FAQ
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Registration for the PEAS practicum courses works the same way as registration for any other course. Once registration opens, students can find and register for the course through GrizPortal. Look for ENST 495 (undergraduate students) or ENST 595 (graduate students). The courses will be listed as PEAS Farm Practicums.
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Students from any undergraduate major or graduate program are able to register for practicum courses on the PEAS farm. Students from all majors and programs on campus are encouraged to join our crew and explore augmenting their studies with a focus in food and agriculture.
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The PEAS Farm Practicums are designed for students passionate about creating a healthier, more just, and sustainable food system and who plan to pursue a career in the food system. While some graduates go on to apprentice, manage, or even start farms of their own, many students come to the farm to learn valuable skills for careers outside of traditional farming.
In addition to the tangible skills of growing over 40 varieties of fruit, vegetable, and seed crops, PEAS Farm Practicums provide students with other experiences that support their lives and careers. PEAS Practicums help cultivate connections with other people and organizations doing work related to food and agriculture. From partners at the Food Bank, colleagues at Garden City Harvest, farm and food business owners, to organizers building food sovereignty and seed stewardship, PEAS helps students get connected with businesses and nonprofits for internships and jobs that kickstart a career in our food system.
While students are learning the basic skills of farming, they are also working together, communicating, and problem-solving, developing skills essential in any workplace. Because students at the PEAS Farm engage with the soil, plants, and animals, and are outside almost every day, this experience helps students develop their relationship with the land. Finally, students at PEAS develop lifelong friendships, an essential component of any life and any college or graduate school experience.
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The PEAS Farm offers scholarships to support students in the Summer PEAS Practicum, a 6-credit course that runs for 12 weeks during UM’s summer semester. The call for the Summer PEAS Scholarship opens in the early spring for the following summer. Keep an eye out on our Instagram page or email Caroline Stephens for more information. Several students in the Summer Practicum have received funding from the , which offers up to $2,000 to support experiential learning.
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In the fall and spring, PEAS runs for eight weeks – the first half of the semester in the fall and the second half in the spring. Students select a field section that fits their class and work schedules and commit to six hours per week on the farm, plus a once-weekly required lecture. Most students find it manageable to fit PEAS alongside their other courses, and minor scheduling conflicts can usually be worked around. Contact Caroline Stephens with further questions.
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Zero experience is required! Students will be given the proper instruction and tools to be in a relationship with the land no matter their educational or work backgrounds. Students from diverse backgrounds -- both those who grew up driving a tractor and those who have never held a shovel before -- have all had meaningful experiences on the farm.
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Appropriate clothes for farm work are usually old, comfortable, and begging for dirt. The sun is strong year-round in Missoula, so long sleeves that protect the skin, as well as sunglasses and a hat, are helpful. Other useful things to bring include a water bottle, layers for rainy or cold weather, and closed-toe shoes that can get wet.
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In short, PEAS students learn both the science and practice of sustainable agriculture. A major part of the learning experience is learning by doing. At the farm, students grow 60,000-70,000 pounds of produce each year for the Missoula community. To grow this food, students learn core farm practices, such as cultivar selection, seeding and planting, irrigation, weed and pest management, cover cropping, composting, harvesting, and other topics. As we farm, we slow down and talk about what we’re doing and why, connecting daily farm tasks to the core principles of agroecology, including nutrient cycling, resilience, diversity, and the co-creation and sharing of knowledge.
Learning is also seasonal: the spring practicum focuses on greenhouse work and planting, summer on cultivation and farm management, and fall on harvesting and seed saving. To experience the full arc of a farm season, consider taking spring, summer, and fall semesters at PEAS.
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Yes! If you are a student interested in signing up for a semester at the PEAS Farm, email Caroline Stephens to find a time to come out for a tour or to volunteer alongside our student crews.
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Farm work at PEAS varies with the season, ranging from seeding trays in the greenhouse to planting seedlings, harvesting, weeding, and other physical tasks. Many of these tasks involve walking on uneven terrain, bending over, kneeling or squatting, and some lifting. Additionally, Missoula weather can vary across the season; springs are cool and rainy, summers are hot and dry, and the fall is a bit of both. Students should expect to work outside (or in a greenhouse) in all of 51勛圖厙’s weather conditions.
Above all, we aim to make this experience as accessible as possible for UM students. Many farm tasks can be modified, and we often work as teams and in small groups to lighten the load for everyone. We also adapt our workdays to potentially challenging weather conditions such as snow, hail, wildfire smoke, or extreme heat. If you have any concerns about physical work, please contact Caroline Stephens.
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The PEAS Farm is located at 3010 Duncan Drive, and is situated on 10 acres of Missoula County Public School land in the upper Rattlesnake Valley. The farm is roughly two miles north of campus. Students may drive or carpool to the farm (10 minutes), bike (15-20 minutes), or bus ().
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The 60,000 pounds of produce harvested each year goes to various outlets in the Missoula food system. First, 15,000 pounds of storage crops and seasonal produce goes to the Missoula Food Bank. Roughly 25,000-30,000 pounds goes towards the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program, which feeds 110 families in Missoula. An additional 5,000-7,000 pounds goes to the PEAS Farm’s Mobile Market, which delivers produce to several low-income senior residences around Missoula. We also grow produce for the UM Food Pantry, Missoula Headstart, the Lowell School Food Pantry, and other local community organizations.