FARM & ORCHARD
grow + give
The South Plains Food Bank’s farm and orchard help combat food insecurity and promote agriculture, by providing fresh produce to our neighbors and hands-on educational opportunities.
Carolyn Lanier Youth Farm
The 5.5 acre Carolyn Lanier Youth Farm was established in 1988 to provide locally grown produce to people receiving food assistance through the Food Bank.
Farm Facts:
- Acreage is 5.5, but only 3.5 acres is actively being farmed. Classroom, office, and storage buildings, as well as cooler space for storing produce take up most of the other two acres.
- SPFB farm is a sustainable farming operation. We strive to make the most efficient use of our nonrenewable resources through soil, water, pest, and disease management.
- The Food Bank farm has four high tunnels, totaling 11,400 sq. ft. of growing space, extending the growing time for high-value crops 8 to 10 weeks. The tunnels were secured through a grant partnership with Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Service.
- The farm staff works with volunteers, students, and many others to improve agricultural and gardening knowledge, helping our community to better understand where their food comes from and how to grow their own!
- The farm grows various vegetable crops that can handle our demanding climate.
Orchard
Funded in 1994 by Rotary District 5730 and under the guidance of noted pomologist, Dr. George Elle, the 15-acre orchard contains over 2,700 dwarf trees with 8 varieties. The first apples were harvested in 1997, with about 25,000 pounds being distributed fresh to the needy. The Southwest Lubbock Rotary Club built a barn at the orchard in 1999. A cooler was installed in 2000. Annually, the orchard produces fresh apples to be distributed to clients of the Food Bank and through other Food Banks in the West Texas region. We rely on help from the community to sustain our orchard. You can support by purchasing a remembrance or honor tree.
The orchard is located off the corner of 56th Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard.
For more information about the Farm and the Apple Orchard, please contact the Chief Operating Officer at tjohnson@spfb.org
