Justin Redivivo didn’t set out to work in the agriculture field. He grew up in Canada, completed high school there and came to the United States to join his family and seek employment. He worked at Foxwoods Resorts Casino in Connecticut and attended college briefly to study hospitality. “College wasn’t my thing,’’ he said. He later joined his father on staff at Turning Stone Resort Casino in Vernon, New York, starting out in restaurants before moving on to entertainment, gaming and event positions.
“I always thought I would want to follow in my dad’s footsteps and work in the hospitality and casino business,’’ said Redivivo, 29. “Agriculture was nowhere in any of my plans.’’
When the coronavirus pandemic hit and shuttered Turning Stone for several months, Redivivo took some time for self-reflection. He knew he was interested in sustainable agriculture and zero-waste living. A friend suggested he check out SUNY Morrisville and its horticulture offerings. After a tour and meetings with several faculty members, he decided to “pull the trigger’’ and start cultivating his future.
The cannabis program drew him in, but Redivivo soon found himself interested in many plants. He was taking classes in business and in aquaculture, and, like many of his classmates, he was spending lots of hands-on time at the Four Seasons Organic Farm. He spent a summer as a farmhand on the one-acre crop farm and got a taste of everything from tilling the land to planting seedlings to harvesting crops and recording data.
“At Morrisville, you get right in the dirt,’’ said Redivivo, who graduated in May with an associate degree in horticulture production and a certification in specialty crops & cannabis production. “You really learn everything, from seed to harvest. It’s nonstop and full of surprises. It has shown me so many things I never would have learned on my own.’’
Redivivo is already reaping rewards from his studies and experiences on the farm: The day after graduation, he started a job as an assistant grower with Green Empire Farms in Oneida, New York. The Canadian-owned company grows hydroponic tomatoes and strawberries and other produce, many under the Sunset label.
The Four Seasons Organic Farm is a cornerstone of SUNY Morrisville’s Horticulture Department. The farm, established in 2011, earned its USDA organic certification in 2016. It’s an essential, out-of-the-classroom experience that supplies students with roll-up-your-sleeves and get-your-hands-dirty learning through year-round crop production.
The farm lives up to its name: It produces dozens of varieties of vegetables and fruits (and plants) year-round. Spring brings lettuces, arugula and other leafy greens, plus peas and beets, all planted in a high tunnel in the chill of winter. Summer delivers a progression of warm-weather crops, like beans, zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, corn and cucumbers. Fall brings pumpkins, squashes and other winter vegetables.
Source: morrisville.edu
Photo Credit: gettyimages-luc-pouliot
Categories: New York, Crops, Fruits and Vegetables, Harvesting, Sustainable Agriculture, Weather