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Funds still needs to be raised to complete the new Center for Regenerative Organic Agriculture that will be the sight of the new program that begins in January 2017.
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by Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, The Review
13 November 2016
At Maharishi University of Management (MUM), work is now underway on a new complex north of campus that will comprise classrooms, offices, a greenhouse, a composting facility, kitchen, produce processing areas, 26 acres of land, and more.
A groundbreaking was held on October 11 for MUM's new Center for Regenerative Organic Agriculture, which lies immediately north of the grain elevator that borders campus, and immediately east of Highway 1.
The Center will be the home for the certificate in regenerative organic agriculture scheduled to launch in January.
An existing 4,800-square-foot sheet metal building on the property that had been used for storage is being completely remodeled into a modern multipurpose classroom and office building, thanks in part to a generous donation from Soil Technologies, a local company headed by agronomist Jim Schaefer.
The building will include a classroom for up to 80 students, with a divider for transforming it into two smaller classrooms. There will also be conference rooms and areas for processing harvested produce that include facilities for cleaning, drying, and packing, as well as both cool and cold storage.
A fully equipped kitchen will be available for classes related to gastronomy. Plus, the building will include showers.
The south side of the building will have an attached greenhouse for starting seeds. Also onsite will be small buildings for storing tools and implements. Plans include additional greenhouses of various types.
Also planned for construction is a 90-foot hoop house that will shelter MUM's new composting facility, thanks to a $20,000 grant from Iowa's Department of Natural Resources.
The Center will be developed in three phases, with the renovation, composting facility, and irrigation lines constituting the first phase.
The second phase will include installing an irrigation pond and planting orchards and nut groves.
The third phase will include woodland and prairie restoration, as well as installing a larger pond.
Students in the new 10-month certificate program in regenerative organic agriculture will each be given up to a full acre to cultivate their crops based on the business plans they develop.
MUM is partnering with five international organizations to offer the program, which is being headed by professor A. Thimmaiah.
© Copyright 2016 Maharishi University of Management
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