Fall 2024 brought with it lots of new faces to the Fresh Focus team, including a new Lead Student Farmer, three new College Core Fellows, and many new interns!

 Fall was also a busy quarter for the Fresh Focus team, as we established a new seed saving bed to grow and collect seed from indigenous heirloom plants. Students also stretched their event planning muscles and collaborated with a seed saving library to host a dinner utilizing the crops we grew from heirloom indigenous seeds. 

Lastly, Fresh Focus added a new campus partner organization to our weekly produce distribution schedule: The Underground Scholars. The UC Davis Underground Scholars Program (USP) is a program for students who have been directly impacted by the criminal punishment system, including formerly incarcerated people or those with incarcerated family members. 

Fall numbers at a glance:

• Distributed 5,956 pounds of fresh produce across 12 campus partner organizations
• Harvested and shared over 63 varieties of fruit, vegetables, and herbs

Read the full report here: Fall 2024 Quarterly Report.pdf

The Fresh Focus program reduces food loss while supporting student access to fresh produce. It is a central component of the Student Farm's efforts to build a more equitable and just farm and food system by cultivating student initiative, leadership, and experiential learning.

This great work is supported by Aggie Compass and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences - Thank You!