Montana State University announced on April 9 that shares are now available for its community supported agriculture (CSA) program, offering locally grown vegetables from the student-run Towne’s Harvest Garden. The CSA will run for 18 weeks this summer, providing fresh produce to MSU students, faculty, staff and local residents.
The initiative aims to support aspiring farmers in the Gallatin Valley while giving community members access to a diverse range of organic vegetables not typically found in grocery stores. Each weekly box can feed a family of four or two heavy vegetable eaters and includes both staple items and unique offerings such as Japanese salad greens and red kohlrabi. Customers can pick up their boxes every Wednesday from June 10 to October 14 at Towne’s Harvest Garden on West Garfield Street.
CSA shares cost $650 for the general public, $635 for Happy Trash Can subscribers due to a partnership with the farm, and $540 for MSU students. Subscriptions are available online until June 1 or until sold out. In addition to receiving produce, shareholders get a weekly newsletter featuring farm updates and recipe ideas.
“By supporting our CSA program, you are helping us to cover some of our upfront costs like seeds, soil and student labor, and in return we promise to give you a generous share of vegetables each week,” said Madde Gnauck, the farm’s program manager.
Those who do not wish to commit to an entire season can visit the on-farm vegetable stand on Thursdays starting July 9 or find it later in August at a central campus location. The five-acre Towne’s Harvest Garden serves as both an educational research site and working farm that teaches students about food production and community building.
Montana State University leads in research funding within Montana with annual expenditures exceeding $288 million according to the official website. The university contributes through volunteer efforts, outreach programs and research focused on improving lives and environmental conditions according to the official website. It ranks among the top five percent of global universities per the Center for World University Rankings according to the official website, enrolls approximately 17,165 students evenly split between residents and nonresidents according to the official website, operates as Montana’s land-grant university focusing on research, education and outreach according to the official website, extends its influence statewide according to the official website, and provides extensive academic programs alongside access to outdoor recreation amid vast wilderness areas according to its overview.