Campus Student Organic Farm

The Campus Student Organic Farm (CSOF) at Oakland University is a community of students, faculty and staff committed to nourishing the local community through exceptional education and community engagement programs, fresh healthy food, and plenty of fun! The CSOF is a diversified vegetable farm growing over 50 different types of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs located at 3070 Butler Road in the southeast corner of campus at the intersection of Adams and Butler roads.

For more information about the 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.

We grow more than vegetables — we grow leaders!

Your support helps fund the student crew we need to make the farm the valuable educational and community resource it is today.

Organic Farms Gifts (30327) — The support from OUFD donors in 2023 was invaluable in helping to support our wonderful student farm crew for the summer! The crew had opportunities to help build our new "Salad Palace" hoophouse for our Grizz Greens program, participated in several kids-farming activities (Many Hands Garden - Math Corps, Take Your Cubs to Work Day, Biology Camp, OU CARES camp) as well as the diverse farm activities across the season. The farm crew positions are educational and inspirational jobs that provide leadership and teamwork training that will go beyond the farm. Thank you, donors!

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.

Academics

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.

Fresh, Healthy Food

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 Involved

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

Dodge Hall Rm 375
118 Library Dr
Rochester, MI 48309-4479
(location map)
(248) 370-3550
fax: (248) 370-4225