Practicum Experiences
Students in the Land major complete seven semesters of off-campus practicum, where they experience agriculture, farm to table practices, community gardening and more. Students make valuable connections which can also lead to summer jobs or internships working with local non-profits and regional farms. During their final land practicum, they experience the scope of a full growing season working with local farmers.
Hugh Schmelzer--Xavier Urban Farm Student-Run Business--Spring 2017
“The past weeks we have made much progress on the farm site, we have started the growing season, and are preparing to take care of all the plants. We have started a lot of our plants in the soil blocks and are prepared to be planted outside….
We are all concerned about the profitability this year considering how behind we are on all the work that needs done, but we are still optimistic considering the success in the indoor space as well as how the weather has been we hope for a good season. This coupled with meeting with Dana’s Gardens and Listerman’s brewing we hope to have good outlets for our products to go to.”
Read more about Xavier's Urban Farm.
Simon James--Eden Urban Gardens LLC-- Spring 2017
“The week before this we worked partially in April’s neighbor’s greenhouse where she showed me a process of building a small greenhouse using PVC piping, metal rods, rope, and a plastic tarp for covering. First we drove the metal bars in the ground where the pipes would go and then added said pipes on top of the bars to gave us a couple rows of arches. We then tied the arches together using the ropes to give the structure support and, once firm enough, we covered the arches with the plastic tarp so no animals could get in.
The neighbor’s greenhouse had not been used in many years and was somewhat dilapidated which is why April decided to build a smaller greenhouse inside the larger one to provide even more shelter from animals that would eat the growing herbs. We also put netting on her crops in the field to deter the deer in the area from feasting on the greens like a giant salad bar. In the field so far we have planted several rows basil, cilantro, and parsley.”
Caitlin Bonavita--Running Creek Farm--Summer 2016
“We picked lettuce together for an hour. We discussed our dreams, studies, personal lives, and adventures. For one hour I picked lettuce on a brisk morning and got to talk to an awesome person. That’s what I love about farming. You grow both in relation to the food and the farmer.”
“Today we pulled garlic. There was so much. We pulled roughly 100 heads of garlic. We used a pitchfork and our hands. The garlic needed to cure and dry out so we lined them all up based on size and put them under Jim’s shed to dry. Depending on size, Jim sells his garlic for $2-3.50 a head. It is expensive but he has 13 cultivars and it is his best known crop.”
“Weeding is time consuming and a lot of work. But the beds looked really good and the farm is really starting to look nice. I am very excited to see what market has to offer tomorrow.”
Read more about Running Creek Farm.
Henry Burns--Visnaga Ranch, Texas--Summer 2016
“Being back on the ranch is a great. Where better to learn about ranching, then the business that will be mine someday. There has never been any where I would rather work. There is just something about the long days in the south Texas sun that just seems to keep drawing me back. There is no other place that can even approximate ranching in south Texas. The area is often likened to the African savannahs or the Australian outback; it’s hot, dry, and not very nice to look at. But this land is known for two things, the space for huge numbers of cattle and some of the most exclusive hunting in the world. It is a unique area that has its own benefits and drawbacks.”
"One thing that really surprised me about the time that I spent with this program in Ohio, is that the grass is so nice. I know a lot of people probably don't walk around and go, “Wow that’s some nice looking grass!” but that is exactly what I said when I got to Mr. Losekamp’s farm. When your livelihood depends on it, it’s something you start to pay attention too. In south Texas we have many grasses that were brought over from Africa to survive in the dry climate, and it looks far from the short green grass of southern Ohio. It was also a shock when a cow walked up to me and nuzzled up against me, expecting to be pet. Here the cattle will run or charge you if you attempt to get close to them."
Gabrielle Ragusa—Ohio Valley Food Connection--Summer 2015
“I have already had several meetings with Alice and the team, which take place at her home just five minutes down the street from where I am staying this summer. During our first meeting I started to get a little bit overwhelmed because there are so many moving parts in creating a solid foundation for a start-up, especially when there are so many people to coordinate with as far as product, when most companies have to worry mainly about the consumer!”
“[I have] the responsibility to travel to and from every farm with whom we've discussed Ohio Valley Food Connection, and training them on our software. It is also my job to answer questions and be a 24/7 contact for those farmers, as well as update all of the preliminary products for each farm. I have spent MANY hours thus far doing the latter, as the process is relatively slow and must be done a single product at a time.”
“The more time I spend with Alice, the more I realize how much effort goes into starting your own business. Every time we have a meeting, I walk in feeling like I have everything under control. Then once we are a few minutes in, Alice will bring up some minor issue that has been or needs to be resolved and all I can think of is, ‘How did you even think of that?’ There is an incredible amount of nuance to this business especially since we did not design our own system to use but instead must rely on Local Orbit.”
“…after we finished picking up produce we headed to a host of restaurants that I have never seen before but whose chefs I had met at our event. They included Red Feather and Maribelle’s in Oakley, Bouquet, Django and Otto’s in Covington, and Orchid, Cheapside, Salazar, Off the Vine and Sotto downtown.”
Read more about the Ohio Valley Food Connection.
Andrew Hermann—Gabe’s Place--Fall 2014
“The past October at Gabe’s Place has been eventful with the last little bit of harvesting of summer crop including tomatoes and peppers. I have staked the tomatoes and peppers to allow some of the younger crop underneath access to sunlight.”….
“[This] week Chad and I have been working on breaking down the bean circle and replacing it with some English mounds to grow some winter greens and garlic. This has required lots of hard work like working the soil with shovel and hand mixing nutrients together and aerating the soil manually.”
“The last two weeks have been rather uneventful because the cold has killed off the remaining summer and fall crops and the winter greens are the only ones left. We have constructed a cover cloth to keep the wintergreens warm. The greens I helped plant a couple weeks back have sprouted and the spinach looks beautiful. I tasted one of the spinach leaves and it was the best I have ever had. Who would have though fresh spinach could taste so good?...Overall, it has been a fabulous experience at Gabe’s Place. Working in the garden is very rhythmic and soothing. I have very much enjoyed the company and mentorship of Chad.”
Read more about Gabe's Place.
