Food Zoo

No more ‘Mystery Meat’ at the University of Montana’s dining halls, where the 15,700 students will now know that much of their food was raised right here in Montana. Last month, the Missoula university’s food service program announced that a third of its annual food supply purchases of about $3 million will come from Montana farms and ranches. For students, the push for locally raised meats and produce began in 2003 with the UM Farm to College Program, when four graduate students decided that the university should play a greater role in supporting Montana’s economy, strengthening the local community and helping to preserve Montana’s natural and cultural heritage. Now 79 local producers supply foods and beverages from apples and zucchini to tomatoes and potatoes plus seasonally grown items. Students find locally raised and baked or produced items at the Food Zoo cafeteria such as beef, bacon, sausages, cheese, pasta and bread. “Last fiscal year, we purchased $804,000 worth of food products from Montana farmers and ranchers, which represents 20 percent of our total food purchases,” Mark LoParco, director of UM Dining Services told the Missoulian newspaper on Sept. 22. “In terms of Montana, that’s a significant amount of money to be keeping in the state in support of agricultural development.” This year that dollar amount increased to more than $1 million to purchase cantaloupes and grass-fed beef, and goat cheese for bruschetta. Students appreciate a varied menu and recognize the importance of lower transportation costs and distance on food spoilage. “The fresh, local food is really good, especially the vegetarian dishes,” says UM freshman Tess Haas. “I’m not a vegetarian, but the heirloom tomatoes last night at the salad bar and the tofu, from a St. Ignatius Tofu Factory, were incredible.” Haas explains that the Food Zoo places signs next to the food items so diners know that it’s from Montana. “We’ve had really good local apples lately and desserts, local cherry and apple crisp at the dessert bar,” she adds. Sue Brown, owner of Amaltheia Organic Dairy farm in Belgrade, Mont., is one of the producers. “As a farmer you don’t want your footprint—what you use for resources from say shipping—to be large,” said Brown, from the farm where she and her husband, Melvyn raise 300 goats and milk about 220 nanny goats each day. From the 150 gallons of daily goat milk, they craft Chevre, Feta, and Ricotta cheeses, and a variety of flavored Chevres, such as Roasted Garlic and Chive, Spiced Pepper, Perigord Black Truffle and Sun-dried Tomato Chevre. The award-winning cheeses are part of U of Montana’s dining delicacies and are also served at Montana State University’s food service in nearby Bozeman—just a dozen miles from Amaltheia. Even hot dogs at the Missoula Grizzly football games are from locally raised Redneck Meats in Kalispell. And hotdog buns? From Three Forks’s Wheat Montana, where 12,000 acres of productive lands at the headwaters of the Missouri River grow several types of wheat. More and more colleges and universities are joining the “Farm to College” push for several reasons: local purchases mean that the consumer or the chef can build relationships with farmers and view first hand the growing practices; a greater percentage of food dollars go to local farmers and recycle through the community; local agriculture increases food security and supports agricultural heritage. Fewer dollars go to fuel and other transportation costs thereby lowering pollution from transportion emissions. The national Farm to College organization lists 170 colleges and universities and commercial food services that since 2003 have grown their relationships with their respective local farmers. For example, at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Bon Appétit, an on-sight management company, is contracted to serve the 1,475 students of the liberal arts college. Bon Appétit has 400 locations at colleges, universities and corporations in 32 states. Since 1999 and its institution of the Farm to Fork initiative to buy locally, Bon Appétit has purchased seasonal and regional ingredients from within about a 150-mile radius of each campus’ eatery, then prepared and served the food within 48 hours of harvest. Café Bon Appétit at Whitman College purchases locally raised strawberries and fruit from neighborhood farms just minutes from campus. Walla Walla Sweet Onions of course are plucked locally from Cavalli’s Onion Acres. Produce and meats from a dozen Farm to Fork partners allow the ultimate in freshness. For example, students are served grass-fed beef and lamb at Upper Dry Creek Ranch of Weston, Oregon some 20 miles south of Walla Walla. Legumes are from Davidson Commodities in Spokane and granola from Santees Granola of Coeur d’Alene. “Since 1999, our chefs are required to source at least 20 percent of their ingredients from small farms, ranches, and artisans within 150 miles,” says Bonnie Powell, director of communications at Bon Appétit. “Some accounts exceed that number, others aim for it and squeak by. We don’t give out those figures on a school by school basis. I will tell you that it is not strictly due to geography — although University of Redlands in Redlands, Calif, scores highly, several of our Midwestern schools also do despite the colder climate challenges. Colorado College is a Farm to Fork star, as are St. Edward’s in Austin, Saint Joseph’s in Maine, Goucher College in Maryland, and Carleton and St. Olaf’s in the Midwest.” She adds that those schools that exceed the 20 percent minimum due so because they have chefs and managers who are “even more extremely passionate than is our norm, willing to seek out local farmers and accommodate the vicissitudes of the harvest. They also have exceptionally supportive, local-minded clients.” However, students themselves have taken initiative to add even more local food through a Model Farm project. Whitman students planted 90 asparagus crowns two years ago with hopes of reaping about 25 pounds of edibles each spring. The students also planted rhubarb, chokecherry bushes, currants, perennial edible flowers and blueberries. Next, they acquired a small grant to found a model farm on a science building’s rooftop. They grew salad greens that in turn were purchased by the food service, Bon Appétit, to enlighten the salad bar with microgreens. The popular roof-top sprouts, mustard and sunflower greens and other 3 to 4 inch-tall delectables, proved particularly popular at the salad bar. Bon Appétit pays $18 per 11-by-12-inch tray of baby salad greens. The Whitman College’s Sustainability Revolving Loan Fund, allocates money for projects that “significantly benefit Whitman’s sustainability efforts by conserving resources and improving efficiency.” It supported the rooftop farm with a small grant, $600, which allowed students to create a rooftop greenhouse. “Because the temperature and light are maintained consistently throughout the winter, you can grow a harvest in three weeks, and then through a rotation, you can have a harvest every single week,” said student Nat Clark, who has since graduated from Whitman. Ultimately, the students hope that the project increases the percentage of local produce in the cafeterias from 8 percent to 20 percent. “Our Model Farm Project not only will help Bon Appétit reach that goal but also demonstrate to the college that the students are interested in and passionate about local produce and the environmental benefits of locally grown food,” said Natalie Jamerson a senior, who maintains the Model Farm with fellow senior Zoe Pehrson as part of an environmental studies internship. As the Farm to College movement takes hold, so does the concern about food security in the U.S. As revealed by the federal Census Bureau recently, of all occupations in this country, farming is facing the greatest decline thanks to an aging population of farmers, few young farmers (only eight percent of today’s farmers are under age 35), and declining dollar share of product sales. The Portland-based Community Food Security Coalition reports that “the farmer share of the food dollar has declined from 41 cents in 1950 to 20 cents in 1999.” The program encourages colleges and universities to actively seek local food for cafeterias by providing research, supporting information, workshops and networking. “A stable local agricultural base is key to a community responsive food system,” notes Food Security’s website. “Farmers need increased access to markets that pay them a decent wage for their labor, and farmland needs planning protection from suburban development. By building stronger ties between farmers and consumers, consumers gain a greater knowledge and appreciation for their food source.” Haas, the UM freshman notes, “It’s just good to know you can eat from all-local ingredients and to know where those ingredients came from. U of M just did a special dinner with all courses from all-local sources. The food is just really good.”