Growing New Sustainable Market Gardeners at OSU-OKC

Wylie Harris

Horticulture students at the OSU-OKC campus can now take their studies in a new direction – toward sustainability.

In August, 2008, the university added a Sustainable Crops Production Emphasis as an option within its Horticulture Technology Associate in Applied Science degree program.

Horticulture Department Head Julia Laughlin, who has worked for several years to incorporate the sustainability focus into the curriculum, says it’s a natural response to students’ interest, as well as changing factors in the farm economy.

New Roots
During her 18 years teaching horticulture at OSU-OKC, Laughlin says, she’s always presented organic approaches along with others.  In the beginning, most of the people in her class were traditional horticulture students or backyard gardeners.

However, she says, “as time went by, more and more people were in the class to be market gardeners. There was also a strong interest in organic production methods and organic certification.

“Things have changed. There are so many farmers’ markets starting up. It just became evident that there was a need for a class devoted to that.”
The new program is in response to the needs of these students. Moreover, she points out, “There is a national emerging interest in local food systems.
“In addition, the consumer’s desire for a safe and secure food supply and environmentally sound production methods has created a need for more local production of sustainable horticultural food crops.”

Teaching Timing
The sustainable crops production emphasis includes three new horticulture courses: Sustainable Horticultural Practices (HRT 1023), Market Gardening – Spring/Summer Production (HRT 1183), and Market Gardening – Fall/Winter Production (HRT 1173).

These courses cover organic production methods certification standards, along with regular field trips to nearby farms.  This summer alone, the classes visited 17 different operations.

“The students love getting to visit all these cool little farms and learning from others what does and doesn’t work,” says Laughlin.

In addition, the program gives students hands-on exposure to all phases of market gardening, from planning through production to marketing.
The OSU-OKC campus is home to a thriving farmers’ market, which Laughlin herself originally helped establish.  Each student in the course receives a garden plot – and a grade on how well they use it.

One student’s project, Laughlin said, was growing basil for the Regents’ Luncheon, beginning with a consultation with the chef about how much would be needed – and when.

“It really teaches the importance of having to get the timing right,” Laughlin said.

“Some people come in not knowing what to transplant and what to start from seed,” she says. “By the third semester, they’re ready to start farming.”

From the Master
Laughlin’s own experience as a commercial grower backs up what she teaches her students.

She grew up on a farm in New Mexico, and then went to OSU for undergraduate and then graduate degrees in horticulture. 

As a graduate student, she kept chickens, and grew and sold produce at a local farmers’ market – a rare instance of a student making money in her chosen academic specialty even before graduation!

Before taking on a teaching position at OSU-OKC, she worked as OSU Cooperative Extension’s Urban Integrated Pest Management Agent for Oklahoma County, developing the urban IPM program for the Oklahoma City area.

Having farmed nearly all her life, she still finds time between her professorial duties to grow crops for sale, and says she looks forward to “retiring” to full-time farming in a few years.

Taking Root
According to Laughlin, the response to the new emphasis has been overwhelmingly positive. “The enrollment is very strong and students are commenting that they are very grateful we have started a program to help them get started in this exciting field which offers so many opportunities,” she says. 

“We had our first graduate this spring, and have six students farming for their first time this summer.”

Laughlin’s hopes for the new program are direct: “To produce more local growers. Oklahoma needs more local producers to meet the market demand we are seeing now.”

Also, she says, she’d like “to see producers using more sustainable and earth-kind production methods” as a result of the new emphasis.
For more information on the Sustainable Crops Production Emphasis in the Associate of Applied Science in Horticulture Technology at OSU-OKC, visit www.osuokc.edu/agriculture, or call 405.945.3358.