Say the word “farm” to Iowans and generally they envision hundreds of acres of corn or soybeans, stretching in perfect rows as far as the eye can see. The ISU Organic Farm wants to diversify that vision.

The Organic Farm, which is west of Towers Residence Halls on Mortensen Road, is home to six acres of organically grown crops. Alleys of herbs, heirloom tomatoes, hot peppers and other vegetables grow without the help of pesticides and herbicides.

Mulch is used to conserve moisture and prevent soil-borne diseases from attacking plants. Marigolds and fences attempt to keep rabbits out. Student volunteers keep the weeds in check.

“It takes a dedicated few to make sure things happen on a timely basis,” said Rhonda Graef, treasurer of the farm. She said that anywhere from two to 10 students volunteered every week during the summer and harvesting. In addition to regular student volunteers, the farm hires two part-time managers during the summer.

Even at the beginning of September, the farm is still teeming with vegetables, fruits and flowers. Bouquets of green peppers hide under their plant leaves, tomatoes cling to wooden, tepee-style trellises, and small red potatoes poke just above the soil. Gangly sunflowers border the plots, their heavy heads pulled to the ground instead of the sun.

The array of crops changes every year, said Graef, graduate student in sustainable agriculture. After the final vegetables are harvested, the volunteers will plant a cover crop, such as oats, to maintain the soil during the winter. Four acres of the farm are permanently devoted to an alfalfa crop, which the animal science department maintains. The remainder is left to the ISU Organic Farm Club to cultivate, and plants are rotated on a yearly basis.

The bulk of the vegetables grown on the farm are committed to Magic Beanstalk Community Supported Agriculture, a group devoted to providing fresh, locally grown foods to community members. Up to 85 producers meet weekly at the Unitarian Universalist Church during the growing season at the to buy, sell, and exchange their crops.

Graef said any other vegetables are sold at a farmers’ market in downtown Ames. Cut flowers are also sold at market. In addition to the regular farm plots, each volunteer has the opportunity to cultivate his or her own garden, paying for their plot with volunteer hours. Volunteers’ gardens bear everything from okra to leeks, with varying degrees of maintenance and farming philosophy – some are kept with a militant neatness, while others favor a more wild look.

Students who work at the farm do not necessarily have a background in agriculture. “No previous knowledge is required,” Graef said. “Just a desire for good food.”

The farm strives to “strengthen local food systems and promote ecologically sensitive agriculture in Iowa,” according to its brochure. Founded in 1996 by students who were involved with the Magic Beanstalk CSA, the farm has since grown and switched locations.

It moved to its current location in 1998, and has acquired a packing shed and an outdoor classroom. The group is not politically involved, said Brian Keehner, undergraduate intern at the farm, despite the current controversy over large farmers and hog lots.

In recent weeks, the outdoor classroom has hosted developmentally disabled and underprivileged children from groups such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters and Childserve. As part of the lesson, children were encouraged to discover where food comes from.

“Let them touch it, smell it, and let them know what it is,” said Keehner, senior in agronomy. Keehner is working to foster more community and student involvement with the farm. He grew up in what he calls a “traditional Iowa farming community.”

“If you come from a typical Iowa farm, this is different,” Keehner said.

He said it was a trip to China that piqued his interest in different types of agriculture.

Mary Wiedenhoeft, co-adviser to the farm, said reaction is “mixed” when she tells people she is involved in organic farming. Despite the reaction, Wiedenhoeft, associate professor of agronomy, said organic farming is a “great hands-on experience for students.”