Homefield Farm
Homefield Farm is a partnership between Dining Services and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the only certified organic operation owned by a university in Virginia. The six-acre, student-run farm is located eight miles west of the Blacksburg campus and provides about 50,000 pounds of fresh produce to dining centers and Homefield’s farm stand on campus. The farm, along with a high tunnel at Virginia Tech’s Urban Horticulture Center, raises thirty varieties of vegetables, plus culinary herbs, flowers, and decorative pumpkins and gourds.
Homefield Farm also provides a unique opportunity for collaboration between students and Dining Services’ culinary staff to provide ingredients for popular dishes and events. For example, Homefield’s ingredients can be found at Farms, a sustainable dining venue in the Owens Food Court, Turner Place’s tomato bisque soup and pizza sauce, or the hot peppers used for the annual Chili Challenge at D2 in Dietrick Hall.
Meet Your Farmer
Shawn Jadrnicek, Farm Manager
Shawn earned a M.S. in Plant and Environmental Science from Clemson University in 2016 and a B.S. in Biology, with a focus on plant science, from James Madison University in 1998. He has a passion for organic no-till farming, integrating systems, and sharing the experience of growing vegetables with students.
Annual Reports
Help support the mission of Homefield Farm by donating directly to the farm today through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Check back for the return of the Homefield Farm Farm Stand Fall 2021.
What is the Farm Stand?
The on-campus farm stand is an initiative of Homefield Farm and a collaboration between Dining Services, the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Students enrolled in the Farm Market Field Study course take shifts managing the stand, which sells a variety of seasonal vegetables grown at the farm.
Want to get involved?
Classes:The Sustainable Agriculture Practicum (HORT 2834) is taught during fall and spring semesters and provides hands-on experience managing a small-scale sustainable farm. Enrollment is open to all majors and has no pre-requisites.
The Farm Market Field Study (HORT 2964) is also taught each fall and offers instruction on the marketing and management of Homefield’s student-run farm stand. The weekly farm stand operates outside of the Turner Place dining center in Lavery Hall and sells organic produce and flowers grown at Homefield Farm.
Summer Farm Work: Dining Services hires several student employees to work at Homefield Farm each summer. Applications are accepted in the spring. Please contact shawnj@vt.edu for more information.
Homefield Farm is a collaborative partnership between Student Affairs Dining Services, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the School of Plant and Environmental Sciences.