Establishing a Student Organic Farm at the University of Nebraska â•fi Lincoln: Collected Ideas from Student Organic Farms at Other Midwestern Universities

The purpose of this study was to investigate and discover what is necessary to establish a Student Organic Farm (SOF) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL). A case study evaluated student farms at three different Midwestern Universities: University of Wisconsin (UW), University of Minnesota (UM), and Iowa State University (ISU). The study consisted of an investigation into the establishment of each university’s SOF and the factors contributing to each SOF’s success. The investigation was conducted over the course of a six day field study in August 2012 at the three universities. Prior contacts with key players from the three universities resulted in productive tours of the farms and focused interviews. The findings from the field investigation show there were factors related to experiential learning, community engagement, and student research from each SOF that contributed to their success. Factors for success are taken from each of the three schools and molded together for a SOF proposal for UNL.