One of Midland's most distinguishing features is our eight-acre organic farm. Students work with and learn from Ben Munger '79 and Katie Isaacson. The garden is farmed organically, and with the students helping in planting, cultivating, and harvesting, the school kitchen is kept in a steady supply of dried and fresh vegetables and fruit. Grass-fed beef cattle are raised in the garden and there is an on-going project to grow native shrubs, trees, and grasses for use in campus restoration and landscaping projects. Students may choose garden as one of their sports, or can have morning lettuce harvester as their job. For bigger jobs, the entire school will head out to put a new batch of strawberry plants into the soil or collect acorns and native grass seed.

 

 

              Renata and Savannah                                Wreath Maker Beau

Students in Midland 102 have had exposure to the garden and the success of their vegetables has been phenomenal.

 

                            Freshman Garden Plots

 

Ranch Manager Ben Munger '79 said, "There is something to say for adding a little more compost and double-digging: excellent broccoli, leeks, celery, and strawberries. The ancient wheat varieties we planted developed a bad rust, but we will save seed and plant again in the summer season with the two varieties that did well.  There was direct correlation with the care they gave their plots and the students' attitudes towards academics and overall motivation.  We also learned much about the effects of shade, water, and weeds.  One crop of each student's plot was a cover-crop which completely outperformed the cover-crops I planted.  The rust from the wheat spread to the Tritricale I had as a grain component of the 5 acres of cover-crop I planted."