Top Romen and pizza are often a staple for college students, but University of Idaho ecology student Brita Olson, prefers a closer connection to her food.
“I care about the environment and I care about the food I put in my body,” said Olson, who also serves as Soil Stewards president. “The Soil Stewards is a community that celebrates both of those things.”
About 30 volunteers, mostly UI students, manage the Soil Stewards organic farm. When they aren’t on the farm or in the greenhouse, club members work to educate students about their work and the importance of organic farming.
“It’s more than just the act of eating organic,” said Jodi Johnson-Maynard, Soil Stewards adviser. “It’s supporting this lower intensity, which relies more on natural farming practices to produce a sustainable crop year after year.”
Johnson-Maynard grew up outside of Los Angeles, and she said life in the city helped her realize the importance of growing sustainable produce. She said the push for local and organic products is not just a small-town trend, but a growing nationwide movement.
“Most days, I feel like we are trying to keep up with the rest of the community,” Johnson-Maynard said. “More and more people are interested in exploring these sustainable ways.”
The push for organic farming has led to the need for a bigger, more prominent location for the student-run farm.
The Soil Stewards are in the process of moving from their current location between the golf course and the cemetery on Troy Highway 8, to a new plot of land behind Winco near the UI Sheep Center — only 2.5 miles east of campus.
“We want to be a more visible aspect of this community,” Olson said. “We are working on shifting our business model and serving our produce at locations on campus.”
Previously, the club has functioned under the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model, in which they grew produce for 20 to 30 shareholders throughout the season.
“Our new model will be based upon sales at the Moscow Farmer’s market, making our produce more accessible to a wider community and sales to Sodexo, who will serve our produce to students,” Olson said.
Moscow’s Saturday Farmers Market, the Moscow Food Co-op and individual shareholders have traditionally served as primary distributors for the club’s produce, but a shift may be on the horizon. Soon, Soil Stewards could predominantly sell locally grown fruits and vegetables on campus and at Bob’s Place.
“As consumers, we have the responsibility to preserve a sustainable product,” said Kara Fletcher, the vice president of the club. “That’s why I support organic farming.”
A fence will soon stand around the new acreage, but the soil is being used for wheat farming. The new site will be fully prepared by fall 2014.
Johnson-Maynard said the expansion will allow for more efficient rotations, better soil quality, the possibly of fruit trees and a permanent structure for equipment.
“There is a pyramid of sustainability — environment, people and economy,” Olson said. “We use that model in our farm because we want to use the best practices, really stewarding the basis of our food chain.”
Written by Alexia Neal