To give you a little bit of history about the farm, several years ago a group of students
started a small garden on campus. As these students graduated and moved on, they were
unable to find someone to take over the responsibilities of gardening, and so the
land laid dormant for several years. Around 2011/2012, Mindi Wiygul started a new
major/minor on Campus called Global Policy and Service Studies. One of the classes
required for the major in Sustainable Agriculture. Students learn about agriculture
in the U.S. as well as how to implement the sustainable methods learned. The class
takes place two days a week throughout the semester. One day is lecture based and
the other day is hands on, working to produce crops for our Community Supported Agriculture
(CSA), local restaurants, and area farmer’s markets.
Today, we have several student workers who help keep the farm running smoothly while
learning how to run a farm for a four-season production. These workers learn how
to start seeds, transplant, cultivate and finally harvest the produce.
Thatcher Farm also runs a CSA program. Our season, this year will be May–June and
July–August. Each section costs $160. Payment will be accepted in full for either
the first or second sections or if you are interested in doing both sections. This
summer you can expect to find tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, summer and winter squash,
garlic, rosemary, okra, green beans, and more in your boxes. If you would like to
sign up, please send me an email.
All proceeds from produce sales go right back to the farm to help fund seed and
equipment purchases. We have a weekly email list where you can sign up and be emailed
what produce is available from the farm. Please see my email address at the bottom
of this paragraph. You can also find our produce at area farmer’s markets such as
The Chattanooga Market at the First TN Pavilion downtown, Erlanger Market at the Hospital
Downtown and Erlanger East by Gunbarrel, Signal Mtn Farmer’s Mkt. If you are interested
on learning more about Thatcher farm or donating to help with expenses, such as student
labor, please contact Seth Shaffer at 236-2792 or sshaffer@southern.edu
