Out behind WinCo on Farm Road sits a small farm full of pumpkins, fitting for the fall season.
It might not look like much, but during the spring it’s full of ripe vegetables. This is the Soil Stewards Student Farm.
Students might have seen this organization selling their vegetables in the Idaho Student Union Building throughout the year. The Soil Stewards have been around the University of Idaho since 2004, said Faculty Advisor Alison Detjens. This farm is a resource for anyone, from their crops to potential green houses.
“The purpose of the farm is just be a teaching tool for anyone,” Detjens said.
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Kevin Guisasoloa, a UI geology major, has worked for the Soil Steward Student Farm for the past three semesters.
“At the beginning, it was a lot of planting and making sure everything got into the ground in a timely manner,” Guisassola said. “Later into the summer it was mostly weeding and running a market stand and making sure everything doesn’t die.”
The club allows students to get involved in the farming and harvesting process of crops producing an abundance of organically managed vegetables. While they are not certified organic yet they are working toward it in a few years Detjens said. The crops they plant include broccoli, potatoes, carrots, onions and even turnips.
Typically the stewards plant in the spring and harvest during the summer, but are working to secure space a greenhouse space to plant crops for the winter.
While the club doesn’t pay for the farm as it’s UI property, funding for everyday planting is something they don’t receive much of, Detjens said.
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But their goal in the future is to be completely self-sufficient. At the moment to bring in funds, they sell their vegetables by the Idaho Student Union building, or at the Tuesday market. They also have a partnership with the Hub, where they are able to sell some of their vegetables.
“They’ve been fantastic to work with,” Detjens said. “The executive chef is all about local food and about buying as much as he can from us.”
This means the next time a student is eating a vegetable in the Hub, it could be from the Soil Student Steward Farm.
While selling at the Farmers Market would seem like a good fit, they don’t want to compete with local farmers trying to make a living, Detjens said.
What makes this club unique is anyone can join regardless of the major. A student’s major doesn’t have to be related to farming or plants.
“Anyone can join, anyone can participate,” Detjens said. “The point is to make food and farming accessible.”
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Brendan Kiele, a UI first-year, majoring in civil engineering, grew up in a rural area so he has some experience growing a garden. But he joined the club because it was something different than his major.
Camilla Ditton, a UI third-year student majoring in horticulture, has been a part of the club for two years.
“I saw a thing for it at the Palousafest,” Ditton said. “I got a gourd from them and I was pretty much hooked.”
Ditton also weeds crops and picks flowers for the club. Her favorite time is when they get to pick flowers in mid-July and bring them to the Tuesday market. She said she hopes more people will join the club because right now they have anywhere from 10 to 15 members, and the more people they have the more work they can get done.
With all the people attracted to the club, Detjens said there are students who are hoping to do a student market. This would mean getting clubs such as animal science clubs, the Hydroponic Club and even their club. That is a plan for the future, and Detjens hopes it’ll materialize for next year.
The Soil Stewards Student Farm meets at 5 p.m. every Tuesday at the Soil Stewards Student Farm behind WinCo. Anyone, regardless of the major, is welcome to join and learn how to farm.
Ryan Hill can be reached at [email protected]