By Heather Wirick, Staff Writer
It is well worth it to trek beyond Quarry Pond and past the observatory to find one of Gettysburg College’s little treasures: the Painted Turtle Farm (PTF). PTF is a quintessential example of how the College connects itself to the local community.
Abby Dreyden ’24 is one of three current PTF Program Coordinators, alongside Jackson Boyle ’25 and Yashima Adhikari ’26. Dreyden offered The Gettysburgian insight on how the farm operates and her personal volunteer experience.
Dreyden was first introduced to the farm via a fellowship from the Center for Public Service. As a political science and Spanish double major, she was initially hesitant about the required time needed to be spent at the farm. Despite this initial uncertainty, Dreyden found that “engaging with the work and the community” quickly solidified her desire to volunteer. “My whole experience at the farm has been so wonderful,” Dreyden said.
She continued, “If I had to narrow it down I would say that the best part of this experience has been the connections I have made with everyone involved in the farm. I have found new sources of friendship and support from the other Program Coordinators, the faculty leaders, the volunteers and most importantly the community members. Without the farm, I never would have made these connections and that for me has been my favorite part of this experience.”
The Painted Turtle Farm (Photo Heather Wirick/The Gettysburgian)
The Farm is a resource open to both members of the campus and the larger Gettysburg area, serving as a source for both education and community collaboration. PTF is run by a mix of students, who can volunteer at any of the five weekly shifts in addition to volunteering at any of PTF’s events.
“Volunteers are what makes PTF operate smoothly and we are so grateful to all the people who volunteer. Students can also take on bigger roles at the farm as well. Right now we are looking for students who are interested in helping us revitalize the composting system at the farm,” Dreyden said.
The Farm has professional support from Director of the Center for Public Service Jeff Rioux. Rioux is the faculty leader who occupies various roles for the Farm, such as empowering student leaders to educate themselves on the environment, delegating tasks and motivating volunteers. He also serves as the liaison between campus and local communities, meaning he organizes communications and events. Additionally, Rioux manages growth and harvesting. This ad hoc motivator, liaison and eco-coordinator is a quintessential part of Painted Turtle Farm’s operations and livelihood.
Subarna Sijapati is a local resident of Gettysburg, and he is also extremely influential at PTF. He was described by Dreyden as “the farm expert.” Sijapati serves as a source of knowledge regarding farming and cultivation and passes this knowledge onto volunteers and locals.
“Growing certified natural comes with its challenges whether that is facing an uphill battle against bugs eating the produce or having to work within the confines of the changing weather so the certification of being naturally grown is a way to recognize that hard work and show those who are interested in the farm what PTF values,” Dreyden commented.
The dedication of these community members is evident as the PTF has earned the title of “Certified Naturally Grown,” a peer review process for smaller farms that asserts there are no chemicals used in the cultivation process and that crops are grown in a manner that works with surrounding nature.
The Painted Turtle Farm is a great educational experience. Volunteers are given opportunities to learn about farm operations through dealing with challenges like bugs and the weather, as well as learning about new plant life. In order to promote education regarding agricultural sustainability, and to acknowledge the Indigenous grounds that Gettysburg College stands on, volunteers use the Three Sisters gardening system. This system requires squash, beans and corn to be planted in the same plot. These particular crops form a symbiotic relationship.
Dreyden explained this system: “…squash lays around the outside of the bed, providing protection for the soil. Corn creates the center of the bed and gives a structure for which the beans may grow. Finally, beans provide nitrogen to the soil, something that plants usually take away. They work together to create a flourishing garden and it shows us that there is a lot of wisdom to be found when you listen to the earth.”
Painted Turtle Farm also serves as a campus community hub for food justice. When asked what this means in the context of campus-community relations, Dreyden replied, “Painted Turtle operates as a campus community hub for food justice in a variety of ways. To me, the most important way in which the farm engages in this work is through the provision of raised beds to community members…who do not have access to green space or culturally relevant produce. Providing this space allows these families to take back control of what they eat and how it is produced.”
A large number of community members involved with the Farm work in the agricultural sector of Adams County.
“Community members are directly involved in the broader community’s food system, for example, they most likely picked and packaged the apples that end up in Bullet Hole, yet they lack the resources to find a sense of food justice in their lives,” Dreyden said. “The program at the Painted Turtle Farm addresses this need by putting the power back into the hands of these community members… Students who volunteer, I hope, have a sense of how important the farm is for the community and the broader implications of the work that is done at PTF.”
The Painted Turtle Farm is an example of how Gettysburg College and its students connect to the larger community. PTF offers countless opportunities to volunteer and learn, and it is also an opportunity to get to know the local community and understand how food injustice affects Adams County. Student volunteers such as Dreyden, along with Rioux, Sijapati and countless others, have put in hours of careful effort to cultivate a living, growing representation of what it means to be “Gettysburg Great.”
“At its core, Painted Turtle Farm is a place where the community and the campus can meet to experience first-hand the issues of sustainability, community politics and so much more,” Dreyden concluded.
Students can get involved at Painted Turtle Farm by emailing farm@gettysburg.edu or via this link: https://forms.gle/MYbrCAxALkzKVvQ3A.
