Crop Mobs, a project started by a small group of Penn State students in the fall of 2013, will host two unique volunteer opportunities on Saturday, June 14. Plowshare Produce CSA will host a crop mob from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, and The Piper’s Peck will host volunteers from 1 to 6 p.m. in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania.
Crop Mobs aims to join those who grow our food and the community in a way that is always learning, growing and sharing. A “mob” heads out to a farm to help with a normally laborious and time-consuming project. In-turn, the volunteers learn from the farmer by shared stories about life on the farm and the practices they are integrating to work with the ecosystems around them, as well as a communal meal supplemented with fresh products straight from the farm.The June 14 project to be completed at Plowshare Produce involves thinning parsnip and carrot beds, an excellent opportunity for conversation and learning about sustainable agriculture. The Piper’s Peck crop mob will feature planting a pollinator garden and learning about the business end of the farm’s products.
“It was a great experience,” said a volunteer from an April mob held at Edenview Farm. “The farmer showed us around his land and taught us about farming. We helped him plant onions and learned about vegetable planting as well as enjoyed a delicious lunch.”
Volunteers are asked to register online for both the Plowshare Produce and Piper’s Peck crop mobs. Community members as well as students and faculty are encouraged to participate; no previous farming experience is required.
“My hope is that students, faculty and community members alike feel like they are a part of building this community centered around something so essential and enriching: sustainable agriculture and supporting local foods,” said Emily Pennock, a member of the Crop Mobs team.
For more information about Crop Mobs, visit: http://statecollegecropmobs.wix.com/cropmobs
Crop Mobs is a student project funded by Penn State Sustainability Institute’s Reinvention Fund. For more information about the Reinvention Fund or sustainability at Penn State, visit http://www.sustainability.psu.edu.