The Mellinger Farm

Agroecosystems Management ProgramOhio Agricultural Research and Development CenterCollege of Food, Ag, and Environmental SciencesThe Ohio State University

in photographs

In 2002 the Ohio State University Board of Trustees accepted the donation of The Mellinger Farm from Patricia Miller Quinby and the estate of her sister, Virginia Miller Reed. The Killbuck Land Trust now holds a conservation easement that ensures the Farm will remain in agricultural use.

The Mellinger Farm’s vision is to be an Educational Showcase for the Science and Technology of Small to Mid-Scale Diversified Farming. The mission is to provide value in research hand education to its widespread network of customers in the diversified farming systems and approaches that can sustain small and AOTM (Ag of the Middle) farms in Ohio and beyond.

The Mellinger Farm is envisioned to be a place where the following goals can be met: - Scientists can experiment with, test, and develop technologies that enable production efficiencies relevant to small and mid-scale farming;- Students and the public can learn about new technology and approaches for small scale farming on a research farm that is operated as an integrated and highly diversified as a commercial farm might be. - Entrepreneurial farms can try new and relatively high-risk ideas in a setting devoted to research and education, taking the critically important first steps to commercialization;- Experimental and demonstration enterprises are profitable enough to enable self-sustaining research, demonstration, and education.

The intention of this photo essay is to provide a visceral sense of the farm to inspire ideas and visions for program devel-opment on The Mellinger Farm. As the photos move through the 300 acres, the subject shifts from intimate ground shots to landscapes, topographical barriers, farm structures, and past and existing human presence in the agroecosystem.

All photos were taking in 2011-2012 by Liz Kolbe.