Tigers for Community Agriculture is a vegetable growing program available for students interested in sustainable agriculture.
On Sept. 4, TCA hosted a salsa festival on Lowry Mall to share their fresh tomatoes and other produce with attendees.
As part of the Environmental Leadership Office, TCA students travel to Bradford Research Center farm and harvest produce that is then given to Campus Dining Services or donated to Tiger Pantry.
“I learned so much about agriculture and farming practices that I didn’t understand before,” senior Andrew Beckerle said. “It’s nice to be removed from campus life and learn from the outside. We have a close-knit group, but at the same time we’re looking to expand.”
TCA is a student-run organization, and leaders Leslie Touzeau from Bradford Research Center and Sustainability Steward Lebo Moore partnered with the center a few years back. The organization grew from there.
Their mission is education on the importance of growing completely organic food and practicing sustainable agriculture.
“We send out an order to Campus Dining and to Tiger Pantry each week, and deliver our fresh produce so everyone can enjoy it,” Moore said. “Because we deliver, Tiger Pantry is one of the few pantries on a college campus that is able to distribute community-fresh food, which is really an amazing privilege.”
Moore said she sees TCA as a unique opportunity to combat how our farming methods have transformed and return to the humble, delicious way of delivering goods.
“I’d say the best part is getting the chance to get outside, work with my hands and truly be interconnected with growing food, a value that seems to be lost in today’s society,” he said. “It is becoming more of an issue to connect with local farmers and local food, as we face this challenge.”
Environmental Leadership Adviser Amy Eultgen and junior Brendan Hellebusch, a civil and environmental engineering major, stood for hours yelling ‘free salsa.’
Through the Environmental Leadership Office, both Eultgen and Hellebush run the ambassador program, supporting green tours and encouraging sustainable education.
“That’s my bread and butter,” Hellebush said. “Elementary through high school, there really isn’t much education related to sustainability. It’s a shame, because sustainability is closely related to health and there is a true importance there. But man, that’s just the culture of America.”
The students said the salsa festival was ultimately a huge success. All student members said they are proud that their organic tomatoes are eaten on campus each day, and agree that a little time, a little harvesting and bucketloads of Bradford tomatoes can travel a long way.
