The PEAS Farm is a living classroom and community farm run by a local non-profit organization, Garden City Harvest, in partnership with the University of Montana’s Environmental Studies Program. For over 25 years, this collaboration has provided career-building learning experiences for UM students in food systems and agroecology. On the PEAS Farm’s ten acres of diversified and ecological agriculture, students gain practical skills in vegetable production, orchard management, fruit and berry cultivation, and seed saving, while supporting Missoula’s food system.
For students passionate about building a more just, equitable, and resilient food future, the PEAS Farm offers real-world skills that extend and apply classroom learning. Students pair hands-on experiences with classes in agroecology, food systems, and community agriculture – developing professional skills, leadership experience, and a network of peers and mentors that prepare them for careers in agriculture, food justice, education, and sustainability fields.
The farm features four acres of annual vegetable production, an orchard, a seed garden, a Four Sisters’ garden, a native plants garden, and infrastructure including a barn, hoophouses, caterpillar tunnels, and a greenhouse.
Courses
The PEAS Farm offers three semester-based practicum courses in the spring, summer, and fall semesters, as well as the fall course, Practicum in Sustainable Agriculture Education.
Each year, PEAS Farm students grow over 60,000 pounds of food for the Missoula community through outlets such as the Missoula Food Bank, the UM Food Pantry, and a Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA) program.
Learn more about our courses and other opportunities to gain experience and skills in agriculture and food systems at the PEAS Farm.
60
60 students per year
60,000
60,000 pounds of food grown annually
30
30 different crops
10
10 acres
A Community Farm
The PEAS Farm began in 1997 when Josh Slotnick, former PEAS Farm Director and University of Montana lecturer, partnered with students and community members to establish the farm on University land at Fort Missoula. In 2001, the farm moved to its current Rattlesnake site, and the first crops were grown there in the summer of 2002. Today, Garden City Harvest sub-leases the land from the City of Missoula, which leases it from Missoula County Public Schools (MCPS). In 2014, MCPS approved a 40-year lease to ensure the PEAS Farm’s future at this site for generations to come.
Garden City Harvest provides the annual budget that supports the farm's operations – covering seeds, equipment, infrastructure, and staff positions including the Farm Director, Farm Manager, and Caretaker. They also run programs on-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 the annual Farm Party fundraiser.
What students have to say
“The PEAS Farm creates a space where people can show the most authentic version of themselves and be celebrated for it. It supports a group of strangers to find meaning and purpose, and bask in the joy of the beautiful bounty of food. Food insecurity and food access are at the root of so many systemic problems in our society, and at the PEAS farm you get to take part in breaking down those barriers for your community.”
- Buck Henderson, B.A. Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies, 2023
“The PEAS farm experience was perfect for me not only because of the hands-on, immersive, and family-friendly environment but also because of the tough conversations we had as a crew around the topics of farming, food access, and food sovereignty. The complex physical, social, economic, and political systems that are intertwined can be analyzed through the lens of a small local farm tucked away in the Rattlesnake Valley. The PEAS farm has positively altered my life, and I have cultivated relationships with people and place that I will carry with me towards the future.”
- Jonathan Cordova, BS Geography, 2024
“When I decided to go to graduate school, I knew I wanted an education that went beyond the classroom. Like so many others, I have been awed by the PEAS praxis, as an educational model, a gathering place, and a means for growing food that has a rippling impact -- in Missoula and the world.”
- Paulina Jenney, M.S. Environmental Studies, 2022
Connect with PEAS
Check out what’s happening on the farm - follow us on Instagram: @umpeasfarm