STILLWATER, Okla. — The Oklahoma State University Student Farm is transforming the way campus food waste is handled by turning it into compost to grow fresh produce for the community.
The initiative, which collects food scraps from the student union and campus dining halls, reflects a growing commitment to sustainability, service and hands-on education.
The OSU Student Farm is a mission-driven effort to plant seeds of service and provide healthier food options to low-income individuals and families. With a focus on rebuilding the land and feeding the community sustainably, the farm currently grows vegetables like broccoli, spinach, lettuce and onions while using buried irrigation systems to conserve water.
“We repurpose food waste in a way that helps grow more food, especially for people in need,” said Sam Buie, a horticulture science student and student farm field technician.
Students and staff collect 50-gallon bins of food scraps from OSU dining service locations each week and transport them to the farm. There, the food waste is combined with dry matter like hay or dried grass to begin the composting process.
“The process involves breaking down carbon and nitrogen,” said Parker Lastovica, an Extension assistant farm manager. “Fresh produce waste provides nitrogen, but you need carbon to support the decomposition process. Dry grass, for example, loses its nitrogen once it dries, leaving only carbon behind. That’s our carbon source.”
The project follows composting best practices but faces a few hurdles. Without the right equipment to regulate compost temperature – ideally, 140 degrees or higher – the waste doesn’t always break down properly.
“So far, we haven’t been able to use the compost because it hasn’t reached the right temperature,” said Lynda Carrier, OSU Student Farm manager. “It has to hit at least 140 degrees and stay there long enough to kill off harmful bacteria and pathogens.”
Another ongoing challenge is contamination. Although the bins are labeled for compost, non-compostable items occasionally end up in the mix.
“We constantly find plastic and other things that shouldn’t be in compost,” Carrier said. “There are also certain foods, like citrus, that shouldn’t be included, but they sometimes end up in the mix anyway.”
The process also requires time and labor — two things in short supply on a working farm.
“We’re busy growing vegetables and managing the farm, so running back and forth to campus to pick up waste can be time-consuming,” Buie said.
Still, the team is optimistic. Thanks to grant funding, the farm has purchased a dump trailer and woodchipper to improve compost handling. Plans are in place to invest in additional tools like compost tumblers and temperature probes.
“If environmental science students want to get involved, we’d love for them to take the lead on this project,” Buie said. “We just need more hands to keep things running smoothly.”
The OSU student farm continues to grow in production and purpose, reimagining waste as a resource and sowing the seeds of a more sustainable future.
“We know this is a work in progress,” Buie said. “But it has to start somewhere.”
OSU Agriculture is dedicated to improving the quality of life of Oklahomans through science-based information and education. It is comprised of the Ferguson College of Agriculture and two state agencies: OSU Ag Research and OSU Extension.
