Activities

Every activity about the farm is sanctioned by Dr. Kelly Kindscher and the KBS.

Please contact us if you have any questions or interested in volunteering!

PROJECTS

The on-going projects at the farm are supported by our KU Student Senate and physical labour put in by our faculty and student members. We collaborate and engage with the community for resources and skills on a volunteered basis. Enjoy reading about some of their accomplishments over the years.

KU Student Farm Bee Hotel

This is a collaborative effort between the KU Architecture Department and the student members.

Rain Catchment System

stay tuned…

Compost System

stay tuned…

Outreach: Traditions & Building Community

Community building is an important aspect to building a movement. Building traditions within an organization is one concrete way that groups can work towards strengthening community relationships, the cornerstone of any effort to build community. We continue to cultivate our relationships in the community. Check out some of our new and long-standing traditions!

Some are yearly events (see Traditions section) that we volunteer at and others are fall events where we typically volunteer at local charity-based gardens.

Lawrence Community Shelter

In 2014 we had the pleasure of going to help at the LCS garden twice. We constructed a compost system using old pallets. We hope the community has made full use of them and are enjoying some rich compost.

July Full Moon Potluck

In the summer of 2014 we hosted our first Full Moon Potluck. We invited the KAW Council to come and share with us their work in the community. The event was so successful that we instituted it as our newest tradition. In 2015, Ken Lassman, author of Wild Douglas County, owner of the KAW Valley Almanac, and KAW Council member, facilitated a conversation meant to introduce leaders on campus with those working in region. Representatives came and shared about sustainability efforts around energy, food, policy, and prairie ecosystems. Some of the attending groups include the KU Center for Sustainability, the Grassland Heritage Foundation, Mother Earth News Fair, The KU Center for Community Outreach, KAW Council, Kansas Women’s Environmental Network, the Kaw Valley Seed Fair, and the Douglas County Food Policy Council. We hope to continue to build a relationship with the KAW Council to facilitate this yearly potluck meant to engage and connect leaders in our community.

We encourage students to get involved with organizations in the community. There are so many great groups working towards bettering the planet. We hope the annual potluck can help to align campus and community sustainability initiatives. Want to co-host the 2016 Full Moon Potluck? Contact us at kufarming@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved.

FUNDRAISING

Kaw Valley Seed Fair

For years our members have volunteered at this much beloved community event. We table at the Kaw Valley Seed Fair and contribute seeds to the exchange tables. We also always have volunteers helping the organization on event day to keep the event tidy, take pictures, and/or help set-up and tear down. Our community garden is also an effort in producing quality local seed stock. We have been saving amaranth, tomato, pepper, zinnia, marigold, dill, fennel, and morning glory seeds. We hope to add more seed saving to our efforts every year. We continue to engage our members about learning the importance of saving seeds for sustainable bioregional seed production.

City of Lawrence Earth Day

We love our local Earth Day Celebration. Every April we bring out free seeds and talk to the community about sustainable agriculture. We love the Lawrence community and this is a wonderful event that allows us to meet great people who are interesting in bettering the planet. Check out their 2015 event report! The City of Lawrence and KU Environs help make this event happen every year! Check out KU Environs, the longest running sustainability-related group on campus, they are awesome!

Ecumenical Campus Ministries: Veggie Lunch Program

Veggie Lunch at the ECM is a long-standing community meal that happens every Thursday, 11:30-1pm. Community members and students come for a healthy vegetarian meal prepared by volunteers. Over the past 2 years, the farm has committed to preparing 2-3 meals a semester. This is a great opportunity to contribute local farm produce to the meals and to offer our members an opportunity to cook for others. A small contribution helps keep the program running so bring your spare change and/or help out with set-up or clean-up. As of 2016, the farm’s community garden will be a charity-based garden where students can grow food to donate to causes like Veggie Lunch!