The opportunity to meet the farmer who planted, cultivated and harvested the ingredients in any given salad bowl is not usually feasible at a large grocery store.

But through the MSU Student Organic Farm, this one-on-one relationship between farmer and consumer is always a reality.

The farm, where students and faculty grow a variety of vegetables, is a year-round, grant-funded organization located in the back of the Horticulture Teaching and Research Center.

"It brings research, teaching and outreach all to one place, all in one project," horticulture Professor John Biernbaum said. "The farm exceeded my expectations for the first year."

In a cooperative effort, the farm offers memberships to students, faculty and community members through a national center that follows the Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA, format.

According to the CSA Web site, the concept of the farm is to connect community members, farmers, agriculture and land in a relationship of mutual support based on an annual commitment to one another. The farm sells memberships for weekly shares, where members are able to visit the farm and pick their products and meet the farmers.

East Lansing residents Michael and Anne Conwell have been members of the MSU Student Organic Farm since this past summer.

"We joined (the farm) because of the fresh produce and supporting the concept of community," Michael Conwell said.

The farm currently has about 25 shares, but it is looking to double membership numbers for next season, which begins May 1.

On Thursday night, newcomers,such as Simon Billinge gathered for an informational session on starting a membership with the farm.

"We like the whole concept of getting close to farmers for some great-tasting vegetables," the physics professor said.

Billinge said he also looks forward to being able to do some gardening with his kids at the farm.

In addition to memberships, the farm donates a large quantity of its crops to a soup kitchen in the Emanuel First Lutheran Church, 1001 N. Capitol Ave. in Lansing.

"I was amazed," said Michelle Ferrarese, farm manager and horticulture graduate student. "We had way more food than needed and were able to give big donations."

From the beginning, the farm has been an educational effort, whether for personal research or to teach the greater MSU community about organic farming and small-scale agriculture. The main focus of the project is year-round food growth, including heating techniques and composting.

Throughout the first year, several different classes visited the farm and farmers visited classes as guest speakers. Farm educational coordinator and horticulture graduate student Emily Reardon said the biggest concern of the farm is how to reach out to undergraduates. The farm has lots of opportunities available for jobs and internships, not just for people in horticulture degrees, she said.

Even with the farm's first-season success, there were years of hard work and careful planning put into it. For five years, the group wrote proposals and brainstormed concepts that led to funding for the project.

"The success of the farm is confirmation of what can happen when a small group of passionate people start with a positive vision and invite others to participate," Biernbaum said.

Future plans include creating an 18-month certification program for small-scale, year-round farms in the agricultural technology institute at MSU. The participants also are interested in adding onto the farm and trying new things, such as combining animals and crops together in the same environment. Biernbaum also has experimented on his own with root cellars, underground food storage areas, and said he hopes someday to build one for the organic farm.

"I look forward to each day and what the future will bring because we are just getting started," Biernbaum said. "We are at the right place at the right time. Issues of rising healthcare costs, obesity, diabetes and other food-related issues can be addressed by getting people in touch with their food and farmer."

For more information, contact Professor John Biernbaum at biernbau@msu.edu.

Laura Collins can be reached at colli313@msu.edu.