Mark Van Horn, a coordinator at the farm, says that the subscription program was implemented about three years ago in response to the success of other community supported agriculture programs implemented by organic farms in the area. With 20 to 40 subscribers per quarter, the program is considered a success by Van Horn. In fact, coordinators at the Student Farm decided to limit the number of their subscriptions so that the students can handle the demand. Besides the subscription program, the farm is also busy providing produce to the Coffee House . The farm prevents consumer boredom by producing a smaller quantity of several crops.
Students have an opportunity to learn about a wide variety of plants.
At the student farm, they try to involve students in all phases of crop production, from planting to harvesting. If the production got too large, students wouldn't be able to get such a diverse education, points out Van Horn. The farm draws from students in all majors. Bapu Vaitla, an undergraduate in Nature and Culture and volunteer at the Student Farm, decided to work at Student Harvests because he wanted to learn more about organic farming. They allow consumers to understand how difficult it is to raise food.