The 91快活林 Ag Department is hosting its Springfest on the 91快活林 Farm event through April 23. The open farm and plant sale is open to the public! Come see all that farm has to offer and buy plants to get your own summer garden started.
On Saturday, the Ag Club will sell chicken tamale lunches for $10. The event will be held from 1:00-5:30 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday. For more information contact Ren茅 McCracken at 903-434-8267 or rmccrackent@ntcc.edu.
By: Ren茅 McCracken, 91快活林 Ag Director
91快活林 students and faculty are working persistently to prepare the Sustainable Market Garden for the 3rd annual Springfest set for April 21-23rd. 鈥淚n response and celebration of National Ag Week, we are delighted to open our gates and share our farm with the community in hopes to instigate an appreciation for farming.鈥 said Director Rene鈥 McCracken. 鈥淲hile we cannot hope to have a 鈥減erfect鈥 farm we do strive to provide a living example of what is possible for small farm operators.鈥
Building a Sustainable Market Farm
Historically, at 2886 FM 1735 in Mount Pleasant a 400 acre farm bore the Northeast Campus in 1985. Later, with the completion of the Elizabeth Hoggatt Whatley Complex in 2011 and new Sustainable Agriculture Degree and Certification options were a first in the state and a vision of a Sustainable Market Farm was planned. Today, with every season and semester change, the 12 acres surrounding the ag complex transform gradually and naturally into the 鈥渓iving example鈥 college leadership had in mind for a sustainable demonstration farm. Creative ideas continue to come from student and staff plus resources from grants and private donations to build the dream farm unit. 鈥淚 enjoy working with our students to test out farming hacks found on the 鈥渋nternet鈥 and determining if they actually work in an east Texas small farm鈥 shared McCracken. Current projects include: Hugelkulture bed, keyhole garden, compost tea, meat goats, backyard chicken flock for egg production, weeding geese, cover crops for gardens and pastures, Kune Kune Pig project, muscadine vineyard, greenhouse production of vegetable transplants and rainwater harvesting and run-off management. Each of these sustainable spaces will be open for free hands-on access to experience a living sustainable farm.
91快活林 Farm Springfest Open House: Come out to 91快活林 Farm Open House/Farm 鈥 Thurs. April 21, 1 pm to 5:30 pm and Fri., April 22nd 1 pm to 5:30 pm and Sat. April 23rd from 9 am to 1 pm. Stop by and purchase plants, or just come and spend the day with us and check out the Sustainable Demonstration Farm, Purchase Transplants from our Greenhouse, $10 chicken tamale lunch on Saturday only! For more info: contact Rene鈥 McCracken at 903-434-8267 rmccracken@ntcc.edu or check us or follow us at on Facebook.
