Return of the Farm

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Agriculture teacher and farmer Fashaya Crigler gives one of the piglets a kiss.

Sometimes the best classroom is not a classroom. 

Sitting on a bed of pine needles with the morning sun sparkling through the trees, students at the Miller School of Albemarle start their academic day with a short discussion about chicken egg varieties before getting to work on what looks a lot more like a farm than a school. A mile away from the nearest desk or chalkboard, students sink their hands into the soil of the garden and haul water to foraging pigs in the woods. These students are building a farm, and there is a lot of work to be done. 

Wearing dirt-covered overalls and muck boots, one student casually mentions a little-known fact about the school’s heritage breed mix of Mulefoot and Berkshire pigs: “Our pigs are runners. They dash through the woods and weave through trees. They run together in a pack. They barrel down hills and push themselves on uphill runs. Pigs love to run.”

Students have time to make observations like this and more in MSA’s new Sustainable Agriculture Program. Located on the school’s breathtaking farmland overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains in western Albemarle County, the program is an innovative and unique learning opportunity for both Miller School and Seven River Country Day students. 

The new program is an in-depth and interdisciplinary class that provides students an opportunity to learn a wide range of farming principles and practices. Students study organic, no-till gardening, animal husbandry, bee keeping, hydroponics, and permaculture in a mission-focused and hands-on course. MSA’s 1,600-acre campus becomes a living laboratory where students learn and experiment. The program includes a small farming operation with pigs, chickens, and bees, as well as three types of produce gardens--no-till, raised bed, and hydroponic. 

Head of School, J. Michael Drude, remarked: “While a course like this is forward-looking in today’s educational landscape, it is simply getting back to our roots at MSA.” 

Founded in 1878, Miller School of Albemarle is one of the nation’s first co-educational boarding schools. For much of its history, the school had a robust farming operation that included a dairy, pigs, chickens, sheep, and a wide variety of crops. The farm provided provisions for faculty and students as well as the local community. Students spent the morning in the classroom learning traditional academic subjects and the afternoons actively working the farm.

Mr. Drude explained MSA’s unique agricultural roots: “For much of its history, students learned the techniques of modern agriculture on the school’s working farm. This was no small-scale operation. In 1884, the school grew 150 acres of corn and oats, and kept one hundred and eighty acres in pasture for its herd of cattle to graze upon. The school also owned sixty hogs, several vineyards, and large apple, pear, and peach orchards. Additionally, it had a 40-colony apiary where students studied bee culture.” 

MSA’s new program has one foot in its rich history and another in its exciting future. “MSA prepares students to be thought leaders and innovators. Our Sustainable Agriculture students have an opportunity to utilize their knowledge to reimagine farming around the world. Getting back to our roots as a school with this program provides greater opportunity for discovery and reflection for our students,” remarked Mr. Drude. 

In turn, getting back to its agricultural roots requires expertise and vision. MSA’s first Sustainable Agriculture Department Chair, Fashaya Hufnagel, provided all this and more. Mrs. Hufnagel joined the faculty in the fall of 2020 and worked with students to rebuild the school’s farm from the ground up. A fourth-generation farmer from Madison, Virginia, she has a lifetime of experience in the fields. She brings a remarkable range of talents to the farm, including gardening, bee keeping, pig raising, and a deep understanding of regenerative agriculture theory and practice. Her vision for the MSA program is remarkable. In order to help MSA get its farm up and running, Mrs. Hufnagel brought her own sows, piglets, bees, and chickens to campus. 

Mrs. Hufnagel remarked: “The course is a unique experience for students. They are building a farm together and learning from their successes and failures. In addition to farming, students are learning a grounded approach to life. Farming instills a strong work ethic and problem-solving skills. This program is allowing them to reconnect with their food and the land.”

Students are diving into an academic study of regenerative agriculture and how it can improve all aspects of farming. They are then putting their knowledge to the test on the farm.

Mrs. Hufnagel commented: “Through the principles of permaculture, companion planting, farming by observation, and biodynamics, we farm in harmony with nature’s cycles and that allows us to have a farm that is sustainable and will last for generations.”

The program has expanded to three high school sections and school-wide Sever Rivers courses in 2022. Zac Culbertson now teaches with the assistance of Eiley Patterson. The farm has expanded its operation and now includes goats, ducks, rabbits, and turkeys. Additionally, the garden has grown to a year-round operation with a large greenhouse and aquaponics. 

In three years, Sustainable Agriculture has become very a popular course. It is filled to capacity every semester. And why not? There’s one last advantage to a classroom that is not a classroom. It’s held outdoors. Don’t tell anybody, but sometimes students love to run too.