Category: The Study

A compelling budget proposal was key to securing funding for the technical part of this independent study. While I have an innate passion for regenerative agriculture, the people on the recieving end would only care about regenerative agriculture if I could demonstrate how this independent study contributes to my educational experience at Lafayette. I leveraged the college’s mission statement and pointed out how my study would not just benefit me, but also contribute to the college as a whole.

Regenerative Agriculture Budget Proposal: March 2025

Introduction:

My name is Olivia Simione, and I am a junior majoring in Environmental Science with a Spanish minor. I have worked on LaFarm for the past 3 years and graduated from the Apprenticeship program. My practical experience on LaFarm, in addition to my courses, has informed me about how to manage land sustainably and what it takes to do so. This project is an opportunity to put what I have learned into practice.

Description:

This independent study is a project that will investigate the benefits of transitioning land from a conventional agriculture model to a regenerative agriculture model by focusing on minimizing soil disturbance, maintaining vegetative soil cover, eliminating the use of synthetic agricultural chemicals, and maximizing diversity. A soil health assessment through the Cornell Soil Health Laboratory would serve as a baseline measurement of pH, Organic Matter, Nutrient profiles for P, K, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Al, Ca, Cu, S, B, Soil Texture, Active Carbon, Wet Aggregate Stability, Soil Respiration, Soil Organic Carbon, Total Carbon, and Total Nitrogen. This assessment will be compared to past soil health assessments of LaFarm to evaluate the relative soil health of a land under conventional practices to land under sustainable practices. Following this initial assessment, the implementation of agricultural practices used in regenerative systems will begin. Stakes and a deer fence will be established around the perimeter of the working area to prevent animals from damaging the crops that will be grown. LaFarm’s 2-wheel tractor will be used with the Precision Depth Roller implement as a low-till method of preparing the soil for sowing cover crops. The cover crops will serve as a natural way to replenish nutrients without the use of synthetic chemicals and also serve as a vegetative cover.

Benefits to the College:

• Uphold Lafayette’s Mission: “The College fosters intellectual inquiry, artistic exploration, scholarship, and personal growth in a vibrant, diverse, and inclusive community. Lafayette students become critical thinkers, creative problem-solvers, and responsible citizens of the world.”
• Contribute to Lafayette’s Climate Action Plan: Supports two of the three main goals of the climate action plan: 1) utilize regenerative ecosystems and biodiversity, 2) zero waste and circular economics.
• Raise Lafayette’s profile across other schools in the region: Enhances leadership in sustainability, food systems, and campus farms
• Creates a space for more student research, sustainability projects, and food systems reform
• Connect curricular activities of various departments to community engagement work:
  • Departments: EVST, Biology, Geology, A&S, History, Gov/Law, and more
  • Classes: Land Acts, Food Studies, Intro to the Environment, Environmental Justice, Geomorphology, and more

Estimated Budget