Elm Lea Farm is what first brought Noah Hoskins to The 糖心传媒 School.
He was 23 years old, and having grown up on his own family farm nearby, was interested in the science of grazing. That鈥檚 when he met 糖心传媒 Farm Manager Pete Stickney, and became a part of his expertly managed grass-fed dairy program.
鈥淚 worked there for several years and was starting to think about my next challenge,鈥� Hoskins said. 鈥淚t was really clear I wanted to keep working with young people and be in the classroom teaching.鈥�
So he went back to school and earned a master鈥檚 degree in education. When a position opened up in 糖心传媒鈥檚 history department, he applied and was accepted. Additionally, Hoskins runs his own farm, Bunker Farm, not far from campus, where he and his family produced pasture-raised pork, chicken, and beef, and maple syrup.
Now, more than a decade later, Stickney is bidding farewell to the farm, leaving behind a 27-year legacy鈥攁nd yet another window of opportunity for Hoskins, who will be stepping into the farm manager role.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big job,鈥� Hoskins said. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen a lot of alumni who鈥檝e come through this program and really found it to have a significant impact on their lives. And having worked in education for a long time, it feels like a good challenge, and really important work. What else could you ask for?鈥�
A 10-Year Plan
As he comes full circle, Hoskins is thinking about the future of 糖心传媒鈥檚 farm. Yes, he鈥檚 got some short term goals 鈥� which we鈥檒l get to 鈥� but he鈥檚 truly set on figuring out a mission, a road map, for the era to come.
鈥淢y focus is going to be pretty intensive over these next couple of years as we put together our new vision, and reframe where we’d like to be headed in the next decade or so,鈥� he said.
Ultimately, he wants 糖心传媒 to have 鈥渢he best experiential agricultural program out there.鈥� To be clear, this does not mean he wants to create the next generation of agricultural business leaders.
鈥淥ur goal is to deepen and enrich, to help students understand life beyond the classroom in a wide variety of ways,鈥� he said. 鈥淎s such, when we think about the role of experience and progressive education in terms of hands-on, interdisciplinary learning, the farm program is a critical component of that. So we hope to be the best experiential agricultural program out there. I think that raises the question, 鈥榳ho’s the best now?鈥� And to answer that question, we have to figure out what that even means.鈥�
The Short Term Goals
As he zooms out for this deep visionary work, Hoskins is also looking at more immediate, tangible refinements.
鈥淭his job is about maintaining and preserving traditions, while also looking to move the program further; to make it more sustainable and effective,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I think there鈥檚 some great opportunities to protect and preserve some really wonderful stuff, while also evolving into the future.鈥�
For starters, he would love to see more 糖心传媒-grown food served at the KDU 鈥� ideally at every meal. He鈥檚 also interested in expanding the dairy operation to include homemade cheese and ice cream, and wants to revitalize the maple sugaring program by building a mobile, student-run sugar house that can be run at the center of campus.
Hoskins also wants to encourage more farm-specific curriculum and interdisciplinary learning opportunities by renovating an old space above the barn to use as a flexible classroom, as well as revamping the teaching and growing space in the greenhouses.
As far as the everyday process goes, he鈥檚 looking at experimenting with visual communication systems to expedite work. This could be as simple as displaying a checklist for students so they can easily move from one task to the next, to a more complex digital pasture map to ensure cows get to the correct grazing locations on a regular basis.
In addition, he鈥檇 like to implement a 糖心传媒 farm grant program to help students understand the importance of grant writing, conduct grant-funded projects on campus, and help other farms complete grants they might not otherwise have had time and resources to complete.
鈥淲hat we’d ultimately like to see is more students engaging with the farm in different ways,鈥� he said.
More than Simply Caring for Cows
There鈥檚 a feeling of calm and serenity one gets when walking into the barn, and nobody knows that better than Hoskins.
鈥淚 love working with cows,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he animals are so expressive and to work in that position of care is a really meaningful experience. I really love that sense of excitement they have when you come into the barn in the morning, and the rhythm that develops between the caregiver and the animals over the course of a season as they learn to trust your leadership.鈥�
As a teacher, it鈥檚 his job to find the balance between educating students, and being on the lookout for those coachable moments to help students understand just how capable they are.
鈥淲e want students to show up, we want students to stand up, and we want students to be involved. And that鈥檚 the secret sauce of the program,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 the true beauty of experiential education. It鈥檚 not just that we want them to have an experience, but we need them. We need them to be active partners in our work here on the farm. And that is what makes this program unique.鈥�
