WKU News

As part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability and to providing students with hands-on applied research and learning opportunities, Western Kentucky University has announced a unique farm-to-campus program that will enable the WKU Restaurant Group to facilitate campuswide distribution of produce, meat, and dairy products produced at the WKU Farm. Faculty and students have grown vegetables at the university’s farm for nearly two decades for educational and research purposes, but this new program will allow the entire WKU campus community to enjoy the products produced at the farm in campus restaurants for the first time.

Between 30 and 50 students enrolled in horticulture and agriculture sustainability will participate in the program each semester. While several other universities in Kentucky offer a farm-to-campus program, WKU’s will be the first in the state to consistently offer dairy, meat, and produce to be utilized in on-campus dining.

Coupling the farm-to-campus program with the WKU Farm’s compost facility provides added benefit for WKU students. Food scraps from restaurants on campus are returned to the farm for composting, and this compost is sold to the public. Proceeds are then utilized to fund student scholarships.

Nena Shomler, Director of Marketing for the WKU Restaurant Group, noted that the program is the result of thoughtful planning involving stakeholders across campus. “For almost two years, this has been a project that we have been actively working on with many different WKU departments and people,” she said. “We are excited to officially begin this program and continue to grow it in the years to come.”

Dr. Leslie North, Interim Chair of the WKU Department of Earth, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences, explained that the program benefits the campus community in a variety of ways. “Through partnerships across multiple sectors, we are giving our agricultural and sustainability science students a hands-on experience, enhancing sustainability practices related to food sourcing and composting, and providing students with high-quality, WKU-grown food products,” said Dr. North, who also is WKU’s Director of Sustainability. “Every sustainability program we have on campus is driven by student experience and considers how we can make it an applied learning opportunity for Hilltoppers.”

The program contributes to the university’s sustainability efforts by increasing the amount of locally sourced food offered in campus restaurants, thereby decreasing the institution’s overall carbon footprint. The university will also have greater control over how food served on campus is produced. The University Farm will utilize best management practices for soil fertility and water usage with an integrated pest management program to reduce the amount of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and water needed for food production. This reduction will help ensure safer food while also protecting Kentucky’s landscapes and karst system from harsh agricultural practices.

WKU sophomore Jasper Gray is learning about meat production this semester in a course taught by Dr. Luiz Silva, Assistant Professor of Animal Science. “This is the kind of class that when you walk out of that door at the end of class, you can really feel like you learned something useful and beneficial,” Gray said.

Dr. Paul Woosley, Director of WKU’s Agricultural Education and Research Center and Professor of Agronomy, noted that this program will help provide learning opportunities for the entire campus community. “Educating the general public on where and how their food is produced is an important job,” he said. “While this program will provide hands-on learning experiences for our Agriculture students, I’m most excited about the opportunities this program will afford toward the education of our general student population about food production.”

Contact: Jace Lux, (270) 745-4295

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Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.