CSA and Composting Programs

Garden fresh veggies, the sustainable way!

The majority of what ACRES does involves cultivating crops that are later donated to local food insecurity relief organizations and given in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. ACRES also strives to be sustainable in every respect, so the farm operates using organic methods and practices whenever possible. This means that we greatly restrict use of any synthetic pesticides or fertilizers with our precious vegetables. Our primary source of fertilizer comes from fish emulsion, an organic fertilizer. We rotate our crops every season and amend the soil with our very own compost, bringing the sustainability full circle; from soil, to crops, to compost, and then back to soil. These sustainable advantages are passed on to you, as our produce travels only a few miles from where it's grown to where it's sold. Scroll down to learn more about our CSA program, composting, and more!

CSA Program

What is a CSA? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, a program in which members buy a "share" (or a half share) of produce at the beginning of the season and then receive a basket of said produce every week of the season. CSA programs form a more intimate relationship between farmers and consumers, as the consumers share the risks and benefits of farming. For example, if the farmer has a more high-yielding crop year than usual, CSA participants will likely share in the bounty. However, if the farm's spinach is wiped out by a natural disaster, the farm as well as the CSA members will share the loss.

Interested in joining the ACRES CSA Program for the summer of 2022? For more information, email us at uwstudentfarm@gmail.com and we will send you a copy of our CSA contract.

Composting

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we have suspended our composting program for the time being. However, our community compost program is still active.

How it works: Three times a week, we drive around town in our farm truck and collect vegetable and fruit scraps, egg shells, and coffee grounds from campus, local restaurants and coffee shops. We then haul this precious organic matter back to the farm where we add it to our compost piles, and after several months of decomposition, the compost piles have been transformed from lowly kitchen waste into nutrient-packed soil. We then use this top quality soil amendment to grow our own veggies!

If you would like to donate your own kitchen scraps to ACRES, we have a community drop-off point at the farm located right inside the gate. For directions, check our Maps and Directions page.