Solid Ground Farm owner Weston Lombard at the Plant Biology Learning Gardens
The Food Studies theme offered Ohio University faculty and staff a taste of the local food scene in the Athens area On Sept. 24.
The day was guided by Solid Ground Farm owner Weston Lombard and included visits to the Ohio University Plant Biology Learning Garden, Green Edge Gardens, Solid Ground Farm, Shagbark Seed & Mill, and the Jackie O’s brewing facilities.
The tour participants interacted with many different facets of 
food production in the Athens area. Additionally, there was great support from OHIO professors who are interested in food production. The day started with Dr. Art Trese, Associate Professor of Environmental & Plant Biology, giving a guided tour of the student run gardens on campus. To end the day, Dr. Michael Held, Associate Professor of Chemistry & Biochemistry, gave a guided tour with a Jackie O’s brewer, providing education on the science of brewing. Dr. Eric LeMay, Associate Professor of English, guided everyone through a cheese tasting of different local cheese products from the area, providing the history of cheese production and how to properly taste it.
Participants had many opportunities to ask questions and tailor this experience to their interest in the local food system.
New English faculty member Dr. Edmond Chang said, “As a new faculty member, as a new community member to Athens, the Tour de Farm was really interesting and inspiring, particularly in giving me the chance to meet people across departments, jobs, and communities. It was amazing to see the ways the university and the area are thinking about sustainable farming, food production, and food insecurity. Though not everyone can be a scientist or farmer or business owner, I think the tour showed different ways all of us can think about, intervene in, and support sustainability, locality, growing, and of course, eating.”
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