Presentation of research at Rodale Farm Institute
"Going to the Rodale institute was incredible! Taking the Organic Crop Production course with Dr. Kotcon I learned a lot about how to get USDA Organic certification, the history behind organic farming, and the creation of the Rodale Institute. They have been and are continuing to do amazing research in the organic agriculture field. I really like their saying Healthy Soil = Healthy Food = Healthy People. " - Mazie
"I’ve learned about the Rodale Institute before in several of the classes I’ve taken, but I didn’t think I’d ever be able to see the farm with my own eyes. Being the largest and oldest research farm in the U.S., my expectations were exceeded. The agricultural science community was wonderful to experience." - Emily
Pictures from the Rodale Farm Institute field day
Group picture at Rodale Institute
Week 10
Summary of Our Work
Looking back at the work done on each individual site it is impressive with how much time and how many hands we had. From building multiple different fences, pest management, and basic maintenance all of this would have been extremely hard to accomplish individually or even in a smaller group. While working it has reassured me that this is something I want to continue to do. I have really enjoyed learning about the different practices and precautions that different farms use. From fungi to organic certification the work on different farms was prevalent and very interesting. Overall the experience was great and has opened my eyes to new ideas and experiences I would never have known about otherwise. - Trevor
Overall, primarily working at Mountain Harvest Farm and visiting and helping at different farms has been confirmation for me that this type of work is the work and the only work that I see myself doing. I’ve learned a lot from my experience in this internship on what it takes to run a farm and most importantly why we should consider this kind of work. I have enjoyed my time in the internship and gained more knowledge and relationships than I had expected. I am overall grateful to have had this opportunity, this internship has been a start to assisting in the betterment of my community. - Heaven
Working with the farmer’s market this summer was immersive in the community. I was in awe of the customer/farmer relationship and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the produce each week which reflects the growing season. Working with Garrett Growers was not instantly fulfilling as I struggled grasping what needed to be done and how to help the Cooperative. This is an important life lesson, as not every job or task will be easy or supply instant gratification. - Emily
This experience gave me that exact blending of policy and social knowledge around agriculture and hands-on agricultural work that I was looking for. Being able to visit and work on a diverse range of farming operations as well as learn and take part in different crop cultivations was a very valuable experience. It helped me think more about what kind of course work I want to do while still at WVU and what future opportunities I want to pursue. I hope to leverage the experiences of this internship in future work. - Wyatt
Over the summer I mainly worked at Mountain Harvest Farm and gained a lot of hands-on experience. It was so valuable to apply the scientific theories and good agricultural practices that I learned in college and see them being utilized in the field. I expanded my knowledge from learning from Chico and paid attention to his tips to increase efficiency. Going on the various farm tours was also super valuable. It is great to see the variety of methods used and see what techniques are actually beneficial. This internship widened my perspective on agriculture and provided me with the more social aspects of agriculture that I desired. - Mazie
Bringing it back to Brooks Hall
This map shows each of the places we have visited over the 10 week internship, and adds geographical context to our AFJI journey.
Conclusions
Outcomes
"There has been many outcomes towards my time spent in AFJI. My primary placement was at Mountain Harvest Farm where not only lots of work took place but also lots of knowledge. We assisted in all kind of farm activities such as seeding, pruning, transplanting, packaging CSA orders, deadheading, harvesting, etc. while also learning efficient ways to do so and the importance of farm maintenance." - Heaven
Tomatoes being pruned in a high tunnel
"Over the course of the summer I was able to participate in multiple projects at the Urban farm, from building T-post fences, construction of plant trellising, groundhog fence skirting, and day to day maintenance of the area that gave me a great deal of practical work experience on the farm. I’ve pulled so many weeds this summer and harvested so many different types of crops to the point that I can say I got the level of farm work experience I was looking for in this internship. Combining that with the various types of farms and farming methods I got to experience and the diversity of food system work I got to do, you see all of the hands-on learning that the intern can experience and take advantage of in this internship." - Wyatt
Marigolds being grown in a greenhouse
"As I look back at the work we did over the summer we achieved many of our individual and group goals. In the end the work done is insignificant compared to the lessons, relationships, and goals we have achieved along the way. The biggest outcomes for me were these aspects, one of the goals I had was to expose myself to more agricultural practices and techniques, which I have certainly achieved. The relationships built between the farms and between each other in an individual sense is one of the biggest outcomes for me." - Trevor
Sheep from Dr. Nikki Byrne-Hoffman's farm
"The most significant outcome of this internship for me was seeing all of the agriculture practices and techniques that I learned in college being actually implemented in the field. I gained a lot of hands-on experience and even more knowledge on how to grow crops successfully in an environmentally ethical way." - Mazie
"My most significant learning outcome was firsthand experience working in the field with our community partners. Learning the labor requirements and efficiency implemented on these farms was useful to see in person, and not just from text." - Emily
Next Steps
"With the time spent and the knowledge that I have gained in this internship, I plan to continue to pursue my education and interest in this type of work. Because of thus internship, I am now transferring to WVU to major in Horticulture." - Heaven
Mazie and Emily at Rodale
"Being a college graduate I am currently unsure of my next step. However, I will continue to learn and be passionate about improving the agriculture industry in any feasible way." - Mazie
"I’ve got two years left for me to complete my degree at WVU, but a big reason I wanted to do this internship was see how Agricultural work suited me as I pursue a career in International Development. After this internship I can confidently say that I am very interested in continuing to pursue course work related to agricultural development and I hope to leverage this experience both to create a stronger application for a Peace Corps placement in the agricultural sector as well as complement my academic course work. The connections I’ve made during this internship will hopefully allow me to plan out the next two years of undergrad to maximize work on farms and food systems to make me a stronger candidate for the work I hope to pursue." - Wyatt
Group picture of the AFJI interns outside of the Center for Resilient Communities
"I’m a senior and graduating with my degree in Horticulture this upcoming spring. This internship has provided me with work experience and a view of what my future career could look like, which I’m thankful for." - Emily
"With 2 years left of education I hope to continue studying agricultural science and environmental science with the intent to follow that out of school and into a career. Working though this internship has only cemented this as the type of work I want to continue doing. As the next 2 years progress I hope to keep up appearances at the CRC and the Urban Farm to continue giving help where it is needed." - Trevor
Closing Remarks
I would just like to say how grateful I am to have had an experience like the one of AFJI, I enjoyed all of the places with visited, all of the people I worked with, and the knowledge that I was able to gain. This internship has been confirmation to me that this type of work is exactly where I belong, not a day went by in this internship that I didn’t learn something or was grateful just to be in an environment such as AFJI, I am forever grateful! - Heaven
This internship and experience is something that will help me continue my education and career for many years to come. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with amazing people, learn new things, visit wonderful places, and do work in my community that I know I have had an impact on. This experience is something that has both opened my mind to new opportunities and set in stone the type of work that I want to continue doing. - Trevor
I am satisfied with the opportunities and experience this internship provided me with as well as many of the great people I got to meet and work with. I especially wanted to highlight my fellow interns and how much they enhanced the overall experience by working alongside them. I do hope in the future more structure and stability can be implemented for the organization and payment for the internship, but overall I really enjoyed this wholly unique experience at WVU. - Wyatt
The Food and Farm Internship has given me connections that I am eternally grateful for. Working with Heaven, Mazie, Trevor, and Wyatt was fantastic; we are all similar in certain aspects and we were working towards common goals, but we all added something different. I genuinely appreciate them, as well as the connections to several of our community partners. Working with Backbone, Evan’s Knob, Mountain Harvest, and the WVU Urban Farm has given me a wealth of knowledge and connections with the operators that I wouldn’t trade for the world. - Emily
This internship provided me with new and valuable insight on the Agriculture industry. It was a great opportunity that allowed me to meet and work with the community partners and my fellow interns. I was able to apply a lot of what I learned in college and see it in action. In the future I do think it is important to plan and coordinate plans further in advance to allow the community partners and interns to be on the same page. - Mazie