Dilmun Hill Student Farm

Welcome to Dilmun Hill! We are a student farm that fosters community and empowers students through active engagement in ecologically-based agriculture. Dilmun Hill has been serving Cornell and the Ithaca community since 1996 and has thrived off the creativity, diversity and commitment of the people that connect with it. Explore our website to learn how our farm provides a home for collaborative learning, student leadership development, and community building through food and farming at Cornell. 

Dilmun Hill provides: 

  • Practical, hands-on experience in small-scale, organic farming practices: Student farm managers guide on-farm decision making to produce fresh produce for the campus and Ithaca community.
  • An outdoor classroom for experiential learning: Class tours and projects, student clubs, and workshops turn the farm into a laboratory for learning through any lens we want to imagine  –  sustainable agriculture, soil science, local food systems, engineering, landscape design and more.    
  • Student-led, applied research and demonstration: Collaborative research ideas and concepts are tested across a range of disciplines, including urban agriculture, organic production, bio-circular economy, agroforestry and more.
  • Connection to community: Passionate student leaders work to cultivate community around farming through active partnerships with other student groups and programs across Cornell. 

Farm Highlights

Pollinator Garden

Our newly-planted pollinator garden incorporates flowers, trees and shrubs beneficial to local insects and wildlife, simultaneously restoring natural habitats and encouraging crop pollination. This is one of the many ways Dilmun Hill focuses on sustainability and responsible land management.

This Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar was happily munching on the spicebush leaves soon after planting.

Raised Beds

Constructed with rot-resistant local locust lumber, these Hügelkultur-style beds are filled with layers of organic material – starting with sticks and straw at the bottom, followed by soil enriched with compost. As the organic matter slowly breaks down, it provides ample nutrients for the plants for years to come.

Produce Production

From planning which crops to grow and tending them throughout the season, to harvesting – growing food is our passion. We love to experiment with novel crops and methods, and to share our abundant harvest with the Cornell community. 

Look for our produce at Anabel's Grocery, visit our market stand on campus, or check out our CSA and u-pick options. 

Circular Bionutrient Economy

The new high tunnel is dedicated to a research project that seeks to recycle nutrients from human and agricultural waste into fertilizer. Connecting sanitation and agriculture in this way can add valuable nutrients to the soil where they are needed, and keep them out of aquatic environments where they are harmful.

Eli Newell ‘24: Recycling human waste for a more prosperous planet

Caterpillar on a leaf
Raised beds, a group of students and the barn in the background
Person with a broad simle harvesting cherry tomatoes
Two people in a high tunnel

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