Welcome to Our Farm

The PEAS Farm is a community farm run by a local non-profit organization, Garden City Harvest in partnership with the Environmental Studies Program. For over 20 years, these two organizations have worked together to provide hands-on learning experiences for University of Montana students in ecological agriculture. On the PEAS Farm’s ten acres of diversified and regenerative production, students gain practical knowledge growing vegetables, tending orchard trees, raising fruits and berries, saving seeds, and supporting Missoula’s local food system.

For students interested in building a more just, equitable, and sustainable food system, the PEAS Farm offers students real-world skills in doing just that, pairing hands-on experiences with classroom learning in agroecology, food systems, and community agriculture.

The farm features four acres of annual vegetable production, an orchard, a seed garden, a Four Sisters’ garden, native plants garden, as well as a barn, hoophouses, caterpillar tunnels, and a greenhouse.

"Working at the PEAS Farm exposed me to the complexities of the food system that can't fit into a textbook. Not only that, but the PEAS farm also showcases the benefits of local agriculture at its best through a focus on community, education, and giving back." – Melody Hollar, B.S. Ecosystem Science & Restoration, 2021

Internships

Students at the PEAS Farm grow 15,000 pounds of produce annually for the Missoula Food Bank, as well as for a Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA), the Five Valleys Seed Library, and a mobile farmers market for low-income seniors.

The PEAS Farm offers three semester-based internships. Learn more about our internship courses and other opportunities to gain experience and skills in agriculture and food systems at the PEAS Farm.

"Unlike any other classroom, the PEAS farm combines connection with the environment, being an integral part of a moving system, visual and hands-on work, building of community and friendships, and the opportunity to problem solve and learn through conversation and experience." Emily Pittis, BA, Environmental Studies, 2020

A Community Farm

Josh Slotnick, former PEAS Farm Director and University of Montana lecturer, worked with students and community partners to start the farm on University land at Fort Missoula in 1997. In 2001, the farm moved to the Rattlesnake site and grew the first crops there in the summer of 2002. Garden City Harvest sub-leases the farm from the City of Missoula, which leases the land from Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS). In 2014, MCPS approved a 40-year lease with the City of Missoula to ensure the farm’s future at this site for generations to come. 

Garden City Harvest provides an annual budget that supports the farm's operations, including all the seeds, equipment, and tools, as well as the Farm Director, Field Manager, and Caretaker positions. They also run many other programs on the site that deepen students' relationships with the larger Missoula community. Those programs include a Farm-to-School Program, a Mobile Market for low-income senior citizens, and an annual Farm Party fundraiser. 

Connect with PEAS

Check out what’s happening on the farm - follow us on Instagram: @umpeasfarm.