ACRES Farm is a student-operated farm since 2007. They provide fresh fruits and vegetables from their farm in east Laramie to Laramites.
ACRES Farm was established in 2007 by a group of agriculture students supported by the college of agriculture faculty.
Betsy Trana, ACRES Student Farm vice president said, “I don’t remember the date exactly, I think it was 2007, as far as I understand it was a group of students who are interested in it, and then faculty that decided to support it.”
ACRES farm helps many agriculture students to fill their internship requirements.
“They wanted to have a place where they can have internships, like agro ecology students, they are required to have so many credit hours as internships, the farm allowed a place to do that,” Trana said.
ACRES farm provides Laramie community with a wide variety of vegetables as well as raspberries and strawberries.
Trana said, “We pretty much grow vegetables, we have raspberries and strawberries, but everything else is pretty much veggies.”
ACRES farm sell their products at the farmers market during summers and through community supported agriculture programs.
“We sell at the farmers market in the summer, when those are going on. Our big thing is the community supported agriculture, it’s basically where people in the community will buy a full or half share, depending on how much veggies they want,” Trana said.
During the summer ACRES Farm sells portions of vegetables, a half share for $22 a week and a full share for $30 a week.
“Throughout the summer we raise vegetables and make up portions, every week people come and pick up their vegetables,” Trana said.
Trana said ACRES Farm also participates in marketing activities, and are trying to increase student participation.
“We do the Friday posters sometimes. I don’t know that we do tons of marketing for our products on campus, but definitely we are trying to get students involved,” Trana said.
ACRES Farm also offers paid positions in the summer months.
“In the summer we usually hire on a fulltime position, like a farm manager and then we’ll hire someone under that manager, whether on fulltime or part time basis,” Trana said.
The hardest thing ACRES Farm has faced during their eight-year history is getting enough people to work with them.
“So far the hardest thing has been getting enough people involved, we can get everything planted, but then we may or may not have people to keep harvested,” Trana said.
