From Classroom to Community Farm

Katie Ketchum (BA ’18) has farmed fields from Long Island, New York, to Boulder, Colorado—and, while crops and climates may change with each location, her commitment to doing meaningful work and building community has remained steadfast.

After graduating with a degree in geography and international studies, she dove headfirst into urban agriculture following graduation, starting as a farmer for the Denver Botanic Gardens. Seven years later, she serves as field and harvest manager at Sprout City Farms in Longmont, Colorado, where she helps run Jack’s Solar Garden, a vegetable farm and research site tucked beneath solar panels—the largest of its kind in the United States.

Ketchum, who’s originally from Moscow, Idaho, reflects on her unique career path and how her first-year seminar course sparked her interest in urban farming.

What brought you to the University of Denver?

I spent my junior year of high school doing a study abroad program in Istanbul, Turkey, and after that, I knew I wanted to go to college in a city—but I also wanted access to the outdoors. DU struck that perfect balance. I also wanted to study international studies, and DU has a great program.

How did your first-year seminar course (FSEM) at DU shape your future career path?

My FSEM was called Animals, Ethics, and the Environment, and during orientation, we took a field trip to The GrowHaus in North Denver. At the time, it was an urban farm and food access hub, and I had never thought about urban agriculture before—but I completely fell in love with that space. I started volunteering there and interned there twice.

You studied international studies and geography. How did that background influence your approach to food and farming?

Honestly, I thought I’d go into international development or food aid, but I studied abroad in Uganda my junior year at DU, and it really shifted my thinking. I saw the work of non-governmental organizations (NGO) up close, and I started to question what the most ethical way to work abroad really was.

That experience pushed me to focus more locally, where I could feel good about the impact I was making—growing food and donating it to people who need it.

Can you tell us about your work running a donation farm?

I worked at Community Food Share in Louisville (Colorado) for four years, managing a farm that donated all its produce. By the time I left, we were growing on just over an acre of land and producing 10,000 to 15,000 pounds of food a year. It all went directly to the food bank or to local partner agencies like churches and schools. It felt really good to know the food we were growing was going right back into the community. 

Tell us about your current role at Sprout City Farms and what makes the Jack’s Solar Garden project unique.

I’m the field and harvest manager at a farm operated by Sprout City Farms, which is located under a solar array in Longmont. Jack’s Solar Garden is part of a research partnership with the University of Arizona to look at how crops grow in the shade of solar panels. We are tracking the impacts of multi-crop farming techniques—with some crops in the shade and some in the sun—and plan to share our findings so that other farms can adopt these practices.

We also run a community supported agriculture program, or CSA, sell food at the farmers market, and donate produce. It’s such a cool project—combining food production, renewable energy, and science.

What do you find most rewarding about your work?

I really love interacting with people who are excited about the produce we grow—whether it’s CSA members or folks at the farmers market. Hearing someone say, “This is so beautiful, I can’t wait to cook with it,” makes all the hard work worth it.

Farming is physically demanding and often unpredictable. What keeps you coming back to it year after year?

I really love seeing the tangible results of my work—either you get a crop or you don’t. There's something deeply satisfying about that. I also love the seasonality of it. Farming is intense for several months, but then I get a break in the winter to reset, reflect, and decide whether I want to do it all again.

What advice would you give DU students who are interested in food systems or urban agriculture?

Try to work on a farm as soon as you can, even if it’s just volunteering. Reach out to people doing the kind of work you're interested in. I spent a lot of time on the Good Food Jobs website, looking for opportunities in food and agriculture. Don’t wait to pursue what excites you—get your hands in the dirt early!