Student Organic Farm

The MSU Student Organic Farm provides a place where all students can volunteer, work, tour and connect with the land that sustains us. It is a place where undergraduates get their hands in the soil, eat tomatoes in the warm summer sun and make lasting contributions to the development of our campus food traditions.

As an important institutional asset—we think the farm is as special as Spartan Stadium—students learn about organic agriculture, producing organic fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs by working to restore natural ecological processes in our farming. The SOF is a place where students find a sense of belonging to something greater than themselves, and in so doing they form a lasting community with each other.

Give to the Student Organic Farm and help us extend this opportunity to more students in 2024!

From Engineering to Horticulture to Anthropology to Arabic, our students come from a range of disciplines, bringing wonderfully diverse perspectives to the farm and taking their farming experiences and greater understanding of the food system back to their various fields of study. Whether they become farmers or chefs, doctors or lawyers, business owners or teachers, students gain confidence and build career skills on the farm that last a lifetime.

The ingredients to the Student Organic Farm’s success are sunshine, water, good soil and the support of the MSU community. Through your generous donations, we will be able to continue providing a wide variety of programming, paid crew positions, improve our infrastructure, and expand our capacity to provide fresh nutritious food to student families in need at MSU.

Your Support Will Make a Huge Difference! 

Your gift to the Student Organic Farm will help us expand our student experience and outreach capacity. See how these areas will make an impact below! 

Student Food Security. The SOF has developed strong partnerships with the Student Parent Resource Center and Student Food Bank by donating surplus produce. This year, over 3,000 lbs of local organic produce have been donated to the Spartan community. 

Hoop House Automation. Six hoop houses allow the farm to be in year-round vegetable production. Adding automatic roll-up sides will expand capacity and increase efficiency. Not only that but student farmers will also be exposed to a common piece of equipment in the sustainable agriculture industry. 

Who Grows There?

The MSU Student Organic Farm is now a program of Student Life and Engagement. We are a 20 acre certified organic, year-round educational farm. It is a place where students are able to engage with growing food and growing their knowledge of sustainable food systems while becoming campus leaders. Students at the SOF participate field trips, internships, capstone projects, and service learning connections with credit-bearing undergraduate courses at MSU. We also offer an 8-month Organic Farmer Training Program (OFTP) in year-round organic farming.

 Our harvest goes to:

• MSU SOF’s Community Supported Agriculture
• MSU dining halls
• Allen Neighborhood CSA
• MSU Student Parent Resource Center
• MSU Student Food Bank

Make a Gift by Mail:

University Advancement
Spartan Way
535 Chestnut Road, Room 300
East Lansing, MI 48824

*Make check payable to Michigan State University and write “Appeal 25OOPCF1GTSOF” in the note section.

Connect with Us

• facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MSUSOF
• instagram - https://www.instagram.com/msu_studentorganicfarm
• MSU website - https://organicfarm.msu.edu/

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