Cultivating the Next Generation of Farmers

TEACHING AND LEARNING EXCELLENCE

CULTIVATING

THE NEXT GENERATION OF FARMERS

Saul Rico is from Mexico, where his family owns a farm where they grow corn and pomegranates. Wanting to learn about growing more vegetables, Rico came to study abroad in the United States. With family in Lake County, he chose to study horticulture at CLC starting at the beginning of 2022. He is also a student worker at the Grayslake Campus Farm.

For CLC students like Rico, working on the Campus Farm is a great way to get hands-on experience and serve the community. The horticulture program hosts public events such as the college’s own farm market and seasonal plant sales. Annually, the farm produces nearly 25,000 pounds of produce. Melanie Bromberek, who began her job as the horticulture lab coordinator last October, is excited to be working her first growing season. She previously worked on numerous farms for the Chicago Botanic Gardens and this year she gets to put all her focus on one.

CLC’s farm market offers a diverse array of food that can be bought by those at CLC or in the community. This diversity helps to teach students about all the produce that can grow in Lake County. The market sells mostly vegetables but Bromberek hopes to include even more fruits this year.

Saul Rico (left) with Melanie Bromberek

“There’s a little bit of everything,” Bromberek said. “The farm is a great demonstration for what can be grown in the area.” The food grown on the farm is also used at CLC’s Café Willow, part of the college’s sustainability plan. The Campus Farm grows flowers and plants that are sold throughout spring and summer at events like Mother’s Day, and at the farm stand. The money made from the farm stand goes back into the farm, buying items like equipment and seeds. Proceeds also contribute to student scholarships and internship wages. In early May, the farm held its annual plant sale, where flowers, grasses, vegetables and herb plants were sold. During the holiday season, community

“I CAN COMPARE members can buy all varieties of EVERYTHING I’M LEARNING poinsettia plants.

IN CLASS TO WHAT I DO Student interns and students taking IN THE GREENHOUSE. I’M horticulture classes also use the

ACTUALLY APPLYING MY Campus Farm as a lab. They learn KNOWLEDGE how to manage a farming business and to follow natural and organic WHILE I STUDY.” growing practices. The Campus Farm gives them a place to put their knowledge to work before graduating. Rico has found the combination of classroom and hands-on learning relevant and beneficial to his career.