The Weekly Dirt 03.10.23
03.10.23
Around The Farm
Composting: reducing carbon emissions from food waste is easier than you think
By Perry Acworth, UW Farm Manager
Many students that visit or simply hear about the UW farm often ask to what extent our farming practices are sustainable. There are quite a few answers to this depending on the definition. From individual understanding to textbook terms, sustainable is often referred to as addressing the long term well-being of society, the environment and economy.
The Weekly Dirt 03.01.23
03.01.23
Around The Farm
By Sally Schafer, UW Farm Informatics Intern, Informatics Major and Environmental Studies Minor
Hi all! My name is Sally, and I’ve had the pleasure of being one of the UW Farm Informatics Interns this past quarter. From the first time I volunteered, I knew I loved the farm. Working there in spring, summer, fall, and now winter, has given me so much.
The Weekly Dirt 02.22.23
02.22.23
Around The Farm
Ingrid Fosberg, General Farm Intern, Public Health-Global Health Major
I love public health. In my last quarter as an undergraduate, I reflect fondly on my course of study and eagerly anticipate a career at the intersection of science and social justice. Given my aspirations, some may question why I choose to spend precious weeks right before jumping into the job market and researching graduate schools outside, growing food, and getting dirty.
Rare Plant Highlight: Pacific lanceleaved spring beauty

Claytonia multiscapa ssp. pacifica is located in the niche habitat of wet subalpine to alpine meadows. It is a treasure to the Olympic Mountains in Washington and the North Cascade Range in Vancouver B.C. Keep your eyes peeled for these delicate white flowers on the edge of melting snowfields in the late spring to mid-summer months.
Commonly known as the Pacific lanceleaved spring beauty, this flower is a hairless perennial with multiple stems from a roundish corm.
The Weekly Dirt 02.15.23
02.15.23
Around The Farm
By Lily Shen, UW Farm Informatics Intern, UW junior, majoring in Data Science
Hi! My name is Lily and I am a junior studying Data Science and Geography. Ever since I was a kid, I have always tried my best to be environmentally conscious. As I continued through college, I decided that I wanted to be even more so.
The Weekly Dirt 02.08.23
02.08.23
Around The Farm
By Vivian [Wen-Huei] Chen, senior, majoring in Food Systems, Nutrition, and Health and Political Science, UW Farm Environmental Justice Intern
My name is Vivian Chen, I was born and raised in Taiwan and came to Seattle for college. In my spare time, I enjoy cooking and baking bread which I find as my ideal of slowing down to appreciate life’s small joys.
February 2023 Plant Profile: Baker Cypress

The Baker cypress, the most northern and hardiest cypress in North America is a tree with a challenging future ahead of it. Within its native range of southern Oregon and northern California there are several populations, many a long distance separate from others.
Read moreThe Weekly Dirt 02.01.23
02.01.23
Around The Farm
By Olivia Johnson, UW Farm Education Intern, Environmental Studies Major
A Farm in Winter: Observations
As a student at a large urban university, the UW Farm is my place of peace, harmony, and community. I go there to escape the bustle of student life. I love the sense of purpose that everything and everyone has at the farm.
January 2023 Plant Profile: Pitch Pine

What better time than winter to highlight one of the Arboretum’s conifer specimens? January is also an excellent time to take a trip out to Foster Island to walk amongst some of the many birds that make the Arboretum home. Beside the path on Foster Island – just before you cross under the 520 bridge – you will find a pair of Pinus rigida. The species name rigida refers to its stiff and sharp cone scales and needles. The tree’s common name – pitch pine – derives from the high resin content in its wood.
Read moreThe Weekly Dirt 01.17.23
01.17.23
Around The Farm
2023 Impact Directs Campus Farm's Food Security Priorities for the Upcoming Growing Season
By Siffre Tooth, Farm Food Security Lead, AmeriCorps '23-24
In 2023, the UW Farm experienced highs and lows, new accolades and challenges. We struggled with crop failures of melons, corn, and onions, while successfully cultivating quinoa and wheat for the very first time!
Certified organic produce donated by the UW Farm in 2023 reached 2390.57 pounds, worth a retail value of $11,870.00.