For the past almost-30 years, a small group of undergraduates has worked together to run Dilmun Hill Student Farm. With support from the Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station (Cornell AES), Dilmun’s student managers choose which crops to plant, how to grow them and where to market the produce. For many student managers, the experience is a highlight of their time at Cornell.
“I wouldn’t change my time at Dilmun Hill for anything else,” said Raymond Pan ’25, a 2023 farm manager. “The things I’ve learned and the relationships I’ve established through Dilmun have definitely changed my Cornell experience.”
Dilmun was first envisioned in 1994, and the first growing season was in 1996. Each year, three to four students are hired as farm managers, starting part-time in the spring, growing to full-time over the summer and continuing part-time in the fall. In addition to raising crops, the role includes supporting Dilmun’s educational mission, such as hosting student research experiments and welcoming a variety of classes to the farm. Courses that regularly visit Dilmun Hill address topics like sustainable agriculture, food justice, soil science, agricultural machinery and food cycles.
Ryan Maher, organic coordinator for Cornell AES, is the farm supervisor and provides support, training and continuity for the managers, but leaves most decision making up to the students.
“The thing that makes Dilmun so impactful for students is that they have real ownership of the farm, and the decision making and the learning experience,” Maher said. “It’s a pretty amazing responsibility, but they are making day-to-day management decisions on the farm, from thinking through the markets that they have available to them, to what that means for crop planning and sales of their produce, to developing daily, weekly and monthly work plans to actualize those goals.”
