Hampshire College
(
Amherst
MA
1002 )
- Contact Name:
- Douglas Sudnick
- Contact Title:
- Food Service Director
- Telephone:
- (413) 549-2840
- E-Mail:
- hampshire_college
- Who was most responsible for initiating your farm-to-college program?
- University administrator(s)
- Student(s)
- Dining/food services personnel
- In what year did the program begin?
- Other, please specify:
- Are students actively involved in maintaining the program?
- yes
- How are the students involved in the program?
- Work in campus/student farm or garden
- Researching availability of local products
- Other, please specify:
- In what ways, if any, would you like students to be involved in the program?
- Member of project planning/advisory committee
- Promotional/educational outreach
- Researching availability of local products
- What role, if any, have cooperative extension agents or other agency/agricultural professionals played in the farm-to-college program?
- Facilitator for certain program components
- Resource/contact person
- Stimulating interest and/or disseminating information (i.e., outreach)
- What role, if any, would be useful for cooperative extension agents or other agency/agricultural professionals to play in the farm-to-college program?
- Lead organizer
- Stimulating interest and/or disseminating information (i.e., outreach)
- Who runs/is primarily responsible for the farm-to-college program? (please choose primary person/group in charge)
- Dining/food services director/manager
- Where do the majority of your locally purchased farm products come from?
- 50-200 miles
- What are the primary local farm products you purchase? (please list top 3-5 items)
- Other, please specify:
- Are any of these local food products organically grown?
- yes
- yes
- Approximately how much, in dollars, does dining/food services spend annually on local farm products?
- Other, please specify:
- Other, please specify:
- What is the approximate total number of individual farmers you purchase products from during an entire calendar year?
- 1-5 farmers
- 1-5 farmers
- Who/where are local products purchased from?
- Campus/student farm or garden
- Distributor(s)
- Individual farmer(s)
- Are local food products used in...
- Catering
- Regular menus
- Special events
- Was external funding or other resources (grants, equipment, etc.) used to...
- Start the program
- If you have received external funding or other resources for the program, what is/was your source?
- Other, please specify:
- Other, please specify:
- Have any of the following individuals or groups been directly involved in development, coordination, education or promotion related to the farm-to-college program?
- Food service management company
- Other student organization(s)
- Student environmental organization(s)
- Is there a local farmer's organization (i.e., a cooperative) involved in your program that was in place prior to the program's start?
- Other, please specify:
- Have you used any of the following to promote the program or enhance its educational value?
- Farm tours
- Information in dining locations about the program
- Press releases
- Speakers/demonstrations
- Web site
- What, if any, other environmental initiatives on your campus are connected with the farm-to-college program?
- College/student farm
- Composting program
- Fair trade projects
- Packaging reduction program
- Recycling program
- Are there any bidding requirements for purchasing local food?
- no
- no
- Do local products cost more on average?
- yes
- yes
- If yes, how do you manage the higher price?
- Reduce costs elsewhere to make up the difference
- Other, please specify:
- What do you see as the most significant barriers to starting or sustaining farm-to-college programs?
- Getting farmers approved through food service company
- Coordinating purchase/delivery of products
- Resolving insurance needs
- Seasonal availability of products
- What do you see as the most significant benefits from farm-to-college programs?
- Higher quality food
- Meeting desire and demand from customers
- Good for school and/or company public relations
- Supporting local farmers, community and/or economy
- Of the following policy issues, please choose up to two, if any, that you believe would provide the most significant support for farm-to-college programs:
- Language written into food service contracts to support local food purchases
- Federal and state policies providing incentives to state institutions for purchasing locally grown products
- What strategies, if any, do you recommend for making farm-to-college programs work?
- Build positive relationships among key players (such as dining/food services, farmers, faculty/staff, and students)
- Get food service company support or endorsement
- Engage students in program activities (i.e., research, creating promotional materials)
- Incorporate 'buy local' requirements into food service contracts
- Be patient but persistent
- Do lots of research before starting
- Start small, such as planning a local foods dinner
- Is dining/food services:
- Contract-managed (please provide contractor name)
- Contract-managed (please provide contractor name)
- If the program is contract-managed, from which level(s) of the company are individuals involved in the program?
- District level
- Local level
- Total number of individual meals served daily in locations operated by dining/food services:
- Other, please specify:
- Other, please specify:
- Does food services use a (please choose most appropriate answer):
- Mixed plan
- Mixed plan
- What is dining/food services' approximate annual budget for food?
- Other, please specify:
- Other, please specify: