Volunteer at Microfarm

When can I volunteer?

During the summer we offer limited workday volunteer slots on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6pm-8pm. You must sign up on our GivePulse page using beforehand using your UT EID. GivePulse: https://utexas.givepulse.com/event/293655-Summer-2022-Workdays

For the Fall 2022 semester, Individual and Group Volunteering Sessions are offered every Sunday from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm, starting August 28th. We have not yet released group reservations for fall 2022.

Due to the continued COVID pandemic, we are STRONGLY encouraging masks while volunteering with us, to keep our team and other volunteers safe. We follow UT RecSports guidelines, and any policy decisions made through them, we follow. We are lucky enough to have 1/2 an acre of outdoor space and will separate volunteers into smaller groups throughout our space. Your safety is our priority when volunteering with us!

How do I (or groups of 3 or less) sign up?

Individual volunteers and groups of 4 or fewer do not need to sign up. Simply show up at the farm during any session! Please arrive at or before 10:30 am; it throws a wrench in things if people show up late after projects have been started.

How do groups of 5 or more sign up?

During the fall and spring semesters, student orgs and other groups of 5 or more can register to volunteer by emailing microfarm@utenvironment.org. Sessions can fill up and are available on a first come, first serve basis; please refer to the google calendar linked below for open group sessions. Our sessions fill up at 30 people, so get scheduled today! For the fall 2022 semester, our open group sessions have not yet opened. Please email us to be put on the waitlist!

How do I get there? Where can I park?

The farm is located at 4901 Guadalupe St (zip: 78751) at the Whitaker IM Fields. Parking in the lots is limited to those with a UT Parking Pass (of any kind). However, there is plenty of street parking around that’s free on Sundays and there is a quick bus route from campus! To find the farm, enter on the side with the Tennis Courts and through the office.

What will we be doing?

A lot goes into maintaining a farm, even a microfarm. Volunteers can expect to help with a range of tasks, including planting, harvesting, composting, weeding, mulching, beautifying, and more. Volunteer work at the farm helps support our mission of being an educational community resource. Due to the lack of volunteers throughout the pandemic, the farm has become overgrown. You are helping us rebeautify the farm! Sessions are about 75% volunteer work and 25% education and discussion. However, due to the rise of the omicron variant, we are putting our educational component on hold for a few weeks to prevent crowding together for long periods of time. In addition to farm work, we’ll spend some time showing you and your group around the farm and discussing issues relating to the quality, justice, and biology of food.

What do we need to bring?

A reusable water bottle (there is a water fountain in the tennis building)
A mask! (strongly recommended due to the rise of the Omicron variant)
Closed-toed shoes (socks that cover ankles recommended, stops mosquito bites)
Your student ID (required to enter!)
An open mind!

We provide tools, gloves, and gardening instructions.

What about weather and cancellations?

Check our Instagram Page if the weather looks questionable. We post all scheduling changes/updates there. If you need to cancel a group reservation, please email microfarm@utenvironment.org no less than a week in advance.