Before the coronavirus pandemic, the horticulture department at Cosumnes River College was preparing for growth, but an inability to meet in person delayed their plans and it’s now beginning to sprout again, prompting the development of a new program on campus.

Horticulture Professor Dave Andrews said his goal for the spring semester is to have the farm and greenhouse fairly well renovated, but it’s an ambitious goal to get everything done. He said with 5,000 square feet of space to maintain, the program can turn around quickly if enough people are willing to get their hands dirty.

“With the ability to build a volunteer group, we’d be able to get a lot done outside of class,” Andrews said.

The Regenerative Food Systems Program is a newly-proposed degree in the early stages of submission for approval from the North Far North Regional Consortium and The Los Rios Program Placement Council, Andrews said. It will encompass the agriculture, horticulture, nutrition and culinary departments to outline the farm-to-fork process.

Long term, Andrews said he would like to grow produce for the campus’ food market in the Hawk CARES Center and the culinary arts management department. He said he plans to have space for community gardens, so students who don’t have a place to grow food can do so on campus. Students will be able to grow seasonal produce in designated garden beds.

Andrews said his goal over the winter break was to have the different hydroponics systems running and make the greenhouse green again.

The farm and greenhouse sat for a year and a half with little to no helping hands to keep things clean or growing, Andrews said. Before the pandemic, the program received a grant for hydroponic systems, but due to remote learning, those systems were being taken out of the box for the first time last year.

Andrews said there is an aquaponics system in the greenhouse, which is when fish provide the nutrients to plants by their waste. There are seven different types of hydroponics systems to use, teaching the different practical uses and methods to grow food without any soil.

Most of the department’s goals are up to the students, Andrews said, having them set the direction of the class.

“Farming is a full-time job,” Andrews said.

Mike Wood, a 65-year-old horticulture student, has volunteered to help Andrews prepare the farm and greenhouse spaces for the spring semester since late July, early August.

“You’re going to start with your soil, learn about your nutrition, learn about things to plant and how to raise those things and how to harvest them, and then when you’re done harvesting, how to prepare those and cook them and eat them,” Wood said. “It goes back into compost and we go back to that circle.”

Wood said he was a hardware and software engineer for 30 years and wanted to do something different with his life after his project ended, so he went back to school. He converted his backyard to an edible garden from the knowledge he gained in horticulture courses.

“It’s been so slow to get the ball rolling, but I think we’re heading into a downhill slope now,” Andrews said.

The campus’ current sustainable agriculture program is transitioning towards the regenerative program after the submission of an official certification. The sustainable agriculture program thrived for three years after its inaugural semester in 2017, Andrews said.

Once the farm, greenhouse and regenerative programs start to take shape, Andrews said he plans to have students open a farmers market open to the local community, generating revenue for the school as a byproduct of the learning process.

“We’re a teaching program first and whatever we create goes to generating money or donating. In my heart, the first thing is; give it to students,” Andrews said.

Culinary arts management Professor Michael Frigm said he could easily work with Andrews to stock materials for the culinary class.

“I think things like lettuce greens, different herbs, we use a lot of lemons for different projects that we have to do, different assignments we have to do,” Frigm said. “Dave talked about planting some citrus trees, some lemon trees, so we can have a stock of that.”

Frigm said the new culinary space in the cafeteria will be to simulate entrepreneurship, fine dining and catering in a more controlled setting. He said the space was designed specifically with the culinary arts management program in mind.

“I love these cross-departmental degrees. I think it’s great to collaborate with other departments across campus and I have high expectations for creating a great, really interesting degree for students,” Frigm said. “I think it’ll be another cool option for people interested in a career in foods that we can offer at CRC.”