Get Involved

Join the Dilmun Hill club

• The best way for students to start connecting with Dilmun Hill
• Participate in club sponsored events and activities during the academic year
• Open to all undergraduate and graduate students

Become a Dilmun student farm manager

• Paid positions to manage a sustainable vegetable farm
• Open to all undergraduates (not seniors)
• Part time in spring and fall, full time in summer

Join the Steering Committee

• Unpaid leadership positions to assist with farm logistics and event outreach
• Open to all undergraduates and graduate students
• Bring your skills and interests to the team

A diverse group of students
The 2024 Dilmun Hill Steering Committee

Our community

We are a student-run farm that has been practicing sustainable agriculture on Cornell's campus since 1996. Our community is the backbone of the farm – it makes it all work, and it makes it fun. Running a student farm is as much about organizing, budgeting, and growing vegetables as it is about working jointly as a team. Join us! 

Student Farm Managers

The farm managers are in charge of all daily operations at Dilmun Hill, including the sustainable vegetable production, sales and marketing, and donation of produce. Managers are also responsible for outreach and education efforts such as hosting tours, events and classes. This is an incredible opportunity for students interested in small-scale, fresh market vegetable production. Responsibilities are split up between the different managers.

Being a farm manager is a full time paid position over the summer months and a part-time position during the fall and spring semesters. Managers must be undergraduate students at Cornell and are also eligible to earn academic credits. Undergraduate students from all colleges and majors at Cornell are welcome to apply, no previous farming experience is required. We send out a call for applications each December/January. 

Click through the slides to meet our managers: 

Izzie Beck

Year: 2027

Major: Agricultural sciences

Hometown: New York City

Extracurricular activities: Run club, Cornell Tradition Fellow, novice rock climber

"I'm excited to be a part of a community that's centered around growing food, which has incredible power to nourish ourselves and the land we're working on. I'm inspired by all the past work managers at Dilmun Hill have accomplished and honored to continue their work this 2024 season. The CSA, shiitake logs, paw paw trees, tomato growing, dinner parties, hazelnut bushes, and flowers are just a few of the many things I'm ecstatic about."

Favorite crop: Cherry tomatoes

Coco Poopat

Year: 2026

Major: Plant Sciences

Hometown: Las Vegas, NV

Extracurricular activities: Cornell iGEM (Wiki and Design Subteam Lead)

"I was drawn to Dilmun Hill because of the strong community aspect, both within Dilmun itself and as part of the wider Cornell community. I wanted to find a way to get more involved on campus while still doing what I love. I'm really excited to learn about all the different aspects of managing Dilmun, from crop planning to planting to outreach!"

Favorite flower or crop: Peonies, apples, berries, tomatoes

Elinor Behlman

Year: 2026

Major: Environment & Sustainability

Hometown: Montclair, NJ

Extracurricular activities: Anabel’s Grocery, Prisoner Express, Agrawal Lab

"Since I first visited Dilmun during my freshman year, I’ve been inspired by the farm’s commitment to community engagement and small-scale, ecologically-based agriculture. I’m looking forward to getting to know the other managers while working towards developing the farm’s markets and outreach programs this summer and fall. I’m especially excited to implement Dilmun’s CSA program, to grow lots of garlic and greens, and to connect with other students, Ithaca residents and community groups." 

Favorite flower or crop: Cherry tomatoes, garlic, marigolds

Blythe Van Ness

Year: 2026

Major: Environment & Sustainability

Home country: Trumansburg, NY 

Extracurricular activities: Nature Rx, Anabel’s Grocery, Climate Justice Cornell

"I find that farming is a great way to learn about the environment and create civic engagement within communities, both of which I am very interested in. I am super excited to gain experience and skills in sustainable vegetable farming and production. I have never grown nor shared food at this scale, so I can’t wait to enter a new phase of my growing career. I am also incredibly excited to be working with a lot of different communities and folks to make Dilmun a special place for the 2024 season."

Favorite flower: Chrysanthemum

Portrait of Izzie Beck
Portrait of Coco Poopat
Portrait of Elinor Behlman
Portrait of Blythe Van Ness

Steering Committee

The Steering Committee is a small working group of dedicated students who facilitate governance and community building around Dilmun Hill. Members support the farm by attending weekly planning meetings, organizing social events, and helping farm managers with work parties and farm jobs.The committee is in charge of planning and implementing policy and manages logistical and administrative needs. It functions with a non-hierarchical consensus-based structure.

Membership on the Steering Committee is open to undergraduates, one graduate student, and one non-student/community member. Undergraduate members of the Steering Committee may choose to receive one independent study credit per semester. We send out a call for applications for new Steering Committee members each December/January. A diversity of interests and expertise are welcome. 

Volunteers

Volunteers are a vital part of our community. We could not get the work done without them. Throughout the year we host work parties, opening the farm to members of the Cornell and Ithaca community for an afternoon of fun in the fields. They help with anything from preparing the beds, to planting, and weeding, and our favorite part: harvesting. In turn, volunteers learn about sustainable agricultural practices, join a fun community of farm-nuts and foodies, and often go home with fresh, organically grown produce.

Student Researchers

Student researchers conduct their own research at the farm. They also help the managers with daily operations and 2 to 4 hours of field work a week. If you feel that your research project is a good fit with our organically managed student farm and mission, we would like to hear about it!

  • Contact rmm325 [at] cornell.edu (Ryan Maher), Organic Farm Coordinator, if you are interested in conducting research at Dilmun Hill.

Faculty, Staff, Student Advisory Board (FSSAB)

The FSSAB assists in the creation of crucial policy for the farm and provides support and advice. It also helps to provide continuity of knowledge and operational procedures. The FSSAB consists of four faculty and staff board members, the Cornell AES organic coordinator, and four students that are former Dilmun Hill managers or Steering Committee members.

Organic Farm Coordinator

The organic coordinator is so much more than the supervisor of the farm managers: they are an advisor and mentor on any matter concerning the farm, may it be agricultural or administrative; they are the main staff liaison with the University and Cornell AES; they provide direct support and input to student managers and Steering Committee members. 

Ryan Maher with two students
Cornell AES organic coordinator Ryan Maher in the middle, with two student managers

Stay connected