Category:Iowa State University

From Campus Growers

Iowa State Student Organic Farm

The ISU Student Organic Farm is a student-led learning farm that builds community and nourishes people by producing wholesome food using organic growing practices, and allowing for hands-on experience with principles of agro-ecology and sustainability. This practical experience allows for mutually beneficial interactions with our working landscape, both now and in the future. Our organization was founded in 1997 with hopes of eventually becoming a completely self-sustaining farm. Over the past 12 years, our farm has sold produce at farmers’ markets, through CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) groups, and donated produce through local churches and charitable organizations.

Since 2006, our farm has been located within the Iowa State Horticulture Research Station Farm, approximately 5 miles north of Ames, where we manage 4 acres of vegetables and clover pasture. There are twenty-four 150’ X 4’ vegetable beds cooperatively operated by the group (see the Bed Design and Rotation article for more information about what we’re growing), perennial plots consisting of strawberries, raspberries, rhubarb and asparagus, and seventeen 20’ X 25’ plots managed by individuals for their own use. We have several peach trees expected to begin bearing fruit this season, and have recently planted several cherry trees, plum trees, and pear trees. About half of our 4 acre area is planted in clover and grass for mulch straw production.

For the 2009 growing season, we will market some of our produce to the Farm to Folk CSA in Story County, IA. Because this is our first year selling to a CSA for several years, we will only market a handful of niche crops, such as soybeans for edamame, eggplants, and maybe some varieties of herbs. To assist this, we are collaborating with several students from the College of Design to build a post-harvest processing shed. We will also provide a portion of the vegetables for the meals at the upcoming Sustainable Agriculture Educator’s Association (SAEA) conference, to be held at Iowa State University from July 15-17.

We want to thank the students from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture for starting this website. We feel that inter-university collaborations like this one are essential to the progression of knowledge in our colleges about food and how it’s grown. We’d also like to invite students from other universities to contribute any and all advice/information they have.

By Nick Ohde, Duke of Iowa State Student Organic Farm