Growing Food Security: How A1 Organics Compost Supports CSU’s Community Farm

Colorado State University’s Growing Food Security project turns an acre of research farmland at ARDEC South in Fort Collins into fresh produce for students and neighbors facing food insecurity. Every season, student volunteers grow more than 20,000 pounds of vegetables that go directly to the CSU Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry and other food banks in the community. A1 Organics recently provided 120 yards of EcoPlus™ Organic Compost to the farm to help build the soil health behind this bountiful harvest.

What Is the Growing Food Security Project?

Growing Food Security began in 2020 as a small, student-led donation garden on CSU’s ARDEC South research farm east of Fort Collins. What started as a handful of rows has grown into a multi-crop operation supported by graduate students, undergraduates, and volunteers. The project now grows more than 20 varieties of vegetables, including tomatoes, squash, beets, corn, and peppers, all donated to campus and community food pantries.

The project sits at the intersection of research and community service. ARDEC South is a working agricultural research facility, and the food security plots give students hands-on experience in planting, irrigation, and harvest while directly addressing hunger among their peers.

Why Soil Health Matters for a Donation Farm

A volunteer-run farm growing at this scale needs healthy, productive soil every season, without the budget of a commercial operation. Compost supports that in a few concrete ways:

• Helps improve water retention, reducing how often the farm needs to irrigate during Colorado’s dry summer months
• Supports soil microbes that help plants take up nutrients naturally
• Helps replenish organic matter in the soil that is farmed each season

A1 Organics provided EcoPlus™ Organic Compost to the Growing Food Security plots to support this cycle, adding organic matter back into land that produces thousands of pounds of food for the community every year.

A Colorado Organics Story, Full Circle

A1 Organics has been Colorado’s leader in organics recycling since 1974, turning organic material into certified compost instead of sending it to a landfill. Projects like Growing Food Security are a direct example of where that compost ends up: back in the ground, growing healthy food for people who need it.

How to Support Growing Food Security

Community members can get involved with the Growing Food Security project directly through CSU, whether by volunteering during a harvest evening or donating to the Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry. Visit the Growing Food Security website to learn more. For Colorado residents and landscapers looking to build healthier soil on their own projects, A1 Organics offers the same certified compost products used on this farm, including EcoPlus™ Organic Compost, for pickup or bulk delivery.

FAQ

What is CSU’s Growing Food Security project?

It is a student-led farm at Colorado State University’s ARDEC South research facility in Fort Collins that grows fresh produce for the CSU Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry and the Food Bank for Larimer County.

How much produce does Growing Food Security donate each year?

The project grows and donates more than 20,000 pounds of fresh produce annually, grown across more than 50 crop varieties.

How does A1 Organics support the Growing Food Security project?

A1 Organics donated EcoPlus™ Organic Compost to the farm’s growing plot to help build soil health, improve water retention, and support the microbial activity that helps crops thrive.

Where is the Growing Food Security farm located?

The farm is located at CSU’s ARDEC South research facility in Fort Collins, Colorado.

How can I support food security efforts in Fort Collins?

You can volunteer directly with CSU’s Growing Food Security project, donate to the Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry, or support local organics recycling that helps build healthy soil for community farms like this one.