Our UT Microfarm just hit its 10th anniversary since being established! We have spent years making this farm truly unique to our university and connect us to people from various backgrounds. Having such increasingly important aspects of the farm especially towards the environment during this day and age is very inspiring. This inclusion of students in the Green Movement is one of the many things we are really excited to celebrate. We are also really proud of the many accomplishments that were not only made this past semester but also throughout the 10 years and we can’t wait to make this Microfarm even better in the future! Join us in celebrating the farm by attending our workdays and spend time making our farm a better place! And as always, hook’em!!

A Brief (Complete) History of the Farm

In 2012, Architecture student Daniella Lewis established Microfarm at a one-fifth acre site on Leona St. with funding from the Green Fund, formerly the Green Fee. The Green Fund is a grant program that is funded by student tuition fees ($5 per semester and $2.50 per summer session) to support sustainability projects. Learn more about the Green Fund, including how to apply, deadlines, and past funded projects.

In 2018, we moved from Leona to our new half acre site at the Whitaker Tennis Courts. The transition required lots of time and labor since we had to rebuild from an empty, grass-covered plot. Because the farm is on a floodplain, we built to slow water flow and soil erosion. First, we dug a ditch around the fields and filled it with gravel. Second, we created our berms and swales in the fields. Then, we moved the community plots, added two sheds, pulled weeds, built the compost and mulch bays, installed irrigation lines and our rainwater catchment bin, planted fruit trees, and set up the learning and xeriscape garden. Learn more on our What’s at the Farm tab. 

In Fall 2019, we planted crops at our new site for the first time! From the first planting, we harvested veggies that we donated to UT Outpost. Today, we still plant and harvest for Outpost at our Whitaker fields.

Leona St. Site Gallery

Whitaker Site Transformation Gallery