Bates College
(
Lewiston
ME
04240 )
- Contact Name:
- Christine Schwartz
- Contact Title:
- Director of Dining Services
- Telephone:
- (207) 786-8279
- E-Mail:
- cschwart@bates.edu
- Who was most responsible for initiating your farm-to-college program?
- Dining/food services personnel
- In what year did the program begin?
- Other, please specify:
- Are students actively involved in maintaining the program?
- no
- In what ways, if any, would you like students to be involved in the program?
- Menu/event planning
- Other research
- 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?
- Not Involved
- What role, if any, would be useful for cooperative extension agents or other agency/agricultural professionals to play in the farm-to-college program?
- Facilitator for certain program components
- 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?
- State-wide
- 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?
- More than 20 farmers
- More than 20 farmers
- Who/where are local products purchased from?
- Broker(s)
- Campus/student farm or garden
- Farmer-managed cooperative(s)
- Individual farmer(s)
- If you work with individual farms/farmers, please write as much of the the following information as possible for two of them - Name, Complete mailing address, Phone, Email, Website.
- Other, please specify:
- Other, please specify:
- Are local food products used in...
- Catering
- Regular menus
- Special events
- Was external funding or other resources (grants, equipment, etc.) used to...
- Not used
- Have any of the following individuals or groups been directly involved in development, coordination, education or promotion related to the farm-to-college program?
- Other student organization(s)
- Student environmental organization(s)
- University department(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?
- Information in dining locations about the program
- Speakers/demonstrations
- Special events (eg., local foods dinner)
- What, if any, other environmental initiatives on your campus are connected with the farm-to-college program?
- Composting program
- Recycling program
- Water conservation program
- Are there any bidding requirements for purchasing local food?
- no
- no
- Do local products cost more on average?
- no
- no
- What do you see as the most significant barriers to starting or sustaining farm-to-college programs?
- Finding growers/local product supply
- Product quality
- Product quantity
- Retraining kitchen staff
- Seasonal availability of products
- Other, please specify:
- What do you see as the most significant benefits from farm-to-college programs?
- Higher quality food
- Lower environmental impacts
- Meeting desire and demand from customers
- Opportunity for student education/research
- 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:
- Grants/subsidies to help farmers organize cooperatives
- 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)
- Engage students in program activities (i.e., research, creating promotional materials)
- What resources, research, or contacts, if any, were useful for starting or expanding your farm-to-college program?
- Bringing Local Food to Local People: A Resource Guide for Farm-to-School and Farm-to-Institution Programs (ATTRA)
- Buy Local Food and Farm Toolkit: A Guide for Student Organizers (Oxfam America)
- Community Food Security Coalition
- Farm-to-Cafeteria Connections: Marketing Opportunities for Small Farms in Washington State (Washington State Dept. of Agriculture)
- Farmtocollege.org Web site
- FoodRoutes Network
- University of Wisconsin Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems
- Washington State Department of Agriculture Small Farm and Direct Marketing Program
- Is dining/food services:
- Self-operated
- Self-operated
- 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):
- Meal (board) plan
- Meal (board) plan
- What is dining/food services' approximate annual budget for food?
- Other, please specify:
- Other, please specify: