Week 1: Welcome to the Farm!

 “The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings”  

– Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution 

It is official, y’all. I am a CEFS intern! 

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with CEFS, also known as the Center for Environmental Farming Systems; the organization was founded in 1994 by a collection of professors, government workers, researchers, and farmers who had a common desire to create a facility where they could research farming practices focused on sustainability. Over the years CEFS has become one of the nation’s top agriculture research centers, and recently they have begun to explore the realm of international agriculture by holding training seminars, and lessons with delegations from countries all over the world. With over 2,000 acres of farm land, the research farm associated with CEFS includes a farming systems research unit (conventional and organic practices), a dairy, an alternative swine unit, an agroforestry unit, a pasture beef unit, and the small farm unit which is where the interns will mainly call home this summer.  

 

Some of the beds and tunnels located at the CEFS small farm unit

So, I’m sure some of y’all are probably thinking, “Jules, why are YOU of all people CHOOSING to spend your summer working on this farm?” 

Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out. 

Working on a farm, in North Carolina, in the middle of the summer is certainly not something I thought I would do in a million years.  While practices in agriculture have been a developing interest of mine over the last several years, I was very unsure of how I could connect those practices, particularly in this internship back to my background in nutrition. I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised and overjoyed to find that my background in nutrition, isn’t only welcome, but actually falls perfectly into the curriculum and schedule at the farm. 

cucumbers grafted onto pumpkin plants, and beautiful berries can be found at the small farm!

In case any of y'all are interested, a typical week for us interns include the following:  This is not exact, but a general overview of what our weeks may look like

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Farm Chores: 7-9	Farm Chores: 7-9	Farm Chores: 7-9	Farm Chores: 7-9	Farm Chores: 1-9
Community Engagement: 9-12	Research: Entomology: 9-12	Community Engagement: 9-12	Research: Beneficial Organisms: 9-12	Lecture: 9-12
Lecture: 1-4	Research: Entomology: 1-4	Field Trip to Kinston Farmers Market	Research Beneficial Organisms: 1-4	Small Farm Unit Work: 1-4

Every week, for roughly 5 hours we are required to volunteer at a local community garden. I chose Dillard Academy, which is a charter school that has partnered with the national organization known as FoodCorps. FoodCorps is a branch of AmeriCorps which focuses its efforts on nutrition education in schools by utilizing school gardens as a means to teach math and science. It's an amazing organization, and one that I hope to work for some day in the future!  

In addition to our time in the community we are also doing research on three different topics. This summer we are focusing on Entomology (the study of insects), Livestock Production (including beef, swine, and dairy), and Sociology (food systems). During each unit we will have the opportunity  to learn about and conduct research pertaining to each discipline which will then be used for our final summer projects!

Yes, folks. I said final project. This internship is giving me 6 college credit hours! So a final grade of pass/fail is a real thing.

In our time that has not been scheduled to oblivion, we have been given the opportunity to participate activities that promote nutrition education around Wayne County. One of the programs is known as EFNEP (Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program) which is a federally funded nutrition education program focused on addressing the nutritional needs of individuals living in low socioeconomic areas. Once a week, interns, apprentices, and Marisa (the small farm manager) will come together to deliver farm fresh produce to young women, and give them a cooking demonstration or lesson on healthy eating. 

Overall, I'm super excited for this AMAZING opportunity.

I'm excited to learn. I'm excited to grow as a person. I'm excited to meet new people. But I think most of all, I'm excited to explore the opportunities of the future, and have an amazing time doing it!

For more information on CEFS you can visit cefs.ncsu.edu 

Till next time, 

--Jules 

The 2015 CEFS intern class playing sand volleyball with Goldsboro Parks and Rec