Horticulture & Landscape Architecture
Purdue Student Farm debuts new spring salad kit
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The Purdue Student Farm is expanding its community-supported agriculture programs with a new spring salad kit available beginning March 7.
The kit will yield one to two large salads and include a lettuce base with a rotational mix of mustard greens; herbs; root crops like radishes, turnips and beets; and vegetables like cucumbers and cherry tomatoes. All produce is grown at the farm managed by the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.
The community-supported agriculture (CSA) box will supply members from March 7-May 9 with two package options: a weekly box with two servings for $20/week (total value $200) or a bi-weekly box with two servings for $23/week (total value $115).
CSA programs provide educational, hands-on experiences for students, as well as locally and sustainably grown produce for the community. The annual Boilermaker Vegetable Season Pass, established in 2020 and now in its fifth year, provides weekly bags of fresh vegetables and herbs for participants during the summer and fall.
Day-to-day farm operations are managed by several student groups: those enrolled in the Small Farms Experience courses, volunteers involved in the Purdue Student Farm Organization, part-time undergraduate interns and full-time undergraduate summer interns.
“The vast majority of people harvesting and packaging are paid student interns,” said Chris Adair, senior manager of the Student Farm. “When you invest in a CSA box, you invest in a student’s education.”
The salad kit presents an opportunity for students to learn and experiment with innovative agricultural and horticultural practices: growing lettuce in the Overbeck Controlled Environment Agriculture Facility, which consists of two large shipping containers designed to be vertical farms donated by the Overbeck family.
“The salad kit CSA program is the first opportunity students will have to use this novel technology, which continues to evolve, for a commercial purpose,” said Petrus Langenhoven, director of the Student Farm. “There is a want and need for sustainable farming systems and growing interest in related careers. By participating in the CSA, you’re supporting the future of farming.”
Visit purdue.ag/spring-salad-kit to sign up for your spring salad kit.
Availability:
100 spots
Address for pickup:
1491 Cherry Lane, West Lafayette
Payment options:
Online: purdue.ag/salad-kit-payment
Make checks payable to:
Purdue Student Farm
Horticulture Building
625 Agriculture Mall Drive
West Lafayette, IN 47907
About Purdue Agriculture
Purdue University’s College of Agriculture is one of the world’s leading colleges of agricultural, food, life and natural resource sciences. The college is committed to preparing students to make a difference in whatever careers they pursue; stretching the frontiers of science to discover solutions to some of our most pressing global, regional and local challenges; and, through Purdue Extension and other engagement programs, educating the people of Indiana, the nation and the world to improve their lives and livelihoods. To learn more about Purdue Agriculture, visit this site.
About Purdue University
Purdue University is a public research university leading with excellence at scale. Ranked among top 10 public universities in the United States, Purdue discovers, disseminates and deploys knowledge with a quality and at a scale second to none. More than 107,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, locations and modalities, including more than 58,000 at our main campus in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. Committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 13 years in a row. See how Purdue never stops in the persistent pursuit of the next giant leap — including its comprehensive urban expansion, the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Computes and the One Health initiative — at https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives.
Writer: Katherine Jacobson, jacob149@purdue.edu
Media contact: Devyn Ashlea Raver, draver@purdue.edu
Sources: Petrus Langenhoven, (765) 496-7955, plangenh@purdue.edu; Chris Adair, (317) 473-3655, ctadair@purdue.edu
Agricultural Communications: Maureen Manier, mmanier@purdue.edu, 765-494-8415
