Vermont’s Farms, Food an Future What crops make sense to grow in Vermont? Where is the best land to farm? Who owns land and capital, and who grows the food? What systems and interests shape the answers to these questions? In this course we will examine Vermont agriculture through lenses of climate change, racial equity, and socioeconomic viability. Through reading, discussion, and meeting with food system practitioners, students will understand intersecting and conflicting perspectives related to agriculture and land use. The final project will be a proposed policy, program or enterprise that would contribute to the agricultural future each student believes in for Vermont. This course counts as a social science cognate for environmental studies majors.  Jeannie Bartlett ‘15 grows fruit trees in Plainfield, Vermont. From 2016 through 2021 she managed the Franklin County Conservation District, where she developed and implemented programs to assist farmers with stewardship of soil and water in northwest Vermont. She serves on the board of Rural Vermont and is an active member of the VT Young Farmers Coalition. She studied Conservation Biology at Middlebury./

Vermont's Farms, Food & Future What crops make sense to grow in Vermont? Where is the best land to farm? Who owns land and capital, and who grows the food? What systems and interests shape the answers to these questions? In this course we will examine Vermont agriculture through lenses of climate change, racial equity, and socioeconomic viability. Through reading, discussion, and meeting with food system practitioners, students will understand intersecting and conflicting perspectives related to agriculture and land use. The final project will be a proposed policy, program or enterprise that would contribute to the agricultural future each student believes in for Vermont.  Jeannie Bartlett ‘15 grows fruit trees in Plainfield, Vermont. From 2016 through 2021 she managed the Franklin County Conservation District, where she developed and implemented programs to assist farmers with stewardship of soil and water in northwest Vermont. She serves on the board of Rural Vermont and is an active member of the VT Young Farmers Coalition. She studied Conservation Biology at Middlebury./

Natural Science and the Environment We will explore in detail a series of current environmental issues in order to learn how principles of biology, chemistry, geology, and physics, as well as interdisciplinary scientific approaches, help us to identify and understand challenges to environmental sustainability. In lecture, we will examine global environmental issues, including climate change, water and energy resources, biodiversity and ecosystem services, human population growth, and world food production, as well as the application of science in forging effective, sustainable solutions. In the laboratory and field, we will explore local manifestations of global issues via experiential and hands-on approaches.

Jeanne Bartlett

Reviews and ratings for Jeanne Bartlett at Middlebury College.Jeanne Bartlett teaches Vermont's Farms, Food & Future, Natural Science & Environment and more.  Explore top rated instructors and find the best for you.Is Jeanne Bartlett good ? Find out on MiddCourses.

Loved this class - was scared by the reviews and expecting a lot of homework but homework was incredibly manageable - literally just skimmed readings and was ready for every class, farm visits were incredibly cool. Also a very good grading system, essentially if you meet all of the requirements on any homework or project you automatically get an A. 

This class was great! While cold, I loved the field trips to various farms and the different speakers that spoke during classes. I enjoyed the readings liked that we looked at how food systems affect different people (Abenaki, migrant workers, etc)

Jeannie was an amazing and supportive presence on campus this J-term. This class was not as laid-back as I thought however. You learn a lot but be prepared for weekly two-page response papers AND a major project per week. It's a lot of material to pack into four weeks of J-term. I really liked how the last week of content was student-decided. 