The University of Maryland RHA Senate voted on Tuesday to approve two resolutions in support of improvements to sustainable food production at the university’s local farm.
The 202-acre space called Terp Farm is managed by this university’s Dining Services and focuses on developing crops for food production and consumption at this university. The farm is in Upper Marlboro, at an agriculture and natural resources college facility.
The senate approved the first resolution, proposed by South Hill senator Emma Callahan, with a 23-0-1 vote at Tuesday’s meeting. The vote signals RHA’s support for creating a three-year internship program at the farm, according to the bill’s text.
The sophomore philosophy, politics and economics major said during the meeting that the bill aims to support Terp Farm to plant and harvest crops faster.
This would help continue the farm’s achievement of harvesting more than 50,000 pounds of fresh produce annually, Callahan said.
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RHA president Emily Shoemaker noted Terp Farm only has one permanent staff member due to it being a new initiative but has additional student volunteers who work throughout the year.
Shoemaker said the job requires a lot of trust and needs a small group of interns to help out.
The resolution notes that serving local foods increases sustainability by reducing carbon impact. Tasks like delivering produce to the dining halls will still produce carbon but increased staff will have a significant offset in the long run.
It also encourages the university to maintain its goal of sourcing at least 20 percent of its produce through local vendors. But completing this goal without a full-time staff at the farm is difficult, Callahan said.
She emphasized the internship program will develop student skills such as leadership and critical thinking and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Terp Farm operations.
“They’ll be given an opportunity to take the initiative and [lead] volunteer groups,” Callahan said.
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The second resolution was approved with a 20-0-1 vote and prioritizes the expansion of new infrastructure within Terp Farm, specifically with more effective machinery.
South Hill senator Cameron King said he felt this bill will benefit more than just the farm’s daily operations.
“After discussion in the dining service legislation board meeting, I heard how the improvements to Terp Farm machinery could be of a lot of benefit for not only our community, but just for the Dining Services as a whole,” the sophomore journalism major said.
Terp Farm could see double the amount of produce with improved machinery, according to King, who said he hopes these bills supporting the farm will promote continuous changes in sustainability.
“I hope RHA remains to have a positive outlook on sustainability and [makes] sure we find ways to preserve all of our crops and utilize all of our tools and resources to the best of their abilities,” King said.
