This post is part of a series of testimonies of students’ experiences with the Urban Farm. The series is meant to demonstrate the farm’s immense value to people personally and for the community as a whole. As the University of Oregon continues to develop its north campus in the area surrounding the farm, we want to recognize the farm’s qualities and attributes that can be brought into the overall vision for the future of the university.

Hello!

I recently saw that the U of O is currently in talks to keep expanding campus around the area inhabited by the Urban Farm, and that sharing what the urban farm means to those who have taken the class could be of assistance in helping keep the Urban Farm [a significant element in this ever-changing landscape]. 

I had the pleasure of taking the class in the spring of 2019. I originally took the class as a way to enjoy the Eugene springtime and as a way to catch a break from my accounting classes (that was my major), but I soon learned that the Urban Farm was much more than an excuse to get outside a bit. The people I met, the experiences I had, and the skills I learned would come to play a big role in my life after college.

This class sparked my love for gardening and gave me the resources to learn more about food sustainability, which was a topic I already thought a lot about. Even being outside made me feel happier about myself and my soon changing life. Graduation was coming up and I knew my life was going to change drastically. I would no longer see the same people everyday and the freedom of being a college student would soon be replaced with an office job. While I was excited for the future, I was also sad to leave, and the Urban Farm made my last months in Eugene some of the best months of my life. Getting to work with my hands and being sent home everyday with fresh food were some of the highlights of my week. I knew that everytime I showed up to class I was going to talk to meaningful people and help do my small part in keeping the wonderful farm functioning. 

I hope that as the U of O makes decisions to expand that they think about the lesser known gems of their own university. While having a new science center is nice, and giving the town of Eugene a football team that many love is great, it is often easy for them to chase prestige and notoriety and forget about the lesser known things that make the university truly amazing. [Let’s integrate the farm’s special qualities into the new development!]

All the best,

Stephen Fleischman