Homefield Farm provides farm-to-campus flavors

Homefield farm is a six-acre certified organic operation owned by Virginia Tech. It is a partnership between Virginia Tech Dining, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences. Homefield provides about 50,000 pounds of fresh organic produce to Virginia Tech Dining Services and the Homefield farm stand on campus. According to Virginia Tech Dining Services, Homefield raises thirty varieties of vegetables, including radish, kohlrabi, lettuce, corn, peppers, tomatoes and more, with the addition of herbs, cut flowers and pumpkins. Homefield chose to raise organic produce after a big push from the community for more organic options. To maintain its organic practices, Homefield uses all organic seeds from producers, organic soils and fertilizer, organic picking processes and follows specific protocols for washing produce and product transportation. In the past, there has been a farm-to-table dinner at Homefield during Tech’s Fall Family Weekend that genuinely presents the organic farm-to-table aspect that Homefield Farm brings to Virginia Tech Dining Services. 

Homefield has been producing for VT Dining Services for seven years now. In addition to Virginia Tech Dining Services, there is a Homefield stand on campus numerous times throughout the semester that allows students to purchase fresh produce. There will be a stand outside of Turner Place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on October 11 and 25. 

Lori Robinson, Farm Manager, has been working at Homefield since May 2022 after working for VT for the past twenty years in crop and soil research. 

"My favorite part of working at Homefield is the collaboration between researchers and the production side of Homefield," Robinson said. 

Robinson also expressed her appreciation for the students and volunteers that help make Homefield possible to provide organic produce to Virginia Tech Dining Services. Over the summer, individuals from the University of Kentucky used Homefield as a template for implementing a similar practice in their dining halls.

In a 2019 statistic of certified organic farms in the U.S., Virginia ranked 23rd, totalling just 163 organic farms throughout the state, in comparison to California’s 3,012 organic farms. Organic farming is a lower priority for Virginia farmers than in other states across the U.S. This is due to the amount of time and effort it takes to carry out the required organic processes. 

"The biggest expense in organic production farming is labor costs," Robinson said. 

Homefield is always welcoming volunteers, including students from all majors, faculty, staff and the entire community of Virginia Tech and Blacksburg. Contact Lori Robertson at losimmon@vt.edu to volunteer at Homefield any time from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

Homefield farm is a unique aspect of Virginia Tech that combines the pillars of research, education, health and most importantly: Ut Prosim.