About F.H. King

Founded in 1979, F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture is a registered student organization that encourages education and hands-on experience with small scale sustainable agriculture. Through lectures and workshops, potlucks and speakers, we strive to establish the relationship between land, food and the UW-Madison campus community as well as the surrounding community.

To pursue our mission, F.H. King operates a two acre farm located on campus next to the Eagle Heights Community Garden. We follow organic practices, yet do not currently grow on certified organic land. Although F.H. King has two garden directors, we rely on volunteers to tend the farm and are open to teaching any individual how to maintain a garden. During the growing season, volunteers plant, weed, harvest and wash over sixty different varieties of produce. Over seventy-five percent of our produce is then donated back to students on campus. As a student run organization, F.H. King receives funding through the UW-Madison student government, ASM (Associated Students of Madison). Through our direct service to students, we distribute our produce through a program called Harvest Handouts. At Library Mall, F.H. King sets up a small farm stand every Friday between June and October. During this time we also inform students of how their food is grown and who grew it. Harvest Handouts also serves as a venue to provide students with tips on how to cook with vegetables such as kohlrabi, which might be unfamiliar to students. In 2008, F.H. King started a demonstration CSA with ten shares. This was UW-Madison’s first student run CSA. It ran for twenty weeks and generated a small return with which we put right back into purchasing supplies for our farm and creating a CSA Coordinator position for our 2009 CSA. During 2009, F.H. King increased the amount of land in production and now has a twenty-one share CSA with student families in the Eagle Heights neighborhood. The relationship with the local community is helping to mitigate some of the food insecurities in this community. For more information on the CSA, click the tab on the top of the page.

When we’re not out on the land, F.H. King’s directors and volunteers dedicate their time to planning and facilitating hands-on workshops. Workshops and lectures focus on sustainable growing practices, food preparation, cooking and storage as well as how to run a successful garden. Past topics have included cover-cropping, season extension, canning, raw foods preparation, brewing, and cheese making