The SOF is 10 acres of certified organic land, with 16,000 ft square feet of passive solar greenhouses (hoop houses) and 2000 square feet of heated greenhouses. In addition to vegetable, fruit, and flower production fields and gardens, it includes a unique ¾ acre Edible Forest Garden along with a flock of 60 laying hens, 5 beehives, a small grove of sugar maples for maple sugaring, and a small mushroom production area.
The SOF also has an active outreach program focusing on passive solar greenhouse production and working with rural and urban growers across the state on organic year round production for local markets.
Undergraduate and graduate students both paid farm crew and volunteers are among the many groups of people that utilize the farm including the CSA, MSU and Lansing Community Collage Classes, RISE (Residential Initiative for Study in the Environment) and the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Specializations at MSU, student and faculty research projects, the Certificate Program, school tours, as well as the public who are welcome as volunteers and visitors. Many of the smaller projects including the laying hens, bees, maple sugaring, and mushrooms are or have been student initiated projects that occur at the farm often in partnership with other interested people or groups.
