Five years ago, two Iowa State students spent a summer volunteering for a local farmer.

They questioned why their college education wasn’t teaching them about the practical side of farming, such as financial aspects and agricultural information.

The two students approached Ricardo Salvador, associate professor in agronomy, and “Heenah Mayah” was born.

Salvador and the two students wrote to Vision2020, a group that provides money to land-grant universities.

The students received a grant, which allows the students to grow organic vegetables on six acres of ISU-provided land, Salvador said.

“The focus of the group is organic production. We wanted all aspects of the process to be as local as possible,” Salvador said, adding that “Heenah Mayah” means “Mother Earth” in Ioway, the Native American language found around Iowa.

Today, a group of about 20 ISU students who work at Heenah Mayah learn more than just the basics of farming.

“Student volunteers are interested in experiencing what work goes into making an organic farm work, how to run a business, making ends meet economically, dealing with the public and interacting with the community and university,” Salvador said.

Gina McAndrews, graduate student in agronomy, said the farm provides a good opportunity for students to apply what they learn in class.

“It’s great to be able to take what is taught in the classroom and apply it to fieldwork,” she said.

Additional support for the farm comes from customers who purchase the fresh produce grown at the student farm, as well through the Magic Beanstalk, which is a community-supported agriculture program.

Through the program, customers pay $150 per year and receive a weekly delivery of vegetables.

The produce from Heenah Mayah varies according to the season. The group also sells produce at the Downtown Farmers’ Market on Mondays and Saturdays.

An organizational meeting for the group will be held Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in Agronomy Hall, Room 1022. For additional information, contact Stacy Bastian at [email protected] or by telephone at 233-9106.