Current Students

Tim Durham

Tim DurhamTim and his family operate Deer Run Farm - a 30 acre vegetable farm on Long Island, New York, where they grow an array of spinach, cabbage, and specialty lettuces for wholesale in New York City. The farm is the product of a unique partnership between Suffolk County and the nonprofit Post-Morrow Foundation. The Foundation purchased the property outright, while selling the "development rights" (a conservation easement) to the county. This ensured that the land will stay open space in perpetuity. Currently, Tim's family leases the old homestead. As one of a handful of farms in the area, it faces unique challenges, particularly those associated with urban-edge agriculture.

After graduating from Cornell University with a B.S. in Plant Science, Tim worked in various levels of state and federal government while continuing to work seasonally at the farm. He has served as an adjunct at the Hudson Institute's Center for Global Food Issues since 2003. Tim recently returned to the US after nine months in New Zealand, generously funded through a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship.

We've all heard the buzzword sustainability, but as a practice it remains elusive. For any given problem, a suite of potential remedies exist. The task lies in identifying the least ecologically disruptive route. With an interdisciplinary emphasis, the DPM program is unique - a genuine practicum in sustainability.