News FeedGlossy, green peppers stuffed with local hamburger, freshly pressed apple cider, and delectable sweet potatoes – just like candy – decorated the plates of 50 students and faculty at an evening meal.
By collecting from several local farmers, senior Hannah Hemmelgarn hosted this semester’s Local Foods Banquet in the
Hemmelgarn challenged her guests to come up with solutions to the integration of local foods at Truman.
“It’s all too easy to be bogged down by the infrastructure changes needed to start purchasing local foods,” Hemmelgarn said. “I hope tonight we can overcome some of this hesitance to change the mentality by discussing real solutions.”
Some students at the event, like sophomore Sarah Cramer, were very interested in supporting Hemmelgarn’s cause, but were mostly in attendance to learn more about the advantages of local foods.
“I’m just excited to learn more about the local producers and what there is to offer in the area,” Cramer said.
During Hemmelgarn’s presentation and the local foods purchasing program video, students were not only informed on the processes to create this program but also enjoyed a variety and surplus of local foods at the buffet. The food offered at the dinner was intended to serve as evidence that food on campus can be both tasty and supportive of the local community and the environment.
Dennis Markeson, director of Sodexho at Truman, was invited by Hemmelgarn to speak on Sodexho’s challenges with bringing a local foods program to campus. Markeson is a supporter of a local foods program, but has several restrictions that prevent the program from advancing.
“I have to abide by a lot of rules and regulations of big corporations and the campus,” Markeson said. “If it was sent from [the university farm] to us, then I could get by without insurance because the school is insured. If it comes from the farmer’s market then I can’t even buy it.”
Despite Markeson’s angst, Hemmelgarn remained optimistic as she described how local foods are already available on campus.
“Actually, we already are doing local foods at Truman, too,” Hemmelgarn said. “We already have Weiler milk which is antibiotic and hormone-free and it’s local. And we have some specialty meats in the convenience stores every now and then that are also local.”
It all led to a discussion after the supper was finished and speakers were done. Sophomore Amelia LaMair recognized the problems faced in creating a local foods program.
“I learned a little bit more about the difficulties involved with distributors and actually setting up and having local foods, so that’s something we’re going to have to work on,” LaMair said.
However, the discussion proved to be effective, as LaMair was able to construct her own solution to the problem that stands to be the best one for creating a local foods program according to the presentation’s primary message.
“I think ultimately the best thing would be to start a co-op with farmers so they can band together and get the insurance policy,” LaMair said. “It would save Truman money.”
To view pictures from the event, click on the following link:
