Northland College started to use locally grown foods from farms and co-ops this fall instead of food services for most of their cafeteria needs. Jessica Hamilton has that story.

Northland College’s Regional Sustainability Coordinator Nathan Engstrom says they haven’t used quite as much locally grown food as they would have liked this year but their goal is still set at 20% of their current food budget.

“So far the first month worth of data that we have gotten has showed us that we are right around the fifteen and a half, fifteen point seven five percent total so far in the first 4-6 weeks in the program. We’ve gotten a good start. We’re not quite to that 20% goal but then of course the year is not over.”

Engstrom says the college is going to continue to buy from local growers after December but there will only be small changes, like how the food will be delivered.

“Our expectation is that we will get the same products from the same people. The process just might be slightly different.”

Local food projects coordinator Alan Filipczak says the farmers and co-op have already fallen into a routine with the farmers delivering their crops to the co-op on the weekend then Filipczak delivers the food to the college on Mondays.

“We’ve had mostly produce, carrots, potatoes, onions, broccoli, salad mix, lettuce, all sorts of vegetable. We’ve also had a significant amount of apples from Bayfield in addition to several hundred pounds of frozen blueberries. There has been some meat; there have been eggs, pretty much a full diet.”

So far, the farms and co-op have delivered 4,000 pounds of food. Contracts between local farms, the Chequamegon Food Co-op and Northland College go through December. Northland College’s Regional Sustainability Coordinator Nathan Engstrom says contracts will be renegotiated in the next few months.

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