Food Court's organic butternut squash, Homeplate's juicy buffalo burgers and Collis' crisp apples are just a few of the locally-grown products that Dartmouth students regularly enjoy as a result of Farm-to-Dartmouth, a program that aims to incorporate local agricultural products into Dartmouth's culinary offerings.
Rising environmental and social awareness has led to a burgeoning demand for locally-grown agricultural products in the United States in recent years. Farm-to-Dartmouth and other similar initiatives have become increasingly popular as well, and Dartmouth's program has grown significantly since its inception in 2006, said Dartmouth Dining Services purchasing manager Beth DiFrancesco.
"The general population has become more aware, so there has been a lot of appreciation for the program," DiFrancesco said.
DDS now spends considerably more on food from nearby farms than the $250,000 it spent on local produce in 2006, according to DiFrancesco.
Steve Fulton of Blue Ox Farm, located about 12 miles from campus, started selling his products through the program in 2006. He said that demand for his organic vegetables has dramatically increased in recent years.
"My sales are way up," Fulton said. "I've about doubled since 2006 in terms of growth."
DiFrancesco said that while some local products are more expensive, others are actually cheaper than their commercial counterparts.
"Typically, local agricultural products are going to cost 15 to 30 percent more than conventional products," DiFrancesco said. "But sometimes it evens out."
Although local products are generally pricier, DDS subsidizes the increased costs of buying locally, according to DiFrancesco.
"There was quite a difference in price going from the standard white industry eggs to the brown cage-free eggs," DDS acting associate director Don Reed said. "But we felt this was the right thing to do for the program."
Reed added that the difference in egg prices did not lead to higher costs for students.
The Farm-to-Dartmouth program has increased the variety of the College's dietary offerings while replacing many non-local ingredients that were used previously, according to Reed. Apples purchased from local farms have replaced those from Washington and local vegetables are now a regular part of the menu.
"Champlain Orchards has done a major renovation for their storage of apples," Reed said. "As a result we've been able to get local apples much longer than we have in previous years, which is great."
Several other colleges and universities in the region have also established local food initiatives, DiFrancesco said.
Nearby Middlebury College supports some of the same Vermont and New Hampshire farms as Dartmouth, including Champlain Orchards, Maplebrook Farm and Vermont Butter and Cheese Company.
The University of Vermont has also offered its support to local agriculture over the last four years with its "Keep Local Farms" initiative. According to the University's web site, UVM buys locally-grown products from many of the same farms that Dartmouth does.
The University of New Hampshire has also established a program similar to Farm-to-Dartmouth, called the "Local Harvest Initiative," which includes an annual feast featuring fresh regional foods.
According to the UNH Dining Services' web site, 22 percent of its budget is spent on local items, which it defines as falling within a 250-mile radius of the University.
In contrast, Dartmouth defines local food sources as those lying in much closer proximity to the College, DiFrancesco said.
"We have a very narrow scope of what we consider is local," DiFrancesco said. "What many other colleges consider local, for example a 200-mile distance, we would not even consider."
