The location of the 1-acre Utah State University Student Organic Farm at 1750 N 800 E in Logan, UT. 

The view from a tractor at the Utah State Student Organic Farm

Some of the fresh greens grown at the Student Farm

The Utah State Student Organic Farm began in the spring of 2008 when Dr. Jennifer Reeve, Dr. Dan Drost, and over thirty USU graduate and undergraduate students broke ground on what is now a successful commercial and educational landmark[1]. Dr. Reeve, who is a faculty advisor to the farm, says that, “Fewer and fewer students that actually attend agricultural colleges are from an agricultural background, so they really need that hands-on experience in order to graduate." She has also observed growing student interest in urban farming, local farming, small-scale farming and a subsequent demand for those kinds of programs[2].This demand for local agricultural opportunities mirrors a national and even international surge in interest as more and more people want to know where their food comes from and how it is grown. For example, the number of community-supported agriculture operations in the United States (like the Student Organic Farm) increased from 50 in 1985 to 2500 in 2008[3].

The student organic farm functions as a community-supported agriculture operation. Subscribers purchase shares at the beginning of the season and in return receive a weekly basket of the produce as it becomes available throughout the growing season. This arrangement reduces the financial risk for the farm, as it receives its income as the season begins and can budget expenses accordingly, though subscribers won’t know exactly how much produce they will get as the season progresses. According to student intern Joe Montoya, subscriber demand helps determine what will be grown at the Farm[4].