by Liran Zimand, UW Farm Student Staff, HFS & Athletics Produce Sales Lead

I have been working on the farm since March of this year, but I have been a member of the UW Farm Club Dirty Dozen since my first week on campus as a freshman in 2019.

The name “Dirty Dozen” originates back to the founders of the UW Farm. The graduate students that started the farm had several committees that were responsible for various aspects of the farm, such as a committee focused on pizza bakes, the Gallus Group that took care of chickens (yes! there were chickens on campus consuming veggie scraps) and the Dirty Dozen that focused on crop care and planning.

These days, the Dirty Dozen is not a committee for the UW Farm itself, but rather the RSO (Registered Student Organization) associated with the farm that supports the farm in various ways (tour guides, volunteering, events) and has its own agenda. The club hosts pizza bakes at the farm a few times a year. With Traditionally, the pizza bakes are open to the general public, feature fresh farm veggies from the farm’s wood fired cob oven, are a chance to build community, share a meal, and meet other students excited about agriculture and urban food systems.

It was at one of these pizza bakes that I was first introduced to the UW farm. I was a typical freshman, nervous about making friends and trying to find my place in a big school. My roommate and I saw a flyer about a pizza bake and decided to stop by. From that very first night at the farm, eating delicious food, seeing the beautiful fields, and hearing the passionate students giving the tour, I was hooked.

In addition to organizing pizza bakes and other community meals the Dirty Dozen manages a small plot at the UW Farm Mercer Court location. On this plot we decide what we want to grow and go through the entire process of ordering seeds, planting, caring for, harvesting, and eating our own crops. This is made possible through an informal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the UW Farm and the RSO, outlining responsibilities, roles, mentorship, and mutual support.

Right now, like farms across the country, the Dirty Dozen is settling down and preparing for winter. While we won’t be planting any time soon, we still have a lot going on! This winter we will be:

• planning our spring crops
• creating an Education Committee
• having film festivals
• hosting podcast clubs
• training tour guides for classes and groups that visit the UW Farm sites
• exploring mushroom production

I am so thankful for the Dirty Dozen RSO, for all it has taught me about urban agriculture, introducing me to some of the coolest people at UW, and of course for connecting me with the UW Farm.

Keep up with the Dirty Dozen’s progress by following us on Instagram, joining our Facebook Group, or sending us an email at dduw@uw.edu. We welcome new members!