By: Ag. Reporter Mollie Goode
Eastern Kentucky University’s sustainable agricultural practices are setting high standards for college campuses.
According to a news release, EKU’s 720-acre Meadowbrook Farm currently houses cattle and hogs that will be processed and sold to EKU Dining. This localized food chain is encouraging sustainability across the board and making beef products the cleanest in terms of carbon outputs.
This process doesn’t just stop at the Dining Hall, the food waste will then be sent back to the farm for composting to fuel the soil used in crop production. This new conservation initiative on the Meadowbrook Farm is giving college students hands-on opportunities to see production agriculture unfold.
Dr. John Settimi, EKU agriculture professor says, livestock transportation typically spreads across several states and are shipped hundreds of miles in the process, now they can do it in one stop at an in-state USDA butcher.
Agriculture Commissioner Johnathan Shell also comments on the efforts saying, “The closer we can get from the farm gate to the food plate, the more profitable that our farmers are, and the more educated our consumers are.”
Shell says the farm is the greatest conservation tool in the world and is in a constant state of giving back to the Commonwealth.
The EKU farm is teaching students to feed the world through their farm fresh products and is already looking to expand the partnership into poultry and milk.