Ongoing Farm Efforts

Improved Accessibility

Members of the DePauw and Greencastle community have utilized the Ullem Campus Farm and Center for Sustainability for an increasing variety of events since its dedication in 2019. It is critical to provide these visitors with a safe and easy way to access these spaces This spring, Sustainability Staff worked with DePauw Facilities to add directional signage on campus and have a set of steps installed on what was once a rocky yet commonly traveled path towards the farm. A few more key features are on their way, including improved lighting and security measures

Coffee Grounds and Compost

This past February, Sustainability Staff collected the first load of coffee grounds and egg shells from Bon Appetit since COVID halted all on-campus composting efforts in 2020 These weekly pick-ups, in addition to farm plant matter, campus leaves delivered by Facilities, and food scraps from the Ullem Center and Green Certified events, are a strong start to reinstating composting endeavors at the farm We are eager to see how this work develops through student-led leadership this upcoming academic year!

Pollinator Plot

In the summer of 2019, DePauw's Biology Department collaborated with Sustainability Staff to install a series of native pollinator plots in the farm field Each year since, Bio 102 labs have visited the farm to count pollinators on different cultivars and varieties of species like aster The plots bring showy blooms and new students to the farm each fall, and we continue to value this academic integration.

These accomplishments would not have been possible without the 2021-2022 Student Farm Director and Interns: Katelyn Adams, Abby Cook, Soleil Decher-Morley, Colin Doyle, Angelica Glogowski, Laura Le, Marie Spehlmann, Kristina Mikhailova, Duyen Nguyen, Lauren Paque, Oliver Spencer, and Sarah Tiggleman