The College Food Project: Economic Impact
UW-Madison’s Memorial Union caters food for many events on campus, including large summer conferences. In July 2001, the Union served four mostly organic and locally grown meals to 1,000 plant scientists at the Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions Congress. Here is a budget for the local food served at that event:
| Farm or Farmer Cooperative | Location | Food Supplied | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wisconsin Pasturelands | Coop of pastured meat producers in southern Wisconsin | Chicken and beef |
$3,250.41 |
| Homegrown Wisconsin | Coop of 20 organic farmers in southern Wisconsin | Vegetables and eggs |
2,694.25 |
| Spicer Family Farms | Avoca, Wisconsin | Strawberries and rhubarb |
845.00 |
| Cherokee Bison Farms | Colby, Wisconsin | Bison |
604.05 |
| Cedar Grove Cheese | Plain, Wisconsin | Cheese |
282.80 |
| Rushing Waters | Palmyra, Wisconsin | Smoked trout |
261.76 |
| Organic Valley | Coop of over 200 organic farmers, based in LaFarge, Wisconsin | Pork, turkey, dairy |
1,425.44 |
| Blue Farm | Janesville, Wisconsin | Corn chips |
—–
|
| Scenic Valley Jersey Cheese | Darlington, Wisconsin | Cheese |
—–
|
| Schickert’s Mushrooms | Campbellsport, Wisconsin |
119.00 |
|
|
Total income generated for Wisconsin farmers |
|
$9,482.81 |
|