Plaza 900, CAFNR research farm create a 'feel good' community
Published Aug. 24, 2007
In ancient cultures, communities would bond over the sharing and eating of food. Although this idea has permeated much of contemporary Western society, very rarely does bonding occur over hard work and healthy food. But since June, MU's Plaza 900 dining hall and a local farm have been doing just that.
Plaza 900 and the Bradford Research and Extension Center, a research farm under the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, have been working together to provide local produce to students.
Campus Dining Services Marketing Specialist Andrew Lough said there are many advantages to the relationship between Plaza 900 and the extension center. Since the farm is only about 11 miles north of the campus, vegetables can literally be picked and transported in the same day. This increases the freshness of produce available to MU students while other campuses must have their produce packed, frozen and shipped to cafeterias.
But there are also some major ecological concerns that come with shipping produce across long distances. Lough said many people are concerned about "food mileage," the amount of carbon gasses that can be emitted by fruits and vegetables during a long period of transportation. Also, food grown locally tends to be healthier. Finally, Lough said, few can deny the "feel-good" spirit that comes with supporting other members of the community instead of large corporations.
Bradford Research and Extension Center visitors can expect to be greeted by the conversation and laughter of children and parents working to pick some of the 45 different types of tomatoes grown at the farm. The farm also strives to fulfill its commitment to community spirit through its inclusion of a slew of activities for the whole family. These include bat houses, child-friendly cornfield mazes and 150-pound pumpkins at Halloween.
Since its founding in 1960, the Bradford Research Farm had made much of its income on corn and soybeans, which used to constitute 90 percent of its crops. Senior Research Lab Technician Leslie Shaw said the farm has recently moved to more horticultural crops in order to expand its audience. The farm produces corn, tomatoes, four different kinds of cucumbers, okra, eggplants, squash, gourds, edamame — a type of soybean — and pumpkins, among others. Accompanying the vast assortment of vegetables available for the MU cafeterias are the aesthetically pleasing rose gardens, sunflower patch and ponds, which are used for irrigation.
This summer alone, the extension supplied almost 100 percent of the tomatoes in five or more eating locations on the MU campus.
Plaza 900's Executive Chef Eric Cartwright said he is enthusiastic about the new system.
"We are very excited about this new relationship," he said. "It is something we have been trying to accomplish for years. The main thing is the better quality of the product. Tomatoes picked today will be on my salad bar tonight, versus the week they would take to arrive from California."
Some fear the cost of locally grown food will surpass that of the more commercial food catering services, but Cartwright said that shouldn't be an issue.
He said the produce they purchase from Bradford is not any more expensive than a normal market price.
"Our ultimate goal is to put out the best possible product," Cartwright said.
The relationship between the Bradford Research and Extension Center and the MU student population demonstrates the commitment Columbia's local farmers have to the campus and community. It is a dynamic that seems to have rubbed off on the personnel who work at the facility.
"It feels like a family out here," said Jim Ross, a neighbor of the Bradford Research and Extension Center who helps out with the farming. "I guess that's always how it's been. It's a great atmosphere to work in."
In a move of community spirit, one that even Cartwright said he is excited about, the Bradford farm hopes to use some of the profit made from Plaza 900 to give back to the university in another, educational way.
"We hope to start a program sponsoring an MU agriculture student to come and research, work and learn on the farm," Shaw said.