UC Santa Cruz Ranked 7th on List of Top University Farms

USSC’s farming experience centers around 2 plots, the Chadwick Garden, which utilizes the “French Intensive/biodynamic” method, where plants are closely spaced and on raised beds, as well as the 25-acre farm, where both hand worked and tractor cultivated row-crops are placed. Both plots are organic certified, and well established, being established in 1967 and 1971, respectively. The Life Lab, is an additional educational opportunity that helps to develop garden-based science and nutrition curricula for elementary schools as well as manages a model school garden and training site.

Warren Wilson College of Asheville, North Carolina leads the ranking, which is based on a number of factors, including the size of the farm, the farm's integration with the main campus, how sustainable the farm is, whether courses are taught on the farm, whether students use the farm, and whether the farm is utilized by the community. College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri and Deep Spring College in Big Pine, California were second and third, respectively.

The full ranking can be viewed here: http://www.bestcollegereviews.org/best-university-farms/

Other college and university farms ranked include (in alphabetical order):

Berea College, Berea, Kentucky

Berry College, Mount Berry, Georgia

Butte College, Oroville, California

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California

California State University at Chico, Chico, California

Central Carolina Community College, Sanford, North Carolina

Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina

College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, Maine

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Evergreen State College, Olympia, Washington

Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts

Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan

University of California, Davis, Davis, California

University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California

University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire

Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington

Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

According to the lead editor for the piece, Merrill Cook, besides the direct educational benefit for those studying agriculture or related fields, university farms often offer a unique glimpse into how schools value sustainability, hands-on-learning, connecting to the natural world, and integrating with the greater community. After surveying over 50 schools, those listed came out on top for the previously listed criteria, with many also providing unique opportunities for student-entrepreneurialism, independent study, and ways for the community to both help make and buy food on university farms as well.

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/best-college-reviews-releases-ranking-of-top-20-university-farms-in-america-300029159.html