Media Relations

WKU Students host farm to campus events

Author: Lynn Minton Date: Wednesday, February 27th, 2013

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The 100 Mile Dinner was held on Friday, February 22 at the WKU Faculty House and Farm to Table Convergence took place on Saturday, February 23.

All food prepared and served for the dinner was provided by farmers within a 100 mile radius of Bowling Green. The meal was prepared by students and received direction from Josh Poling, chef and owner of Home Café and Market. Funding was provided by AID, GreenToppers, WKU Office of Sustainability, WKU Office of Research, WKU Agriculture Department, and WKU Campus Services and Facilities. Chaney’s Dairy Barn donated the ice cream.

The dinner was attended by more than 120 students/ faculty / staff and was the kick off to the Farm to Campus Convergence Conference held on Saturday, February 23 at the Faculty House on the WKU Main Campus.

Several speakers talked about the importance of providing locally grown foods. Joe O’Daniel from O’Daniel Farms spoke about how he and his wife became full time farmers and provide produce year round to the community.

Sam Lawson, a Bowling Green resident and member of the Kentucky Agriculture Development Board and Kentucky Agriculture Council, spoke about assistance that has been provided to farmers through the Ag Development Board. He also stated that the future looks bright for local farmers because of groups like AID that are making their voices heard about wanting fresh local food as a choice on campus.

Sara Fritschner, coordinator for Louisville’s Farm to Table program, spoke about how she is working with Jefferson County Schools to use locally produced chickens.

Junior Molly Kaviar of the campus AID chapter said local food and sustainability are issues talked about by students. “We want to make administrators aware that students are interested in getting more local and sustainable food as options on campus,” said Kaviar.

The Farm to Campus Convergence on Saturday hosted students from seven different schools – WKU, Bellarmine, University of Louisville, Transylvania University, Murray State University, University of Tennessee, St. Joseph's College, and a local high school.

Workshops were held throughout the day featuring Carmen Black, with the Real Food Challenge; Terry Shoemaker, WKU's Institute for Citizenship and Social Responsibility; Sarah Fritshner, Louisville Farm to Table; and general student discussions.

“It was a great day for networking,” said Kaviar, “and bouncing ideas off each other.”

Food for the Convergence was provided by WKU Dining Services, Chaney’s Dairy Barn, Ester’s Farm, and JD’s Bakery.