Campus Student Organic Farm
2025 Community Supported Agricultural Program
FARM SHARE
The Campus Student Organic Farm (CSOF) announces the opportunity to receive a weekly FARM SHARE of our bountiful harvests throughout the growing season through the Community Supported Agriculture (commonly known as CSA) model. The CSOF is a bio-intensive, diversified vegetable farm, growing 40+ different types of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs in accordance to USDA National Organic Program guidelines and best practices. Students, faculty, staff, community members (and potentially, you!) all contribute their knowledge, skills, and time throughout the year to bring you a colorful, fresh, diverse and healthy array of seasonal organic produce!
Share Definition and Terms
For the 2025 season, the CSOF is offering Personal Farm Shares for the FULL SEASON as well as for partial seasons (EARLY, LATE SEASONS). A Personal Share is approximately 1/2 bushel of farm produce, appropriate for 2 people. A share generally weighs 8-10 pounds and sometimes more. Shares will always consist of a minimum of five different seasonal offerings. Our weekly FLOWER SHARE consists of a large seasonal bouquet of fresh-cut flowers.
- FULL SEASON SHARE - 16 weeks: May 14 - Aug 22* $380
- EARLY SUMMER SHARE - 6 weeks: June 6 - July 18 $170
- LATE SUMMER - 6 weeks: July 25 - Aug 28 $180
- NEW THIS YEAR: FALL SHARE- 4 weeks: Oct 27 - Nov 17 $100
- FLOWER SHARE - 8 weeks: July 21 - Sept 8* $ 80
NOTE: *Exact start dates for produce shares (indicated by week) are tentative as they are weather-dependent.
The CSOF Farm Share program will distribute shares by member pick-up at the Student Organic Farm located at 3070 Butler Rd, Rochester, MI 48309-4475.
Distribution days:
Full season: Mondays
Early and Late Season: Fridays
Flowers: Monday or Friday
Shares are not distributed on Memorial, Independence, and Labor Day holidays.
Questions? Contact [email protected] or [email protected].
Enrollment
An online order link will be provided as soon as it is available. Send an email to [email protected] to express your interest. Early enrollment is advised, as the number of shares is limited.
Shareholder Responsibility
Your membership helps to assure that we have advance funding to hire the student leaders needed for the summer. This allows the CSOF to continue as the successful and productive operation it has always been, if not better. We ask that shareholders understand the inherent risks and rewards and adventure involved in local agriculture.
Shares will be picked up at the CSOF between noon and 6:00 PM on Mondays or Fridays (depending on share type). Shareholders are responsible for bringing their own re-usable bag and picking up their weekly share at the designated time and location. Please note: We regret that we are unable to give refunds. Also, we do not have staff or storage systems to save a member’s share for pick-up at another time except for a rare emergency. Consequently, we ask that shareholders either notify the CSOF of a “pass” (produce will be donated) if they cannot use the produce, or enlist someone to pick up their share if they are unable to pick up their share in person. It is not uncommon for individuals to arrange to “share a share.”
CSOF Responsibility
The CSOF will work to ensure that risk is minimized and quality is maximized, but cannot fully control the quality, quantity and frequency of specific crops in the share due to adverse weather and other circumstances. In the event of an extenuating circumstance that severely adversely affects share distribution or quantity/quality, we will make all possible accommodations to rectify the deficiency in a future share distribution or extend the duration of the share, depending on the situation. Refunds will not be given.
Included with the shares will be a Farm Share Newsletter. This is a weekly update to include produce-based recipes, highlights of the produce in upcoming shares, profiles of the students and community growing the food, farm events and more!
Questions?
For more information about academic programs, class farm tours, or scheduling group activities at the farm, contact Dr. Fay Hansen, Farm Director, at [email protected] or 248-894-2841 (text is preferable; please identify yourself) or [email protected]. You can also check out the farm's Facebook account.
Transcript
The farm allows anyone to come and volunteer. Through that, there’s class periods, group discussions - family-style - where you really learn about the benefits of the food and the benefits that it does for the environment that you live in.
I think it’s really important to know where your food comes from and how to grow your own food, especially for emergency sake purposes. I think it’s just a safety thing that’s really good to know. I’m actually an education major. I have nothing to do with farming or anything like that but it’s kind of, more so, a hobby.
It’s something that anyone can be a part of whether you want to work hands-on or whether you want to do research or if you’re just interested in learning about being helpful and mindful of what you’re putting in your body.
We’re all pretty friendly, so we always like to support each other in what they’re doing and you have lots of different ideas and opinions around here and different backgrounds. Very few have the same major but we’re all interested in food and stuff like that.
I don’t know, it’s kind of just opened my eyes to a whole new world and it’s a cool and fun experience that I think anybody should come and at least learn a little bit of.
We offer courses covering biology, ecology, food systems, human health and more. This is a list of the undergraduate courses currently available:
- BIO 3360 - Organic Farming (lecture)
- BIO 3361 - Applied Organic Farming (lab & field studies)
- BIO 3362 - Permaculture
- BIO 3363 - Permaculture Laboratory
- BIO 4338 - Food Systems Biology
The Organic Farming and Permaculture courses give Oakland students a hands-on learning opportunity that examines the relationships between food, fiber, and fuel production practices as well as gain an understanding of sustainability and community health.
Courses are not just for students interested in biology, sustainability, nutrition or farming. They provide an intersection between numerous disciplines and emphasize problem-solving, teamwork and collaboration.
Several major concentrations such as healthcare, education, business, marketing, and communications could all benefit from the hands-on training that an organic farm has to offer.
We offer an Urban Agriculture and Agroecology Minor and also provide students many opportunities to perform community service or complete a special project for their classes.
The farm grows over 50 varieties of fresh produce and cut flowers. Produce is harvested from our gardens and distributed to the campus community through our weekly summer/fall Campus Farm stand and through subscriptions to a Farm Share program.
Farm stand: Our student-operated Campus Farm stand is held weekly. The farm stand is located on the lawn near the Oakland Center and Elliot Tower. In case of inclement weather the farm stand will be located under the awning of the Oakland Center.
Farmshares: Produce is also distributed through our Farm Share program, which is based on the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) model. A Farm Share consists of a weekly half-bushel share of the farm’s seasonal produce, consisting of 4-8 varieties of produce, depending on the season. Contact [email protected] for details on price, dates, and availability.
Feeding the Community: We offer our volunteers “farmer food” and donate produce to several nonprofit services in the area.
Grizz Greens: The farm donates fresh produce to the Golden Grizzlies Pantry.
Get hands-on experience at the farm, at the Campus Farmstand or at events. Volunteer opportunities are communicated through our email list and Facebook. Alternatively you may send an email to [email protected] for more information.
OU students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to work directly with the farm through the Growing Grizzlies. The organization helps distribute produce on campus to students as well as local nonprofit organizations. They provide education and student/community engagement opportunities on food systems and health including educational/demonstration events, speakers, film screenings, farm potlucks, campus events and more. Contact [email protected], or follow them on Facebook.
The Campus Student Organic Farm also hosts interns from the Environmental Sciences (ENV), Integrated Studies Program and others.
The farm offers student employment and leadership opportunities. The Summer Student Campus Corp (SSCC) is a full time summer (May-August) program designed to give students work experience. Students interested in a particular focus of food systems can apply for Work Study at the farm.
Department of Biological Sciences
118 Library Dr
Rochester, MI 48309-4479
(location map)
(248) 370-3550
fax: (248) 370-4225
[email protected]
Department of Biological Sciences
118 Library Dr
Rochester, MI 48309-4479
(location map)
(248) 370-3550
fax: (248) 370-4225