Sinclair College English as a Second Language students are growing crops at the University of Dayton’s self-sustaining urban Flyer Farm as part of learning and practicing a new language, and serving food pantries on both campuses and in Dayton.
The Sinclair students planted vegetables and herbs native to their home countries this spring and are now tending them as part of their curriculum, with the help of UD student workers.
“When the opportunity to collaborate with Flyer Farm presented itself, I knew I wanted to plan a service-learning project that included my students,” Kirsten Goeller, Sinclair College professor of English and English for speakers of other languages. “My students can acquire new skills and apply prior knowledge and experience to grow usable, familiar crops. Experiential learning is a hands-on approach to learning in a low-stakes environment, which is perfect for language learners. In addition, the students are building community connections.”
Flyer Farm is just a short walk from UD’s main campus. The site is located on six old tennis courts that once belonged to NCR. The farm is home to chickens, bees, fruits, vegetables, an orchard and a large composting operation. A small team of UD students from a range of majors work to handle day-to-day farming — weeding, watering, harvesting — alongside a student-led zero-waste team that collects food scraps from residence halls and offices.
Here are some highlights:
- The farm helps feed those in need on campus and in the greater Dayton community as 12,000 pounds of crops were donated to Miami Valley Meals and the on-campus Flyer Food pantry in 2024 and 2025.
- Food waste from campus, including dining halls, is picked up seven days a week and used in the farm’s Ohio EPA Level 2 composting operation. In 2025, more than 100 tons of food waste was picked up, saving tens of thousands of dollars and producing hundreds of tons of compost.
- UD students are raising bees, harvesting honey and selling it in the university bookstore, with profits going right back to the upkeep of the bees.
- Municipalities, solid waste districts and universities, including Miami University and University of Cincinnati have contacted Flyer Farm in hopes of imitating it.
- A second partnership with a Sinclair horticulture class led to the planting of 20 fruit trees in the Flyer orchard.
“The farm is an ecosystem for experiential learning and sustainability,” Steve Kendig, executive director of energy utilization and environmental sustainability said. “I’m most proud we are making a difference helping fellow Flyers and the greater community by giving to those who need it, which is in line with the University’s mission to serve the common good. I’m also proud of the message it sends, that you can take an abandoned space and start growing things on it.”