Mizzou's Commitment to Sustainable Food

Dining Halls

Campus Dining Services (CDS) is strongly committed to providing sustainably providing healthy, nutritious food to students and faculty on Mizzou's campus. Part of this commitment involves composting food waste, so that it can be used on local community gardens and the Sustain Mizzou Research Farm.

To learn about this work, please visit the links below:

• Getting Dirty with Cafeteria Leftovers
• Student Launches MU Composting Program
• Treasure Found in a Trash Heap: Composting at Mizzou

 

Another aspect of the commitment CDS has made to be sustainable is the "Zero Waste Picnic" they offer incoming Freshmen. At this event, more than 99% of all materials used are either compostable or recyclable, making this an excellent, and nutritious, way for students to being their academic career with a knowledge of Mizzou's commitment to sustainability.

To learn more about the Zero Waste Picnic, please visit the links below:

• Big Bash, Little Trash

 

Farmers Market

Map of farmers market booths
on Lowry Mall

Mizzou partners with the Columbia and Boone County farmers markets to bring local goods and vendors to the Mizzou campus. Events are usually scheduled monthly, April through October.

For a schedule of Mizzou's farmers market, please click here.

Other Resources

Bradford Farms

The Bradford Research and Extension Center (BREC), a 591-acre research farm located just 11 miles from Mizzou's campus, is part of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources' Agriculture Experiment Station; established in 1888 as part of the national land-grant university system. Each year, MU and USDA-ARS faculty members in various disciplines establish more than 25,000 plots at the Bradford Research and Extension Center.

The main emphasis of the research at BREC is:

• 60% applied: Research that can be used directly by the farmer. This includes crop production, weed and other pest control, forage production, horticulture and soil fertility.
• 30% genetics and breeding: Development of new varieties of wheat, soybeans, corn and forages with emphasis on increased quality, yield and nutrition.
• 10% basic: The backbone of new discoveries in agriculture, though several years away from actual farm use. Examples include plant physiology/genomics and molecular biology.

 

Future research is unknown; however, an emphasis on renewable energy sources is a likely topic of interest.

To learn more about BREC, please visit their homepage.