report: accounting systems for the 100% local food challenge
TRANSCRIPT
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Hampshire College Food, Farm, andSustainability Program
Report:
Accounting Systems for the
100% Local Food Challenge
Working Draft; November 3, 2015
Authors:
Joshua MinotShelby Gaiss
Supervisors:
Bethanie HookerJessica Wissemann
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE
Introduction and Background ........................................................................................... 3
Interview and Auditing Methodology ................................................................................ 4
Purchasing Guide Comparison ........................................................................................ 6
Results .......................................................................................................................... 12
Farm Tour Briefs ............................................................................................................ 14
Recommendation ........................................................................................................... 16
Bibliography .................................................................................................................... 22
APPENDICES
Farmer Interview Questions ................................................................................ 23
Farmer Interview Results ..................................................................................... 25
HC Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide and Vendor Status ............................. 33
BAMCO Farm to Fork Program and Vendor Status ........................................... 35
Real Food Calculator Evaluation of Vendors ...................................................... 36
Audit Results ...................................................................................................... 37
Comparison of Food Purchasing Guides ............................................................ 39
Local Food Map .................................................................................................. 45
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IntroductionandBackground
In 2012, Hampshire College embarked on the Healthy Food Transition, aninitiative aiming to redefine food on campus in amanner that actively strives tosupportthehealthandvitalityofstudents,facultyandstaff,alongwiththoseinthebroader community. The Healthy Food Transition has taken an all encompassingapproach to improving the status of dining at Hampshire, this includes exploringhowtheschoolcanstrengthencooperationwithlocalproducersandgrowlocalfoodpurchases.Thishasresultedinthepursuitofthe100%LocalFoodChallenge.TheChallenge addresses many of the socioeconomic and environmental issues facingthefoodsystembypushingHampshiretosource100%ofitsfoodfromwithin150miles of the institution (with the only exceptions being products that cannot begrown locally, such as citrus and coffee). The Challenge is ambitious, and aconsiderable amount of involvement will be required to foster additionalrelationships with local producers, coordinate local processing, and ensure thesupplyconsistencyofgoodssourcedfromacollectionofdedicatedbutsmall-scaleanddecentralizedproducers.
Thisisthetypeofinitiativethatwillberequiredtobuildmorerobustlocaland regional food systems, with an institutional customer such as Hampshireaccounting for a significant amount of food purchases. It has been demonstratedthatshiftsininstitution-specificpoliciescanbepivotalinshiftingthecompositionofregional food systems; local foodpurchaseshave alsobeen shown to support on-campus food systems (e.g. meal plan participation increases) (ATTRA, 2003 &Porter, 2015). Making the transition towards sourcing food 100% locally doespresent its challenges though. Coordinatingwith numerous small, local producersrepresentsadeparture fromconventional foodservicesourcingpractices,and thelogistics surrounding such an approach remain a challenge. There are otherchallenges too, such as the financial burden of designing and operating such asystem. To address some of these barriers, the school has fortunately receivedfunding from the Henry P. Kendall Foundation. Indeed, “challenge” is an aptdescriptor for the initiative and a key component will be defining oversightmechanismsinordertoholdourselvesaccountabletothegoalsofthe100%LocalFoodChallenge. ThereareafewwaysbywhichHampshirecangoaboutensuringalignmentwith the objectives outlined by the 100% Local Challenge, and identifying theaccounting system that best fits the needs and values of the institution is animportant piece of groundwork. This aspect of the project requires identifyingmethods that will provide transparency, engagement, and accurate oversight. Inorder to arrive at the best possible system, two Kendall Intern positions werecreated in the fall of 2015, and were supported directly by the generouscontributions of the Kendall Foundation. These internship positions allowed twointerested students to work closely on the issue of purchasing oversight for theinitiative, ultimately recommending the best auditing mechanism for the 100%LocalFoodChallengeatHampshire.
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KendallInternships
TheKendall Internship had a broad purview that included reaching out tomanyof thestakeholders involved in the100%LocalFoodChallenge. Inaddition,theinternsweretaskedwithreviewingauditingmechanismsthatmaybeapplicabletothechallenge,andrecommendingthebestoversightapproachbasedontheneedsand values of Hampshire. Further, the two-person team conducted a preliminaryauditofthediningcommons’purchasingrecordsforfiscalyear2015(FY2015).Fornearlysixmonths, the internsworkedcloselyonthese issuesandhavegainedtherequisiteknowledgenecessarytomakearecommendationtothecommunity.Afterhaving completed extensive research—on the topics of local food systems,institutional procurement, community involvement, and food accountability—theteam feels confident that their recommendation is appropriate for HampshireCollege,andleavesplentyofroomforflexibilityinmanykeyareas. TherecommendationputforthbytheKendallInternsistheimplementationof an auditing system that takes a similar structure to what is known asParticipatoryGuaranteeSystem(PGS).AccordingtotheInternationalFederationofOrganic Movements (IFOAM) PGSs “are locally focused quality assurancesystems.They certify producers based on active participation of stakeholders andarebuiltonafoundationoftrust,socialnetworksandknowledgeexchange”(IFOAMWebsite,n.d.).Thisapproachemphasizesstakeholderengagementoverthirdpartycertificationsandwillallowforatailoredoversightmechanism.TheresearchteamfeltthataPGStypesystemwillbestsupportHampshire’svalues,thespecificgoalsofthe 100% local food challenge, while allowing for in-depth student participation.RecommendingaPGSisnotintendedtoserveasanoppositiontootheraccountingsystems, but rather is a result of the specific factors that the internship isaddressing; for other purposes—and depending on community desires andmotivations—itmay be worth revisiting the appropriateness of other accountingsystems. A preliminary audit conducted by the research team also resulted inmoregeneral recommendations regarding the current status of the 100% Local FoodChallenge. This includes holding our food service provider, Bon AppétitManagementCompany(BAMCO),accountableontheirlocalpurchasingtargetsandensuringourcampusfarmisintegratedintotheinitiativeinthemostconstructivemanner.Methodology
Interviewingfarmersandauditingpurchasingrecordsweretwocomponentsof thisproject that allowed for the research team to addressHampshire’s specificprocurementprocess.Here, the teamwasable toexperimentwithmethodologies,establish baseline local-food purchasing figures, and enter into more focuseddialogueswithlocalproducers.Thiswasaportionoftheprojectthatallowedfortheresearch team to apply the knowledge gained from literature reviews and
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preliminary meetings with campus food system stakeholders. Interviews wereconducted on-site at the farms of Hampshire’s local food suppliers. The auditingprocesstooktheformofreviewinginvoicessuppliedbyBAMCO.Audit The Audit offered the team an opportunity to establish baseline local foodpurchasingfigureswhilealsoexploringvariousaccountingtechniquesthatmaybeusefulgoingforward.Auditingconsistedofreviewingmultipleformsofpurchasingrecords from the dining commons, recording information in an electronic format,andcontextualizingthefiguresintermsoftotalpurchasingnumbers. Throughout thesummerof2015, theKendall Internsreviewedpurchasingrecordsfromthediningcommonsinordertoconductanauditoffiscalyear2015.Records reviewed include reports generated through BAMCO’s Farm to Forkprogram, corporate purchasing card statements, and petty cash logs (with somesuppliersonlyacceptingcash).AllofthesesourceswerereviewedandcomparedinordertoensuretotalcoverageofFY2015andthatnoduplicateswereincluded. Information collected during the auditing process was entered intospreadsheet format using Microsoft Excel. Purchasing figures were organized bysupplier,andchronologicallyorderedwithineachsuppliersegment(produce,meat,dairy, and other). Detailed notes were recorded when possible, including invoicenumbers, itemdescriptions, costperunit, andorder total (althoughnotallof thisinformationwas available for eachorder). The summaryof this document canbeviewedinthe“Results”sectionofthispaper.FarmerInterviews
Anintegralpartofthistheproject,andonethatheavilyformedthebasisfor
thisreportwasmeetingwithsomeofHampshire’sexisting localsuppliersat theiroperations. For this process the research team crisscrossed the Pioneer Valley,speakingwithvegetablegrowers,orchardists,dairyfarmers,andothertypesoffoodproducers.These interviewsweremultifaceted innaturewith the teamaiming togain insights on the operational characteristics and histories ofHampshire’s localpartners. The interviews also served as a trial run for enacting a ParticipatoryGuarantee System for overseeing our local foods initiative. This portion of theprojectprovedtobehighlyinformative,withtheteamgatheringthemostuptodateinformationabout local farms, and learningabout their experiencesworkingwithHampshireCollegediningservices.
Inthesummerof2015,theresearchteamselectedfarmstovisitthatwouldbest support the project’s goals; this involved interviewing a diverse set ofproducersfromallsegmentsofthelocalfoodsystem.Itwasimportantthattheteamspokewith vegetable, fruit, and livestock farmers in order to improve the team’sknowledgeofawidearrayoftopicsinthelocalfoodsystem.Additionally,thiswidearrayoffarmershelpedtheteamformulatehowfutureinterviewscouldbestinformthe local foods oversight approach for all food products. Other factors thatinfluencedtheselectionprocess includethenatureof theoperation(i.e. farmsnot
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processors),distancefromHampshire,andthequantityoffoodspurchasedfromthefarm.Intotal,theresearchteamvisitednearlyhalfofHampshire’scurrentlocalfoodsuppliers.
Farmer availability was one immediate challenge, and creative interviewformats were required to speak with farmers. Interviews often took place in thefield,withinterviewteamsometimeswalkingalongsidethefarmerduringmorningchores, or even weeding fields with the farm crew in some cases. This formatactually proved to be fairly effective,with it providing a chance to tour the farm,speakwiththefarmers,andseethefarm’sday-to-dayoperations.Priortobeginningtheinterviewprocess,formalquestionsheetsweredraftedspecificallyforproducegrowersandlivestockfarmers(seeappendixA).Thesesheetsensuredthattheteamtouched on the important issues, while also providing some structure to theinterviews.Howeverunstructureddialogueswouldalsotakeplace,providingmoreinformativeinterviewsthansimplyaskingpremeditatedquestions.
Fromtheinterviews,ourteamwasabletogatherinformationpertainingtoawide array of topics relevant to Hampshire’s local food initiative. Beginningwithgeneral farm characteristics, the team was able to clarify operational practices,certificationstatus,alongwithgainingunforeseeninformationthatthefarmersmayhappentomention.Consideringmanysmall,localfarmsdonotholdmany(orany)third-partycertifications,thisportionoftheprocessisvitallyimportantinordertoconfirm that the farm’s operational philosophy is well aligned with prioritiesoutlinedinHampshire’sSustainableFoodPurchasingGuide.Theteamwasalsoableto gather information related to the farm’s experience working with HampshireCollege and our foodservice provider, Bon Appétit Management Company.Furthermore, the interviews provided anecdotal information on challenges andopportunities facing local farmers—such as optimal marketing channels andparticipationinfederallyfundedconservationprograms.ApotentialbroaderimpactoftheinterviewprocessisthattheinformationgatheredmayinformfutureworkonsmallfarmviabilityinthePioneerValleybyHampshirestudents,faculty,andstaff.
The full results from the interview and auditing process are available in the
appendixB,C,&Fsectionsofthisreport.PurchasingGuideComparisonThe followingsectionoffersanoverviewofPurchasingGuidesRelevant to the100%LocalFoodChallenge.ThisincludesacomparisonofHampshireCollege’sSustainableFoodPurchasingGuide,BonAppétit’spoliciesandFarmtoForkProgram,andtheRealFoodChallenge’sRealFoodCalculator.
As the 100% Local Food Challenge progresses at Hampshire College, it isvitallyimportantthatthecommunityexploreshowaccountabilitywillbeachieved.Thisincludesrefiningpurchasingpoliciesandidentifyinghowthecollegewillhold
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itselfaccountabletoitsprinciplesandgoals.Hampshireisfortunateenoughtohavea unique set of resources not often present at institutions of higher education—betweenouron-campusfarm;dedicatedandagriculturallyknowledgeablestudents,faculty,andstaff;andgeographic location, theschool is inanexcellentposition totackle the issue of local food procurement. However, this does notmean that theinstitutioncansimplyredirectitsfooddollarstowardslocalproducers.Thisprocessmustbesupportedthroughconstantreviewandoversight,ensuringthatactionsarewellalignedwiththecorevaluesoftheinitiative—makingcertainthattheschoolisbothhitting thepurchasing targets,butalso that theprogramremains focusedonthepolitical,economic,andenvironmental issuesthat inspired it in the firstplace.Further, the 100% Local Food Challenge must remain connected to an informedcampus community—creating an environment in which students, faculty,administration members, and others can engage with the program and worktowardsthecontinualrefinementoftheinitiative.Inordertoprovidethenecessaryoversight mechanisms and opportunities for refinement, Hampshire College withthesupportoftheHenryP.Kendallfoundationcreatedaninternshiptorecommendthe best manner in which to integrate accountability and continual developmentintotheinitiative.
There are three existing purchasing guides that may influence the 100%Local Food Challenge (although not all three are technically “guides” so to speak,they are referred to as such in the section). For this section, all three purchasingguidesarereviewed—Hampshire’scurrentSustainableFoodPurchasingGuide;BonAppétit’sgeneralpurchasingpoliciesandFarmtoForkProgram;andtheRealFoodChallenge’s Real Food Calculator. The Hampshire College Sustainable FoodPurchasingGuide and theBAMCOFarm to Forkprogram currently play an activerole in the 100% Local Food Challenge, while the RFC’s Real Food Calculator isunderreview.
Overview Thereisaconsiderableamountofvariationamongthethreeguidesoutlinedin this piece. Represented in the lineup are internal college policies, corporateoperationalpolicies,andanauditingprogramsupportedbyanexternalnon-profitorganization.
Hampshire’s Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide provides an overview ofwhere the college’s food purchasing priorities lie and which specific factors theschool is most sensitive to during the supplier selection process. The guideinfluencesthecollege’srelationshipwithfoodserviceproviders—dictatinghowfoodispurchasedforthediningcommons,campuscafé,andforcateredeventsfundedbytheschool.
Bon Appétit Management Company’s (BAMCO) has general operationalpoliciesregardingsustainablepractices,buttheirlocalfoodpurchasingpoliciesaremainlyoutlinedintheirFarmtoFork(F2F)program.TheF2Fprogramisintendedto provide structure for incorporating local food vendors into their suppliernetwork;theprogramtakesintoaccountthesizeof farmsandtheirdistancefromtherespectiveaccount,amongotherfactors.Itisthepolicyofthecompanytoroute
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20% each location’s purchases through the program. BAMCO is a foodserviceproviderfocusingmainlyoninstitutionsofhighereducation.Thecompanymanagesover500locationsandisestimatedtohaveannualrevenueofover$500million.
TheRealFoodChallenge(RFC)isanation-wideinitiativethataimstoshift$1billion dollars worth of higher education food purchasing dollars to moresustainableoptions throughparticipation in theirprogram.TheRFChasdesignedtheir“RealFoodCalculator”inordertoaccountforaschool’spurchases—theRFC’scalculator is both a de facto set of purchasing policies (i.e. allowed distance fromproducers,approvedcertifications,etc.)andanaccountingprogramthatisdesignedtoprovideastandardtoallowforcomparisonsamonginstitutions.GeneralNatureofthePrograms Theprogramsoutlinedinthispieceallfunctionbasedondifferentevaluationprinciplesandhavevariedstructures.Whilethefocusofthisreportisonlocalfoodprocurement, each of the guides reviewed also evaluate factors such as theecologicalsoundnessofanoperation’sfarmingpractices.
Hampshire’s Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide takes into account boththird party certifications along with general farm characteristics, recognizing thediversityofoperationalcharacteristicspresentamongsmalltomediumscalefarms.TheHCguidemakesanefforttoevaluatefarmsonspectrumasopposedtorigidlydefined criteria, leaving room for flexibility when merited: this can presentchallengesandrequiresmoreactiveengagementwiththeprocurementprocess,butultimatelyleadstoasystemthatisabletomeetourexactcriteriaandbettersupportour institutional goals while not unfairly placing our partner farms in strictlydefined categories. In addition to local food, the HC Sustainable Food PurchasingGuidealsoplacesapriorityonsustainablefarmingpractices, just laborconditions,andfoodsafety.
Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork Program is designed to provide a local food-purchasing framework for all of the company’s locations.The guide looks at farmrevenueanddistance fromthepurchasingkitchen,alongwith issuespertainingtohumanetreatment,ecologicallysoundpractices,andfoodsafety.TheF2FprogramisprimarilyintendedtoprovideaconsistentmannerforBAMCO’sexecutivechefstointegrate small, local producers—who may not routinely sell to institutionalcustomers—intothecompany’ssuppliernetwork.Inthecontextofthisproject,F2Fprovides a good startingpoint for our challenge (withBAMCOmandating20%ofpurchasesbe from local farms)andalso illustrates the firm’swillingness to tackleissues of local food procurement. The program is a benefit in terms ofdocumentation currentlymaintainedbyBAMCO,with local vendors alreadybeingaccountedforintheF2Fprogram.
TheReal FoodChallenge’sReal FoodCalculator is anoversightmechanismfor the RFC’s Campus Commitment. With the Campus Commitment, colleges anduniversitiessignpledgestopurchaseacertainamountof“RealFood”byanagreedupondate.TheRealFoodCalculatorexaminesfactorssuchaslocalandcommunitybased operations, humane livestock treatment, fair labor conditions, andecologically sound practices; each of these areas of interest represent a category
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thatfooditemsareevaluatedby,withproductseitherbeingqualifiedasRealFoodbasedon their status. In addition to the local and community based category, thequalifications for Real Food are determined by third-party certifications. Thecalculatorisrunbystudentswhoauditthepurchasingrecordsofon-campusdiningestablishments,eitherforanentirefiscalyearorfortwomonth“snapshots”.Therearemultiple levelsofRealFood,withcertaincertificationsqualifyingproducts foreither“RealFoodA”or“RealFoodB”;besidesbothtypesof“RealFood”therearemultiplecategoriesoffoodthatshouldbeavoidedandthatdonotqualifyfor“RealFood”duringtheaccountingprocess.Inadditiontointernalusebytheorganization,theauditsarecondensedintoaformatthatlist“RealFood”asapercentageoftotalfood purchasing dollars that is then publically displayed on the institution’s RFCprofilepage.TheRFC’s calculator isdesigned tohelp schools adhere to standardsoutlined by the RFC, and offers an ‘off the shelf’ auditing tool for students to usewhenevaluatingtheirinstitution’spractices.
LocalandCommunityBasedPartners
Determining what constitutes a local farm is more challenging than onemightthink.IntheU.S.,theterm‘LocalFood’isnotrigidlydefinedbytheUSDAorotherimpartial,nationalauthoritiesonfoodandagriculture(theU.S.congresshasdefinedlocalfoodasfoodproducedwithin400milesorwithinthesamestateasitsconsumption, which provides a significant degree of variation in goods that mayqualify)(Low,2015).Localcanbedefinedbyanumberofmetrics—bygeographicdistance, according to political and administrative boundaries (i.e. states andcounties),orbioregions,amongothers. ‘Communitybased’ isgenerallydefinedbythenatureofafarm’sownershiporitsgrossannualrevenue.Allofthepurchasingguidesreviewedhereuselocaldefinitionsbasedongeographicdistance,andmakedistinctionsoncommunity-basedusingeitherUSDAdefinitionsof farmsize,grossannualrevenue,and/orcorporatestructure. Hampshire’sSustainableFoodPurchasingGuideworksonaslidingscalethatprioritizes the ‘most local’ options first, but accounts for the fact thatmany highdemandfoodscannotbesourcedwithintheNewEnglandregion.AccordingtotheSustainable Food Purchasing Guide, the dining commonsmust prioritize sourcingfood from the Hampshire College Farm Center (HCFC). Food from the farm isgenerallyprovidedthroughtheDiningCommon’spurchasingofHCFCCSAsharesordirectsalesofspecificcropsandlivestockproducts.AfterattemptingtosourcefromtheHCFC, the guide states that optionswithin 150miles of the school should beinvestigated;150milesincludesportionsofallNewEnglandstates,alongwithlargeportions of New York and small sections of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Thenumberoffarmswithinthisregionissufficienttomeetthesupplyrequirementsformanygoods.However,barriersincludethenatureoftheclimateandcropsthatcanbecultivatedwithin150milesoftheschool,alongwiththeeconomicsofpurchasingstrictlywithin the region.Afteroptionswithin the150-mile radiusareexhausted,theguide’snextdistinctionisfortheNortheasternUS—whichincludesallfarmsinthe aforementioned states. From there, U.S. and then global options are listed asleast desirable—items in this categorymay include coffee or citrus. The guide is
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ultimatelyadescriptionof idealpurchasingpractices,witheconomicandlogisticalfactorsalongwithproduct availability influencing thedegree towhich local foodscanbeprovidedinthediningcommons. Hampshire’s SustainableFoodPurchasingGuidealsodiscusses thebenefitsof small tomedium scale farms. The guide states that the school aims not just tosupportlocalfarms,butalsosmalltomediumscaleoperations(althoughthereisasignificant degree of overlap between the two). Here, HC’s guide looks at factorssuchas farmrevenue, itsmarketingavenues(i.e.direct toconsumerand/orotherlocalmarketingefforts),alongwithwhetherornottheoperationisafamilyfarm. BonAppétit’sFarmtoForkProgramhasoutlinedthecriteriaforlocalfarmsasthosewithin150milesoftheinstitutionwherethefoodisserved.Intermsofthecommunity-based distinction, the F2F program qualifies farms with less than $5million dollars in annual sales and that are owner-operated as community-based.BAMCO uses these distinctions to determine a farm’s eligibility for their F2Fprogram. It is corporate policy of BAMCO to source at least 20%of its food fromwithin150-milesof anygiven café. IthasalsobecomeBAMCOpolicy tohost “EatLocalChallenges”atallofitsCafés,meaningthefoodserviceproviderhostsatleastonemealperyearwhereall the ingredients,besidessalt,aresourcedwithin150-milesof the institution.According to thecompany, thishelpsbuilddialogueaboutlocalfood,whilealsopushingthediningservicetostretchitsabilitytosourcelocalgoods. TheRealFoodChallenge’s“RealFoodGuide”outlineswhichfoodqualifiesas“RealFood”foraccountingpurposesintheprogram.TheRFCdefineslocalasfoodthat has been produced, processed, and distributed within 150 miles of itsconsumption point—this also includes the location of contract growers and theparentcompany.
TheRFCusesacouplemetricstodefine“community-based”food.Hereit isagainworthnotingthattheRFCemploysasystemthatdefinesmultipletiersofRealFood—termed “Real Food A” and “Real Food B”,with the former being themorepreferable type of “Real Food”. First, privately traded or cooperatively ownedbusinesses that gross less than 1% of the industry leader and that have fullautonomyanddecisionmakingpoweraboutbusiness,processing,anddistributionpracticesqualifyasRealFoodA.LocalandCommunity-BasedRealFoodBisdefinedby mainly the same qualifications as above, however the farm only needs to fallwithina radiusof250-milesof the institution.BothRealFoodAandRealFoodBcontributetoaninstitution’sRealFoodpercentagetargets(calculatedastotalfoodpurchasesdividedbyboththesumofbothRealFoodtypes).
SustainableProductionPractices
While local food is the focus of this report, the motivations for sourcinglocallyproducedproductsincludesomeoftheecologicalbenefitsthatcanbeofferedby partneringwith regional producers. Thiswas amotivator for the 100% LocalFoodChallenge,andtheinitiativeaimstoensurethatsustainablefarmingpracticesremain an important consideration as the initiative unfolds. Each of the guides
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reviewedaddressecologicallysoundproductionpracticesintheirownmannerandthissectionwillbrieflyreviewthoseapproaches. Hampshire’s Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide places an emphasis onsustainable production practices. These are defined as practices that “minimizenegative impacts on the environment, ensure humane treatment of livestock andpreserveenvironmentalandbiologicalresourcesforfuturegenerations”(Sust.Foodpurchasingguide,2013).Theguideevaluatessustainabilityofproductionpracticesbasedonafewfactors.Forone,USDAOrganicCertificationscanbeagoodindicatorof a farm’s practices—with certification including rotation of crops and usage ofonlyselectfertilizersandpesticides.USDAOrganiccertificationisbynomeanstheonly indicatorof sustainable farmingpractices,with therebeingother third-partycertifications that can demonstrate sustainability. Furthermore, and as is morerelevant to this report, another way of evaluating the sustainability of localsuppliers is by gathering community feedback; this includes developingrelationships with suppliers and evaluating their sustainability in the process—secondpartycertificationsfromtrustedorganizations,suchasCommunityInvolvedinSustainingAgriculture,mayalsobesufficient.KeyecologicalconsiderationsoftheSustainableFoodPurchasingGuideincludepesticideuse,fertilitymanagement,croprotation, soil conservation, animal feed type, use of growth hormones, use ofantibiotics, animal housing regimen (e.g. Confined Animal Feeding Operations orpasture-basedoperations,amongothers),andsustainableharvestingofseafood. Bon Appétit’s policies surrounding sustainable production practices areoutlined in a number of programs and respective documents. There are a coupleprograms of note that BAMCO has implemented in order to achieve moresustainablepurchasingpractices.TheLowCarbonDietemploysa“database-driventool” (theLowCarbonDietCalculator) toquantify theCO2emissionof food itemsand recommend menu changes to reduce environmental impacts. Seafoodpurchasing polices are outlined byBAMCO in partnershipwith theMontereyBayAquarium’s SeafoodWatchprogram.Additionally,BAMCOdeveloped theirFish toFork program in 2011—a program that places a higher emphasis on speciesselection(e.g.avoidingendangeredspecies,prioritizing thepurchaseof fish loweron the food chain, etc.), the distance from harbor to kitchen, size of the fishingoperation(owneroperated,grosssaleslessthan$5million/year),andtraceability.It is the general policy of BAMCO to only purchase beef that was raised withoutantibiotics, added growth hormones, and animal byproducts in feed. Turkey andchickenmustnothavebeenadministeredroutinedosesofantibiotics in feed,andshell eggs must be cage free. The company is also increasing its purchasing ofCertified Organic and Shade-Grown coffee. These policies, along with othersustainablepurchasingpositions,areoutlinedintheFarmtoForkprogram,onthecompany’swebsite,andintheircontractswithinstitutions. The RFC evaluates ecologically sound practices based on multiple tiers ofdescending preference. These range from “Green Light” (best standard, counts asRealFood)to“RedLight”(avoidpurchase,doesnotqualifyasrealfood).Productsevaluatedincludeproduce,meat,processedfoods,coffee,tea,andseafood.TheRFCrelies on third party certifications for evaluation of ecologically sound practices.Certifications of note include Biodynamic Certified, USDA Organic, Rainforest
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Alliance Certified, Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, and TransitionalOrganic.TheRFCalsomakesnoteof labels andproductdescriptions thatmaybeeithermisleadingand/or insubstantial; these include “RaisedwithoutAntibiotics”,“Natural”, “GMO Free”, and “Naturally Raised”, among others. There are alsodisqualificationcriteriasuchastheuseofrBSTfordairies.Itisworthnotingthataproduct can still count as real food if it qualifies in other categories besides“Ecologically Sound”, unless of course if the product meets the disqualificationcriteria.Forfurtherinformationregardingtheprogramslistedaboveseethefollowingresources:
• HampshireCollegeSustainableFoodPurchasingGuide:https://www.hampshire.edu/sites/default/files/shared_files/Purchasing_Guide_Working_Draft_january_2013-1.pdf
• RealFoodChallenge:http://www.realfoodchallenge.org/commitment
• BAMCO’sFarmtoForkProgram:http://www.bamco.com/timeline/farm-to-fork/
ResultsBriefnoteontheaudit
The auditing process revealed two surprising facts: that only about 22% of thedining halls purchases are local, and that no one knew this until the processwasover.Withagoalofsourcing100%ofourfoodlocallyinthenearfuture,thedininghall needs to be held accountable for growing this modest 22%** in the comingyears.Therefore,itisrecommendthateachfiscalyearbeauditedinawaysimilartotheprocessthatwewentthroughduringthisinternshipsothattheBonAppétitcankeeptrackoftheirprogressandsothatthecampuscommunityasawholecanbeinformedabouttheactualamountoffoodthatislocal.
FinancialAnalysis
In order to fully understand how Bon Appétit’s local food purchases weredistributed, the team analyzed invoices from the college’s 2014-2015 fiscal year.Informationfromtheauditwasenteredintoaspreadsheet,whichincludedalloftheinvoices for each local farm that the schoolworkedwith during FY2015. In total,Hampshire purchased $260,346.00** of goods from 24 local farms/vendors, allwithin a 150 mile radius of the College. After analyzing the spreadsheet, it wasdeterminedthatBonAppétitspendsamajorityoflocalpurchasingdollarsonsushifromEdoSushi,totaling$85,021.92.Thesecondhighestamountofmoneyspentonlocal produce went to the Hampshire Farm, with $45,623.80 spent on bringingvegetables, eggs, andmeat from the on-campus farm to the dining hall. The teamalso analyzed how much money was going towards produce, meat, dairy, andmiscellaneous items, such as sushi, coffee, and baked goods. Almost half($111,223.81)of the totalpurchaseswent towards items thatdidnot fall into the
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produce,meat,ordairycategories,followedby$87,963.30goingtowardsproduce,$36,267.49goingtowardsdairy,and$24,891.40goingtowardsmeatpurchases.
Ultimately itwasdetermined that ofBonAppétit’s total foodpurchases22%wasspentonlocallysourcedgoodsforFY2015.Whilethisislessthanwhatmanywouldexpect,thisinformationprovidesthecommunitywithagoodbaselinethatwillhelpHampshireinitseffortstogetascloseto100%localaspossible.Forexample,itwasnotknownhowmuchmoneywasbeing spenton specific categoriesof local food,and Bon Appétit can take this information and use it tomore efficiently allocatemoneytoeachcategoryinordertoincreaseourtotallocalfoodpurchases.
It is also important to note that the produce that Bon Appétit purchases fromHampshireCollegeFarm ispurchasedat adiscount compared to the localmarketrateforthesameproducts.Theresearchteamreviewedalltheproducepurchasedby the dining commons through HC farm CSA shares (BAMCO purchases 75 CSAsharesannually);thepricefortheseproductswasthencomparedtotheaverageoflisted wholesale prices for the same products from Red Fire Farm and KitchenGarden Farm—both of these farms are also BAMCO Farm to Fork suppliers. ThetotalfromtheaveragedmarketpriceswascomparedtothepricethatBonAppétitcurrentlypays forallof theproduce that thedininghallgets fromtheHC farm. ItwasultimatelydeterminedthatifBAMCOweretopurchasethesameproductsfromotherF2Fvendors,theywouldpayabout$28,894.45insteadofthe$17,500.00thatthey currently pay for 75 CSA shares. From this, it is apparent that the farm hasprovidedthedininghallwithahealthydiscountonproduceandthatifBonAppétitwas not able to purchase from the farm, then theywould be payingmuch higherpriceselsewhere. If theHampshireFarmhadbeensellingproduceatprices foundamongotherFarmtoForkvendors,thepercentageoflocalfoodpurchaseswouldbenoticeablyhigher.
**Note: After the completing auditing process and drafting this report, BAMCOprovided the research team with additional purchasing records that indicated$290,604intotallocalfoodpurchasingforFY2015(anincreaseofroughly$30,000).With thesenew figures, the totalpercentageof foodpurchased locally forFY2015would be 24.6%.Due to amiscommunication, these figureswere not available toresearchteamearlyenoughforinclusioninthisreportwiththepropercontextualinformation.Inlightofthisdevelopment,thereportreferencesfiguresestablishedbefore the research team was made aware of the discrepancy. This situation hasresulted in the development of a more refined auditing approach and improvedcommunicationbetweenresearchersandBAMCO.
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FarmVisitBriefs(forfullwrite-upsseeAppendixB)
Duringthecourseofthisinternship,theteamwasabletovisitsevenlocalfarmsthatwork closelywith Bon Appétit. Themain purpose of these visitswas to examinehowthesefarm’soperationalpracticesalignwiththevariousguidelines.Thatistosay,thecategoriesthesefarmsfallintowhenlookingattheHampshireSustainableFood Purchasing Guide, Bon Appétit’s Farm to Fork Criteria, and the Real FoodChallenge’sRealFoodAorBstandards.Further,therewasaninterestingainingabettersenseofhowthesefarmscreateandmaintainasustainableoperation.Inall,itwasfoundthatHampshire’scurrentlocalsuppliersarededicatedtokeepingthelandthattheyworkhealthyandproductiveintheirownuniqueways.
ThefirstfarmvisitedwasSimpleGiftsFarm.SimpleGifts,locatedinNorthAmherst,isa32-acreBaystateOrganicCertifiedfarmrunbyJeremyBarkerPlotkinandDaveTepfer.Allofthefarm’sacreageismanagedunderalandtrustthataimstopreserveland specifically for the purpose of sustainable farming. SimpleGifts provides thecommunity with a variety of organic produce through CSA shares, local farmersmarkets,afarmstand,andthroughwholesale.InFY2015HampshireCollegeDiningServicespurchased$3,120worthofgoodsfromSimpleGiftsFarm.Book and Plow Farm was next. Since the fall of 2012, Book and Plow has beenproviding Amherst College with sustainably grown produce, educationalopportunities, and a place to build community. Although this farm works verycloselywiththecollege,itisstillanindependentoperationrunbymanagersTobinPorter-Brown,PeterMcLean,andassistantmanagerMaidaIves.BookandPlownotonlyprovidesproducetoAmherstCollegeandHampshireCollege,butalsotootherdining halls, restaurants, and to the larger community through CSA shares. Theoperationisbothaproductionfarmandaneducationalfarm,providingavaluableresourcefortheAmherstCollegecommunity.InFY2015HampshireCollegeDiningServicespurchased$9,428.50worthofgoodsfromBookandPlowFarm.FromthereQueen’sGreenswastoured.ThefarmisasustainablymanagedproduceoperationrunbyDanyaTeitelbaumandMatthewBiskup.Currently, the farm is inits seventh year growing greens and its third year growing a variety of othervegetables including, includingpeppersandbeets.Theirmarket isalmostentirelywholesale, selling mainly to four small distributors. However, the farm also sellsdirectlytorestaurantsanddininghalls,aswellasmarketingproducethroughafewlocal farmers’markets. Alongwithmainly selling producewholesale, this farm isuniquebecauseof itsseveral largehigh-tunnels,whichallowfor thecultivationofproduce year-round. In FY2015 Hampshire College Dining Services purchased$4,996worthofgoodsfromQueen’sGreens.ApexOrchardsofferedanopportunity to speakwith localorchardistswhosupplythe Hampshire College Dining Commons. Apex Orchards is a nearly 200-year oldfamily farm providing apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, pears, grapes,andblueberriestothelocalcommunity.Apexsellstheirfruitatfarmersmarkets,to
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other farm’s CSA programs, and towholesale buyers. They also have a pick yourown field where customers can go and enjoy fresh fruit as well as a beautifulmountaintopview.WithastrongfoundationsetbymultiplegenerationsoffarmersApex Orchards is continuing to evolve, including the construction of a new farmstoreandimprovedpickyourownlocations. InFY2015HampshireCollegeDiningServicespurchased$5,499worthofgoodsfromApexOrchards.Red Fire Farmis a 180-acre produce farm with operations in both Granby andMontague.Theyhavebeencertifiedorganicsince1995,makingthemoneofthefirstfarms in the area to signon to theUSDACertifiedOrganicprogram.They growalargevarietyofvegetables,herbs,flowers,andfruits;allproduceiscertifiedorganic,exceptfortheirfruit.TheirproducecanbefoundalloverthestateofMassachusettsand can be purchased through CSA shares, farmers markets, farm stands, andwholesale.Notmanyfarmsareabletogrowproduceonthescalethatthisfarmdoeswhile still maintaining such a high quality, but Red Fire is a testament to thescalability of responsible farming in the Pioneer Valley. In FY2015 HampshireCollegeDiningServicespurchased$5,144worthofgoodsfromRedFireFarm.MaplelineFarmislocatedinHadleyandhasbeenoperatedbythesamefamilyfor111years.Thefarm’sofherdof250Jerseycowsprovidemilkwithhighfatcontent,a characteristic that has the milk in high demand. The farm is especially excitedaboutsupplyingmilktoschoolsandcollegesinhopesofexposingstudentstohighquality, localproducts.It isapolicyofMaplelinetonotusegrowthhormones,andthe cattle are housed in modern, clean, and well-ventilated free stall barns. InFY2015HampshireCollegeDiningServicespurchased$22,974worthofgoodsfromMaplelineFarm.AustinBrothersValleyFarminBelchertownisabeefoperationthatsellstosomeofthearea’srestaurantsandspecialtyshops,alongwithmarketingthroughthefarm’sown CSA. The Austin Brothers’ herd of 75 beef cattle is primarily composedHereford-Angus crosses. It is a pasture-based operation, with the animals havingaccesstopasturewhentheconditionspermit.Thefarmgrowsitsowncornandhay,and slaughters animals locally. In FY2015 Hampshire College Dining Servicespurchased$20,706.13worthofgoodsfromAustinBrothersValleyFarm.Finally, the Hampshire College Farm was created in the 1970’s and has beenevolvingeversince.Hampshireprovidesauniquefarmopportunitytoitsstudentsby having both a livestock operation and a vegetable production operation. Thefarm provides produce, meat, dairy, eggs, and maple syrup to Bon Appétit, thedining provider on campus. The farm also engages with the local community byofferingmeatandproduceCSAshares.Thefarmisanimportantpartofthecampuscommunitysince itprovidesaplaceof learningand inspiration for students inallconcentrations. In FY2015 Hampshire College Dining Services purchased$45,623.80worthofgoodsfromtheHampshireCollegeFarm.Visitingtheselocalfarmswasundoubtedlyavitalactivitythatsupportedtheteam’s
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decision-making process when recommending a future direction for the auditingprocedure.The size, location, andvaluesofHampshireprovide an advantage thatmanyother institutionsmaynothavewhen itcomes tobuildingconnectionswithlocal vendors. It is understandable and completely reasonable to havecertifications/standards/categories etc. when assessing food vendors, especiallywhen they are inaccessible for whatever reason. That being said, wheneverpossible,personalconnectionsandopendialoguebetween farmandbuyershouldbeforgedinordertosupplementgeneralcertifications.Recommendation**The views expressed in this section are those of the Kendall Interns and do notnecessarilyreflecttheviewsoftheFoodFarmandSustainabilityprogram,HampshireCollege,theCollege’sstaff,ortheCollege’spartnerorganizations.**Introduction
Afterworking on the topic of Hampshire’s 100%Local Food Challenge foralmost half a year, the research team feels informed enough to make arecommendation on which oversight mechanism would serve the school and itspartnersbest.Itisnotarecommendationthattheteamtakeslightlysincethisisanaspectof the initiative thatwill have amajor impacton itsultimate success,withgrowing interest in the topic on campus, and across the nation. What the teamlearned over the course of the project is that Hampshire is well positioned toinstituteaParticipatoryGuaranteeSystem(PGS)toensuretheeffectivenessofourlocalfoodpurchasingapproach.ThePGSoffersanalternativetoaccountingsystemsthat rely almost exclusively on third party certifications, and represents anapproachespeciallyadaptedtolocalmarketsandshortsupplychains.Thisisnottosay other systems could not be implemented along side a PGS at Hampshire, butratherthatthePGSoffersthemostpragmaticauditingtechniqueforaninstitutionwiththecharacteristicsofHampshire.ThetwoapproachesdiscussedinthissectionarethePGSandtheRealFoodChallenge’sRealFoodCalculator,againnotbecausetheyare theonlypotential approachesbut rather that therehasbeen communityinterest in both. Having completed months of careful research and after havingconductedafoodpurchasingauditforfiscalyear2015purchases,theendresultofthis project is to pursue a PGS while leaving the door open to the RFC if thecommunity,asawhole,feelsthecollegeshouldpartnerwiththeprogram.
Toarriveatthepointofbeingabletomakearecommendationasignificantamount of work has been invested by the research team—the research teamreviewedmanypiecesofscholarlyliteraturepertainingtofarmtoschoolprograms,thedesignofsustainablefoodpurchasingguides,andthirdpartycertifications;theteam met with interested students—listening to their concerns andrecommendations;theteamhasalsobeganon-goingdialogueswithdiningserviceson campus and BAMCO’s regional representative in order to determine how ourfoodservice provider fits into the initiative; hours were invested in completing a
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baselinesurveyfor fiscalyear2015foodpurchases;anda fewdayswerespent inthe field, speakingwith local producers in order to gain their perspective on thetopic.Indeed,thisprocesshasbeenongoingandhighlyinvolvedbecauseitneedstobe—food systems are complex, and local food systems have their own uniqueaspectsbasedontheirlocality.Uponcompletingaforementionedwork,theprojectreachedapointwheretheteamisconfidentintheirabilitytorecommendthebestapproachtooverseeingwhereHampshire’slocalfooddollarsaregoing.TheRecommendedMethod
Theevaluationtechniquebeingproposedisaparticipatoryguaranteesystemtoberefinedbytheschoolandalignedwiththe100%LocalFoodChallenge.Hadtheinstitutionunder reviewnot beenHampshire, therewouldmost likely be amuchdifferentanswertothequestionofwhichoversightprogramwillbemosteffective.HampshireCollegeplacesanemphasisoncriticalengagementwithcomplexissuesandstrivestogobeneaththesurfaceofagiventopic.Further,wehaveawealthofassets in the form of dedicated and knowledgeable students, faculty, and staff—alongwithbeinglocatedinaregionthatisahotbedforlocalagriculture.Inlightoftheabove,wecansuccessfully implementaParticipatoryGuaranteeSystembasedaccounting system for the100% local food initiative.ThePGS isbynomeans theeasiestmethodofevaluatingourlocalfoodinitiative,butitwillprovidetheschoolwith the best possible means of instituting action that aligns best with our coreprinciples, while alsomaking room for tailored community engagement with theissue.SowhatisaPGS?
AParticipatoryGuaranteeSystemisnotanewconcept.Thetermcameaboutrecently as a direct response to what some view as the Organic industry’s overreliance on third-party certifications. The International Federation of OrganicAgriculture Movements (IFOAM) is one of the main champions of PGSs, andadvocatesthattheapproachisnotindirectcompetitionwithcertifications,ratheritcan serve to be complimentary. PGSs offer a low-cost and community basedapproach to ensuring the quality of goods produced in close proximity to theconsumptionpoint.WithPGSs there is a focusand relianceon theengagementofconsumers andother stakeholders in the initial designof the systemandwith itsongoingimplementation.Inotherwords,withaPGSproducers,consumers,retailersand otherswillwork together in order define the goals of the program and thencooperate to enact proper oversight and enforcement; this includes stakeholdermeetingstodefineandrefinepolicies,alongwiththeactivereviewofoperationsinordertoconfirmtheircompliance.
A PGSwill consist of standards and norms established by the community,procedures to ensure compliance, pledges for developing the program, andconsequences for non-compliance. Some of these facets are well defined by theSustainableFoodPurchasingGuideandforthecurrentLocalFoodsInitiative,while
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otherswillneedtobeestablishedastheprocessunfolds.Hampshiredoeshoweverhavethenecessaryresourcesavailabletoimplementsuchasystem;thisconclusionispartiallybasedonthefactthatoverthecourseofthisprojecttheteamhasalreadyoperatedabasicmodelofaPGS.BenefitsofthePGS-typeApproach Participatory Guarantee Systems afford communities the opportunity todefinetheirownspecificstandards,ensuretheactiveengagementbystakeholders,and even experimentwithnewapproaches thatmayprovidebenefits beyond thePGSitself.
Hampshire’s Sustainable Food Purchasing Guidelines outline the college’sreluctance to rely solely on third party certifications due to their costs andsometimesmisleading nature, among other reasons. This is not to say the schooldoesnotvaluecertificationstosomedegree,butrather isanacknowledgementoftheir limitations and outlines the institutions desire to enact complimentaryapproaches. APGSforthe100%LocalFoodInitiativewouldmostlikelyincorporatesomeinformationfromcertificationswhenavailable,butitwouldgoaboveandbeyondbyproviding a framework for stakeholders to access purchasing records and go outinto the field in order to confirm the progress of the initiative. This allows us toevaluate ourselves based on our own principles, and not those outlined byorganizationsoperating at the regional ornational level.A key component of thiswillbe the continued involvementof the community in refining theprioritiesandprinciplesofthelocalfoodinitiative. BroaderimpactsofaPGSincludetheabilityforstudentsandfacultytogainexperienceengagingwithissuesoflocalfoodsystem.Overthecourseoftheproject,the Kendall Interns found the position to be highly educational, providingopportunitiesthattheymostlikelywouldnothavehadaccesstootherwise.Thistiesinwithcourseandindependentworkrangingfromthelifesciences,toeconomics,andsocialentrepreneurship.Infact,thereisalreadyacoursedesignedtobuildoffoftheprogressofthe100%LocalChallengeandthefoundationalworkoutlinedinthisdocument. Furthermore, as an independent institution, Hampshire has theopportunity to experiment with its oversight mechanisms and potentially informthe refinement of other programs, such as the Real Food Challenge, or otherindependentPGSs.ReasonsfornotrecommendingtheRFCatthistime:
The RFC is a great program that has worked well for many colleges anduniversitiesacrossthenationthatareaimingtoshifttheirfoodpurchasingdollarstowards more sustainable options. It was designed to help a wide variety ofinstitutions of higher education in their efforts todevelop awell functioning ‘realfood’ purchasing programwith proper oversight. Further, it is part of a nationalmovement among students and other stakeholders of these institutions,demonstrating solidarity with the approach of the RFC—in this sense there is a
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politicalaspectoftheRFCaswell.Theresearchteamconcludedalthoughtherearebenefits for the RFC, there are many aspects that are not ideal for the specificpurposeofprovidingtailoredsupportforthe100%LocalFoodChallenge. Evaluating theRFC for thepurposeof thisproject required focusingon thelocalandcommunitybasedcomponentsof theprogram,althoughwereviewedallaspectsof theRFCand its criteria for “real food”.Therewasconsiderableoverlapbetweenthecriteriaof theRFC’sCalculatorProgramandHampshire’sSustainableFood Purchasing Guide. Many of the general principles and accepted third partycertifications are the same in the two guides. While there are similarities, themanner in which the HC guide addresses compliance allows for amore nuancedapproachandbetterreflectsourinstitutionalvalues.Forinstance,werecognizethatcertificationsmaynotbeareasonablemethodforensuringcompliancewithmanyofoursuppliersduetothecostinvolved,insteadwemakeanefforttoworkcloselywiththefarmersandthefarmingcommunityinordertomaintaincompliancewithourpurchasingprinciples (aprimeexample is theHampshireCollegeFarmwhichoperatesaccordingtoorganicprinciplesbutisnotcertifiedorganicpartiallyduetothecostandlaborrequirements).
Both the RFC and the HC Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide use similardistinctions for “local food”, but the RFC does not specifically focus on local foodprocurement issue. For instance, a food item could be defined as ‘real’ either byvirtueofitslocalness,orbecauseitsproducerholdscertaincertifications—thewayinwhich the RFC currently displays information on an institution’s public reportpagedoesnotmentionthepercentageoflocalfoodpurchasedbyaschool. ItmaybeworthwhiletoinvestigatetheRFCformoreauditingpurposesinthefuture.Itwasultimately determined that the RFC, in the context of Hampshire’s Local FoodInitiative, does not offer significantly improved accounting and auditingmethodsthanthosewecanimplementwithaPGS. After speaking with concerned stakeholders, mainly students, it could beseenthattransparencywasamajormotivatingfactorinadvocatingforHampshiresigningtheRFC’scampuscommitment.Thisalegitimateconcern,andtheRFCdoeshave provisions that outline a framework for campus food system transparency.However, after working with the dining commons and the administration is wasdetermined thatwe are capable of instituting transparencymeasures of our own,and that the initiative is strongly in support of making as much purchasinginformation as public as possible. Our teamwas able to review a year’sworth ofpurchasingrecordsforHCdiningservices,reviewinghundredsofpagesofinternaldocumentationinordertodoso;theresultsofthisauditarepublicallyavailableinthisreport.Goingforward,wewillbeworkingtoimplementmoreofficialstructuresforensuringtransparencythroughoutourfoodpurchasingprocess. AnotherattractionoftheRFCisthepoliticalaspectoftheinitiative.Thiscanbeamajormotivator for interestedcampuseswith theRFCoffering thechance toparticipateinalarge,nation-widemovement.ItwasnotthepurposeofthisprojecttodeterminewhetherornottheschoolshouldsupportthepoliticalmessageoftheRFC—although it can be said that Hampshire is an institution that is perfectlycapableofparticipating indiscussionsofnational foodsystemswithoutrelyingonanotherparty’splatform;thisisanissueforbroadercommunitydiscussion.
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It isvitally important toclarify that this report isnotadvocating fororagainst theimplementationoftheRFCatHampshireforgeneralpurposesoftrackingsustainablefoodpurchasingandaligningwithnationalinitiatives.Rather,fortheaccountingandauditingpurposesofthe100%localfoodinitiativetheRFCdoesnotoffersignificantbenefits,andmayhaveunforeseenimpactsonourabilitytodirectourpurchases—this topicwill require further investigationanddiscussionby thecommunity. It isnottheplaceofthisreporttoadvocateforthepoliticalaspectsoftheRFC,andtheHampshire College Community as a whole may decide that the school shouldsupporttheRFCanditsspecificbrandoffoodsystemsadvocacy.WhereWeStandToday
HampshireisactuallywellpositionedtoimplementaPGSforfoodinitiativeson campus.We have already implemented a basic version of the PGS during theprojectthatisculminatinginthisreport.SomeofthestandardsandnormsneededforaPGShavealreadybeenestablishedbyourSustainableFoodPurchasingGuide,although more community dialogues will be necessary. We have seen theengagement of the students, staff, local farms, and dining services that wouldparticipateintheprogram.
Thisisnottosaymoreworkwillnotberequired,butratherwearecurrentlyatanexcellentstartingpointtohaveaPGSupandrunningwithinashortperiodoftime. We have refined our approach to cooperating with the dining commons,draftedformatsforreportingtheexactdollaramountsoffoodpurchasesfromlocalfarms,anddraftquestionsandprotocolsforinterviewinglocalfarms.
SummaryofKeyComponentsofaPGSfortheLocalFoodChallenge(andwhatiscurrentlyinplace):
• Agreeduponstandardsandnorms:thesearecurrentlyoutlinedbytheHCSustainablefood-purchasingguideandthelanguageofthe100%LocalFoodChallenge.
• Methodsforauditingpurchasingrecords:duringtheresearchprojecttheKendall internsworkedonestablishingandrefiningthisprocess.Webeganby manually reviewing the dining commons’ records in the followingformats:
o Purchasingcardstatements(i.e.corporatecreditcard)o Petty cash logs (used for incidental expense and vendorswho only
acceptcash)o OfficialrecordsoftheBAMCOFarmtoForkprogram
After completing this process, the college’s food service provider(BAMCO) has agreed to implement a more seamless and transparentreportingprocess—onewheremonthlyreportsonlocalfoodpurchasesaremoreeasilygeneratedandaccessedbyauditors.
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• Establishedchannelstoengagewithallstakeholders,includingbutnotlimitedto:
o Producers: we have developed farm visit and farmer interviewmethodologies
o DiningCommons:theDChasworkedcloselywiththeresearchteam;between our team’s work and existing practices at BAMCO, thisrelationshiphasbeenrelativelyeasytofoster.
o Students, Faculty, and Staff: theresearchteamhasengagedwithacoresetofdedicatedstudentswhohavetakeninterestinthestatusoffoodoncampus,andthe100%LocalFoodChallenge.Priormeetingsonthestatusoffoodoncampushaveexperiencedissueswithlackofparticipation,andthiswillneedtobeaddressed.
• Transparency and accountability to the community: this is currentlytaking place in the form of this report. Preferablymore directmanners ofdistributing the results of audits will be established (this is partiallydependentonbroadstudentinterest).
• Engaged participants: a key component of a PGS is the engagement ofparticipants;atabare-minimum,selectedpartiesrepresentingtheinterestsof Hampshire can fill this role (such as those that comprised the researchteamforthisproject).Ideally,aPGSwillspurtheinvolvementofabroadsetofstakeholdersbeyondthosedirectlyinvolvedintheprogram.
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Bellows, Barbara C., Rex Dufour, and Janet Bachmann. “Bringing Local Food to Local Institutions.” ATTRA,
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a Local, Sustainable Food System in Ontario.” Agriculture and Human Values 24.3 (2007): 389–398.
link.springer.com. Web.
IFOAM. Participatory Guarantee Systems: 5 Case Studies. Germany: N.p., 2008. Print.
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AppendixA—FarmerInterviewQuestionsVegetableSpecificQuestions:
• Whatstepsdoyoutaketoensurethatyourworkenvironmentissafeforallofyouremployees?
• Whattypesofpesticides/pestmanagementtechniquesdoyouuseandhowdoyouusethem?o Doyouuseconventionalpesticides?IPMpractices?
• Whattypesoffertilizer/covercropsdoyouuseandhowdoyouusethem?Doyougetyoursoiltested,andifso,howoften?
• Howdoyoutillyoursoil?Whatimplementsareused/howoftenisittilledbeforeplanting?
• Howmanydifferentcrops/cropvarietiesdoyougrow?• Doyourotateyourcrops?Aretherotationsplannedtocomplimentpestand
fertilitymanagement?• DoyouhaveaCSAprogram/sellatfarmersmarkets?Doyouselltoany
largeinstitutions?• Whathaveyourpastexperiencesbeenlikewithregardstoworkingwith
BonAppétit?• Doyouhaveanycertifications?i.e.USDAcertifiedorganic,FoodAlliance
Certified,FairTrade,etc.LivestockSpecificQuestions
• Generalo AreyouaparticipantintheBAMCOF2Fprogram?o Whatcertificationsdoesyourfarmhold?
§ Animalwelfareapproved—animalwelfareinstitute§ Biodynamiccertified—byDemeter§ Globalanimalpartnership(5stepprogram)§ Certifiedhumane—byfarmanimalfarmcare§ Foodalliancecertified§ USDAOrganic
o Otherhumanedistinctions:
§ Grassfed,gestationcreatefree,freerange,freeroaming,rBGH/rBSTfree
o HowmuchaccessdoesanimalXhavetoopenspace/freshpasturethroughouttheyear?
o Whatisyourgeneralapproachtomonitoringanimalhealthandwell-being?
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AppendixA—FarmerInterviewQuestions
• Grassland/PastureManagement
o Doyouapplysoilamendmentstopasture?§ Ifso,whatkind§ Doyouperiodicallytestsoilstoadjustamendmentprocedures§ NutrientManagementPlan?§ Useofleguminouscrops§ Vegetativefilterstrips?§ Pasturefencing/sizeofgrazingareas/managementintensity
• WasteManagemento Whatisyourwasteprocedure/howdoyoudealwithmanureo Litterstackingshedso Heavyuseareaprotection—forpreventingsoilrunoff,manurerunoff.
• WaterIssues
o Riparianbufferso StreamFencing—Effortstokeepanimalsoutofriparianzonesor
floodedfieldso Streamcrossingso FarmPonds—tocapturesedimentsandpollutants
• AwarenessofFundingandotherAssistance(mayspeaktothelevelofcompetencyoftheoperation,alongwiththoseparticipatingissuchprogramsgenerallybeingabletointegratemoreBMPs)
o CostsharingthroughUSDA/NRCSo Improvementgrantso Technicalassistanceo FederalIndemnityprograms
• Welfare:
o Whatisyourpharmaceuticalandhormoneusagepolicy?o Howdoyoumaintainthefivefreedoms
§ Freedomfromthirst,hungerandmalnutrition§ Freedomfromdiscomfort§ Freedomfrompain,injuryanddisease§ Freedomfromfear§ Freedomtoengageinrelativelynormalpatternsofanimal
behavior
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Appendix B—Farmer Interviews
Austin Brothers Valley Farm Distance from Hampshire College: 13 miles Goods Purchased from Farm: ● Hamburger ● Steamship Round Roast ● Whole animals from local abattoir (to be butchered in the Dining Commons)
General Notes Austin Brothers Valley Farm raises local beef cattle in a pasture based management system, and supplies meat to restaurants, speciality meat shops, and Hampshire College, among others (with Hampshire currently being the farm’s only higher education customer). The farm has been in the Austin family for over 130 years, and until recently operated as a dairy. In 2006, the farm shifted away from dairy in light of challenging economic factors, and an inability to achieve the small farm’s desired balance of practicing sustainable methods while also maintaining profitability. The farm went from a herd of roughly 45 to the current 75 head operation during the transition to beef production. The current herd is composed primarily of Hereford-Angus crosses, but other breeds are in the mix as well, along with a couple of Oxen bred for show purposes. Michael, the farm’s proprietor, takes an active role in the breeding selection of cattle, and has breeds roughly 25 head for his herd annually--the remainder are bought from partner farms. All of the farm’s cuts are USDA inspected and dry aged, with the farm processing most of its meat at a local abattoirs. Welfare At the farm, cattle on pasture-fed regimens have free access to grass, well established shelter areas, and fresh water at all times. Handling of the cows for vetcare or other needs is done with a specialty handling shoot that is design to reduce animal stress and minimize danger for workers and animals. Depending on the life stage of the animal and the time of season, the cattle may be feed a mix of fresh grass, hay, corn, or grain—with the farm growing its own hay and corn. Sustainability The farm employs strategies such the use of “sacrifice areas” (sections of paddocks designed for heavy use) and proper manure handling procedures in order to minimize the impact of the farm on the environment. Pasture management is a concern, and the farm has experimented with various approaches--such as management intensive grazing—in order to find the right regimen
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Appendix B—Farmer Interviews
for the farm. The farm is investigating options to increase their ability section off portions of pasture, such as installing a more complex watering system to allow for smaller paddocks where the animals would be moved more frequently.
Mapleline Dairy Distance from Hampshire: 7.5 miles Goods purchases from farm:
• Whole Milk • Skim Milk • Flavored Milks (high fructose corn syrup free)
o Chocolate o Strawberry o Coffee
General Notes
Mapleline farm has been operated by the same family for over 110 years, although the name and crops produced have changed with the times. Originally a vegetable and tobacco farm, the farm started its dairy operation in 1950. The farm’s current proprietor, John Kokowski, transitioned the farm to an exclusively dairy operation by the mid 1990s. With national milk prices sliding and the local food movement starting to take root, John saw an opportunity to refocus on local distribution in the 1990s. For this, he reintroduced glass bottles and cultivated diverse local marketing channels--just two years ago all of the Mapleline’s milk was marketed within 20 miles, but the word has gotten out, and now the milk makes it as far as Boston.
The farm sells milk to a variety of customers, including UMass Amherst and Berkshire Community College. All the processing of the milk is done on site, and during the slow time of year, the farm processes roughly 50,000 lbs. of milk per week. Mapleline milk has been increasingly marketed through higher-end outlets, thanks in part to the milk’s higher than average fat content. The fat is present due to the fact that all of the farm’s 250 head of cattle are Jerseys, a breed known for high fat-content milk. The genetics of the Mapleline herd are so good that he often sells cattle to other farms looking to bolster their Jersey herds.
Animal Welfare Cows are kept in a modern, well ventilated, and clean free-stall barn with adequate access to fresh water and feed. The herd is fed a total mixed ration consisting of corn, grass silage, and roasted soybean meal. The farm does not use any growth hormones such as rBST. While the farm does not hold animal welfare certifications, John remarks that he does not feel the need to certify in light of the fact that it is in the farm’s best interest to ensure the animal’s wellbeing at
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Appendix B—Farmer Interviews
all times—the cows represent the family’s livelihood and have what are considered to be high end genetics—so there are both ethical and economic incentives to maintain welfare. In addition, the farm has frequent visitors such as our interview team or classes from UMass Amherst’s Stockbridge School of Agriculture, providing very public view of the cows welfare. Sustainability Feed corn is grown on-farm, and Mapleline has been transitioning towards GMO-free varieties with much success. All fields are soil tested and have nutrient management plans developed in partnership with Natural Resource Conservation Service--this provides a management approach that optimizes the use of inputs, and reduces leaching from unnecessary fertilizer applications. Manure is managed in a modern waste system, and the farm provides manure to neighboring farms free of charge. Mapleline also partners with neighboring vegetable farms to rotate crops through their fields, with squash and other vegetables sometimes taking the place of corn and vice-versa. Additionally, the farm has transitioned over to zone-tillage for their field management--a technique that limits tillage to the planted rows of a field, leaving the room in between minimally disturbed, reducing runoff and other issues associated with intensive tillage.
Simple Gifts Farm Baystate Organic Certified/ USDA Certified Organic Distance from Hampshire College: 6 miles Items Purchased from the Farm:
• Potatoes • Carrots • Turnips • Parsnips • Squash
General Notes Simple Gifts, located in North Amherst, is a 32 acre Baystate Organic Certified farm run by Jeremy Barker Plotkin and Dave Tepfer. One of many unique aspects of this farm is that it operates on a land trust that is specifically preserved for sustainable farming. Simple Gifts provides the community with a variety of organic produce through CSA shares, local farmers markets, a farm stand, and through some wholesale.
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Appendix B—Farmer Interviews
Sustainability In order to ensure that the land is being preserved and kept healthy, Simple Gifts employs several techniques. Only organic pesticides are used when necessary in conjunction with integrated pest management methods. In order to maintain soil fertility, cover crops and animals are rotated through the fields. Organic fertilizers are applied responsibly to crops in either a dry form or as a liquid fed through the drip tape. Soil tests are also frequently taken so that the farmers are able to monitor what nutrients each field needs. Real Food Challenge The produce from this farm would be considered Real Food A for being Local & Community Based and Ecologically Sound.
Book and Plow Farm Sustainably Managed Educational Farm at Amherst College Distance From Hampshire College: 3 miles Items Purchased from the Farm:
• Potatoes • Beans • Cabbage • Lettuce • Parsnips • Turnips • Carrots • Cauliflower
General Notes Since the fall of 2012, Book and Plow has been providing Amherst College with sustainably grown produce, educational opportunities, and a place to build community. This farm is managed by Tobin Porter-Brown and Peter McLean. Book and Plow not only provides produce to Amherst College, but also to other dining halls, restaurants, and to the larger community through CSA shares. While this farm is a production farm, it is also an education farm and an integral part of the Amherst College community. Sustainability
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Appendix B—Farmer Interviews
Since Pete and Tobin have only been working with the 30 acres of land for 3 years, they are trying to bring the soil to optimal health in order to keep their operation sustainable. Row covers, organic sprays, and a crop rotation schedule are used to manage pests. Soil fertility is maintained by crop rotations, cover crops, and organic compost fertilizer top dresses and side dresses. This year, they are growing 15 acres of vegetables, 8 acres of fallow land, and 7 acres of cover crops.
Queen’s Greens Sustainably Managed Wholesale Growers Distance from Hampshire College: 8 miles Items Purchased from the Farm:
• Mixed greens • Spinach • Kale • Beets • Collards • Leeks • Tomatoes • Peppers • Cabbage
General Notes Queen’s Greens is a sustainably managed farm run by Danya Teitelbaum and Matthew Biskup in its 7th year growing greens and its 3rd year growing a variety of different vegetables. Their market is almost all wholesale, selling to 4 small distributors and directly to restaurants and dining halls as well as a few local farmers markets. Along with mainly selling their produce wholesale, this farm is also unique because they have several large high tunnels on their farm, so they are able to grow produce year-round. Sustainability The farmers at Queen’s Greens are committed to growing sustainably and are very knowledgeable about the pros and cons of being a farm that follows organic practices but is not certified. To maintain soil health, they rotate their crops seasonally test the soil regularly. To control pests, they use plastic covers, flaming techniques, remay, and spray certified organic sprays only when needed. Also, since many of their crops are grown in high tunnels, they have to use less or no sprays, especially on the tomatoes, which when grown in the field would normally be sprayed with copper to prevent late blight. This farm also uses local fertilizer from
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Appendix B—Farmer Interviews
neighboring Mapleline Farm to provide the soil with organic matter and replenish depleted nutrients.
Apex Orchard Producing Fruit for the Local Community Since 1828 Distance from Hampshire College: 27 miles Items Purchased from the Farm:
• Several apple varieties • Apple Cider
General Notes Apex Orchards is a nearly 200-year old family farm providing apples, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, pears, grapes, and blueberries to the local community. Apex sells their fruit at farmers markets, to other farm’s CSA programs, and to wholesale buyers. They also have a pick your own field where customers can go and enjoy fresh fruit as well as a beautiful mountaintop view. Even though this farming family has many years of growing under their belts, the orchard is continuing to evolve, notably with a new farm store in the works and new pick your own locations. Sustainability It is difficult to grow fruit organically, but the farmers at Apex Orchard are committed to sustainability. They employ Integrated Pest Management (IPM) techniques and spray infrequently at the recommendation of a professional consultant. They have several beehives on site to provide sanctuary for declining bee populations and to encourage the symbiotic relationship between the honeybees and the fruit flowers. The farmers also frequently get their soils tested and the trees tissues analyzed to ensure that both are healthy. Finally, although there are several different types of fruit grown on this orchard, there are also several different varieties of each type of fruit grown to increase diversity.
Red Fire Farm Large Scale Certified Organic Farming Feeding all of Massachusetts Distance from Hampshire College: Granby Location- 9 miles Montague Location- 17 miles Items Purchased from the Farm:
• Brussels sprouts • Carrots
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Appendix B—Farmer Interviews
• Shallots • Sweet potatoes • Turnips • Winter squash • Celeriac • Onions • Parsnips • Artichoke • Cabbage • Beets
General Notes Red Fire Farm is a 180 acre farm with land in both Granby and Montague. They have been certified organic since 1995, making them one of the first farms in the area to sign on to the USDA certified organic program. They grow a very large variety of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and fruits, all of which are certified organic, except for the fruit. Their produce can be found all over the state of Massachusetts and can be purchased through CSA shares, farmers markets, farm stands, and wholesale. Not many farms are able to grow produce on the scale that this farm does while still maintaining such a high quality, but Red Fire is a testament to the fact that it can be done. Sustainability Along with being USDA Certified Organic and adhering to the guidelines set up by that program, Red Fire Farm has some other unique sustainability initiatives that they have integrated into their farm. For example, geothermal cooling systems are used for storing their produce instead of conventional fossil fuel dependant cooling systems. Their crops are rotated based on principles such as not planting crops from the same family in a field for at least four years, planting weed sensitive crops in areas where weed pressures are expected to be low, and planting based on irrigation logistics. To control pests, the farm uses row covers and organic sprays and to keep soil healthy, they use organic fertilizer.
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Appendix B—Farmer Interviews
Hampshire College Farm Sustainably Managed Educational Farm at Hampshire College Items Purchased from the Farm:
• Eggs • Meat • Tomatoes • Maple syrup • 75 CSA shares (includes: Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celeriac, Collards, Edamame,
Eggplant, Garlic, Herbs, Kale, Kohlrabi, Leeks, Mustards, Greens, Onions, Hot Peppers, Sweet Peppers, Popcorn, Pumpkins, Rutabaga, Radishes, Salad Mix, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Sweet Potatoes, Tomatoes, Turnips, Winter Squash)
• General Notes The Hampshire College Farm was created in the 1970’s and has been evolving ever since. Hampshire provides a unique farm opportunity to its students by having both a livestock operation and a vegetable production operation. The farm provides produce, meat, dairy, eggs, and maple syrup to Bon Appetit, the dining provider on campus. The farm also engages with the local community by offering meat and produce shares. The farm is an important part of the campus community since it provides a place of learning and inspiration for students in all concentrations. Sustainability The Hampshire College Farm is dedicated to sustainable practices. Soil fertility is maintained by testing soil frequently, using organic compost and manure, cover cropping and intercropping with clover, and rotating crops every year. Organic pesticides are used when necessary. The livestock and vegetable production parts also work together to reduce waste and maximize resources. For example, unusable vegetables are given to the animals, and the animals are rotated through some of the fields in order to provide extra nutrients.
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AppendixC—HC’sSustainableFoodPurchasingGuidePrioritiesandVendorStatus
Table 1: Hampshire Sustainable Food Purchasing Guide priorities for livestock operations; vendor name indicates status.
BeefandDairyProducts(FarmNameindicatesstatus)
BestChoice <-----------> Avoid
Local HampshireFarm Within150mi.,Northeast,U.S.(AustinBrothersValleyFarm,MaplelineDairy)
Global
FarmingPractices:
Feed AGAgrass-fedcertified:Pastureinsummer,hayandsilageinwinter;certifiedorganicgrain
USDA-certifiedgrass-fedorpastureinsummer;conventionalgraininwinter.(AustinBrothersValleyFarm)
Conventionalgrainfeed(maycontainanimalby-products)(MaplelineDairy)
AntimicrobialUse
Nosub-therapeuticuse,USDAwithdrawalperiodfollowedwhentherapeuticuseisneeded.(AustinBrothersValleyFarm,MaplelineDairy)
Routinesub-therapeuticuseforincreasedgrowth
HormoneUse Nohormonegrowth-promoteruse.(AustinBrothersValleyFarm,MaplelineDairy)
Routineuseofhormonegrowth-promoters
HumaneTreatment
Pasturedduringgrowingseason.(AustinBrothersValleyFarm)
KeptindoorsinspacemeetingAHCorCHRHminimumrequirements(MaplelineDairy)
Confinedtofeedlot(AFOorCAFO)
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Appendix C
—H
C’s Sustainable Food Purchasing G
uide Priorities and Vendor Status
Table 2: H
ampshire’s Sustainable Food Purchasing G
uide priorities for fruit and vegetable operations; farm nam
e indicates status.
Best C
hoice <----------->
Avoid
Local, seasonal
Ham
pshire Farm, in season
Im
ported and out of season
Farming Practices (Farm
Nam
e indicates status)
Pest managem
ent N
o conventional pesticides (Sim
ple Gifts F
arm, B
ook and Plow, Q
ueen’s G
reens, Red F
ire Farm
, Ham
pshire College
Farm
)
IPM
(Apex O
rchard) C
onventional pesticides only
Fertility managem
ent
Com
binations of compost, m
anure, N-
fixing cover crops, organic fertilizers (Sim
ple Gifts F
arm, B
ook and Plow, Q
ueen’s G
reens, Red F
ire Farm
, Ham
pshire College
Farm
)
Judicious use of NPK
fertilizers (A
pex Orchard)
Conventional fertilizers
Nutrient budget based on soil testing
(Simple G
ifts Farm
, Book and Plow
, Queen’s
Greens, R
ed Fire F
arm, H
ampshire C
ollege F
arm)
Some soil testing
(Apex O
rchard) Fertilize regardless of soil tests
Crop rotation
Plans rotation to complem
ent pest and fertility m
anagement
(Simple G
ifts Farm
, Book and Plow
, Queen’s
Greens, R
ed Fire F
arm, H
ampshire C
ollege F
arm)
Some conservation
cropping (A
pex Orchard)
Monocropping
Soil conservation
Cover crops in w
inter (Sim
ple Gifts F
arm, B
ook and Plow, Q
ueen’s G
reens, Red F
ire Farm
, Ham
pshire College
Farm
)
(Apex O
rchard) B
are soil in winter
Wind breaks, conservation buffers
(Simple G
ifts Farm
, Book and Plow
, Queen’s
Greens, R
ed Fire F
arm, H
ampshire C
ollege F
arm)
Conservation tillage
(Simple G
ifts Farm
, Book and Plow
, Queen’s
Greens, A
pex Orchard, R
ed Fire F
arm,
Ham
pshire College F
arm)
M
old-board plow tillage, extensive tillage
Pesticide Residue
Organic or IPM
(Sim
ple Gifts F
arm, B
ook and Plow, Q
ueen’s G
reens, Red F
ire Farm
, Ham
pshire College
Farm
)
Conventional, low
-residue food (A
pex Orchard)
Conventional, high-residue food
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Appendix D
—B
AM
CO
Farm to Fork Program
and Supplier Status Table 3: O
verview of B
AM
CO
’s Farm to Fork Program
; farm nam
e indicates status within program
.
Size/Typeoffarm
Ownership
Distancefrom
BonAppétitkitchen
Annualsalesvolum
eCertification
StatusofFarms
SupplyingtoHam
pshire
Smallfarm
s,orchards,millsgrow
ingplant-basedproducts
Owner-operated
150milesorless
$5millio
norless
None
SimpleGifts
Farm,
BookandPlow
Farm,Queens
Greens,Apex
Orchard,RedFire
Farm,Hampshire
CollegeFarm
Smallproducersof
meat,poultryand
eggs,dairyandcheese
Owner-operated
150milesorless
$5millio
norless
None
MaplelineDairy,
AustinBrothers
ValleyFarm,
HampshireCollege
Farm
Smallartisan
producersofitems
suchasbakedgoods,icecream
orgelato
Owner-operated
Productionwithin150
miles;atle
ast50%of
product,byweight,sourced
fromwithin150miles.5
$5millio
norless
None
Mid-sizeproducersof
meat,poultryand
eggs,dairyandcheese
Owner-operated
500milesorless
Lessthan1%of
industryleaders’
salesvolumefor
eachspecies
cultiv
ated7
Stringentth
ird-
partyhumane
certific
ations:
required
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AppendixE—RealFoodCalculatorEvaluationofVendorsTable4:StatusofHampshire’sSuppliersaccordingtoRealFoodChallenge’sRealFoodGuide(Version1.0).
FarmName Status NotesAustinBrothers RealFoodB Local&CommunityBasedMaplelineDairy RealFoodB Local&CommunityBasedSimpleGiftsFarm RealFoodA LCBandEcologicallySoundBookandPlow RealFoodB Local&CommunityBasedQueen’sGreens RealFoodB Local&CommunityBasedApexOrchards RealFoodB Local&CommunityBasedRedFireFarm RealFoodA LCBandEcologicallySoundHampshireCollegeFarm RealFoodA LCB/On-campusFarm
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AppendixF—AuditResultsTable5:Belowtheresultsofthefirstroundofauditingarepresented.Inthefollowingtable,ourcurrentlocalfoodsuppliersarelistedalongwiththerespectivepurchasinglevels.
**seenoteinsubsection“FinancialAnalysis”forfullexplanation.
FoodPurchasesbyVendor ~
LocalFarm/BusinessTotalPurchases(USD)
Edo $85,021.92Hampshire $45,623.80Mapleline $22,974.00PierceBrosCoffee $22,943.67Austin $20,706.13Horselistener $13,992.00Book&Plow $9,428.50Highlawn $7,515.90Herrells $5,755.78Apex $5,499.00RedFire $5,144.00QueensGreens $4,996.00SimpleGifts $3,120.00LukasikFarm $2,244.27MandaFarm $1,467.00ShaynaB's $1,089.07FourStar $761.25Mazae $684.00MountWarnerVineyard $504.00Adam's $474.00GradyOats $177.90PoetsSeat $160.00Earth'sHarvest $42.00Flayvors $21.81[Tobeaudited(TBA)]** $30,258.00--- ---Total(withoutTBAinfo.) $260,346.00Total(withTBAinfo.) $290,604.00
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AppendixF—AuditResultsTable6:Inthetablebelowpurchasesarecategorizedbasedongeneralfoodtypes,andlistedaccordingtothepurchasingamountsrespectivetoeachsupplier
ProducePurchasesHampshire $26,935.30
HorseListener $13,992.00Book&Plow $9,428.50ApexOrchard $5,499.00RedFire $5,144.00QueensGreens $4,996.00SimpleGifts $3,120.00PoetsSeat $160.00TotalProduce $69,274.80
MeatPurchasesAustin $20,706.13
Hampshire $18,688.50LukasikFarm $2,244.27MandaFarm $1,467.00Adam's $474.00TotalMeat $43,579.90
DairyPurchasesMapleline $22,974.00
HighLawn $7,515.90Herrells $5,755.78Flayvors $21.81TotalDairy $36,267.49
OtherEdo $85,021.92
PierceBrosCoffee $22,943.67FourStar $761.25Mazae $684.00MountWarnerVineyard $504.00ShaynaB's $1,089.07GradyOats $177.90EarthsHarvest $42.00[Tobeaudited] $30,258.00TotalOther $141,481.81
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Tab
le7:
Rep
orton
theoverlap
betw
eenBAMCO
andRFC
Guidelin
esprovid
edby
BAMCO;theHam
pshire
sectionwas
generated
bytheresearch
team,from
the2013
Sustain
able
Food
Purch
asingGuide
General
Descrip
tionBAMCO
Relevan
ceto
Real
Food
Calc.
Ham
pshire
College
Loca
landSmallScaleProd
uctio
nSystem
sFarm
toFork
program
.Small,
localfarm
ersan
dartisan
sthat
meet
thefollow
ingrequ
irements:
lessthan
$5millio
nin
revenue
annually
,with
in150mile
sof
the
cafe,
and
owner
oper-
ated.
Ourchefs
aretasked
with
spend-
ing
20%of
their
fooddollars
onFarm
toFork
(F2F
)ven
-dors
annu
ally.Purch
asesfrom
F2F
vendors
fornon
-processed
fooditem
ssuch
asfru
it,vegeta-
bles
and
meat,
areReal
Food
under
”Local.”
Ifyou
’reusin
gtheon
linetool,
they
wou
ldbe
”small,
owner-op
eratedwith
in150
miles.”
For
processed
fooditem
s,you
’llhave
todo
more
research.
Som
etyp
icalitem
syou
’llsee:
locallyroasted
cof-fee
(will
oftencou
ntas
Fair
orEcologically
Sou
nd,if
not
Local),
and
artisanbakers,
whoare
re-qu
iredto
source
50%of
their
in-
gredients
locally.Cam
pusfarm
sor
gardens:
prod
uce
grown
infarm
/garden
attheinstitu
tion,
inwhich
theresearch
cancon
-firm
theuse
oforgan
icpractices,
counts
asReal
Food
.
•Ham
pshire’s
sustain
able
foodpurch
asinggu
ideevalu
ateslocal
foodon
aslid
ingscale
that
pri-
oritizesthe
HC
Farm
Center,
followed
closelyby
localfarm
-ers.
Thegu
idealso
accounts
forthefact
that
not
allgood
scan
reasonab
lybeprod
uced
locally,an
dthu
slymakes
roomfor
iden-
tifying
reasonab
lesou
rcing
dis-
tances.
•HC
guide
employs
amore
fluid
man
ner
ofevalu
atinglocal
foods,w
ithruleof
thumbdistin
c-tion
sbein
gmad
eas
follows:
HC
Farm
>W
ithin
150miofHC
>North
east
U.S.>
U.S.>
Global.
•Ham
pshire
does
not
make
dis-
tinction
sbased
onfarm
incom
e,unlike
BA’s
F2F
program
and
theRFC
guidelin
es.
2
AppendixG—PurchasingGuideInteractions
Accounting Systems for the 100% LFC--Working Draft, 2015 39
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Tab
le7:
Rep
orton
theoverlap
betw
eenBAMCO
andRFC
Guidelin
esprovid
edby
BAMCO;theHam
pshire
sectionwas
generated
bytheresearch
team,from
the2013
Sustain
able
Food
Purch
asingGuide
General
Descrip
tionBAMCO
Relevan
ceto
Real
Food
Calc.
Ham
pshire
College
Regio
nalProd
ucers
and
Anim
al
Welfa
reMid-tier
Farm
toFork.
Program
that
supports
mid-sized
anim
alfarm
sthat
arelocated
regionally
anduse
human
epractices.
They
must
beow
ner
operated
,with
in500
miles
ofacafe,
have
annu
alrevenu
efor
that
itemof
lessthan
1%of
theindustry
leader,
andbe
certified
byon
eof
thefollow
ing
organization
s:Certifi
edHuman
eby
Human
eFarm
Anim
alCare,
Anim
alWelfare
Approved
,Food
Allian
ceor
Glob
alAnim
alPart-
nersh
ip.
All
prod
ucts
purch
asedfrom
amid-tier
Farm
toFork
vendor
areRealF
oodunder
“Human
e”with
oneexcep
tion.Oneof
thecertifi
-cation
s,Glob
alAnim
alPartn
er-ship,isa5step
program
.Farm
sthat
areat
stages3,
4,or
5qu
al-ify
asReal
Food
,butthose
at1
or2donot.
Ifwith
in250
miles
ofthecafe,
these
purch
asesmay
alsocou
ntas
”Local.”
•see
above
forpolicies
surro
und-
ingloca
landregio
nalpurch
ases
•Ham
pshire’s
sustain
able
foodpurch
asing
guidelin
erecogn
izesthe
importan
ceof
Small
and
Medium
farmsin
rural
commu-
nities,
andtheim
pact
ourfood
purch
asescan
have
onensurin
gthe
econom
icviab
ilityof
rural
areas.Ourbelief
inthese
ben-
efits
isboth
socialan
denviron
-mental,
with
small
farmsprovid
-ing
”more
diversity,
[both
]bio-
logicalan
dcultu
ral”.•
Forhumanelivestock
certifica-
tions,
seebelo
w.
Humane
Trea
tmen
tLivestock
–Eggs
All
shell
eggsare
cage-freean
dcertifi
edby
one
ofthe
follow-
ingorgan
izations:
Certifi
edHu-
man
eby
Human
eFarm
Anim
alCare,
Anim
alWelfare
Approved
orFood
Allian
ce(G
lobal
Ani-
mal
Partn
ership
does
not
certifyeggs).
All
shell
eggscertifi
edby
one
ofthose
organization
sare
Real
Food
under
”Human
e”ifyou
’reusin
gtheon
linetool.
Ifyou
’remakin
gaspread
sheet,
eggscer-
tified
byFood
Allian
ceare
Hu-
man
e”Y
ellowLight”
[Real
Food
B]an
deggs
certified
asAnim
alWelfare
Approved
orCertifi
edHuman
eby
Human
eFarm
An-
imal
Care
areHuman
e”G
reenLight”
[Real
Food
A].
Priorities
forall
anim
alprod
ucts
inclu
deevalu
atingpractices
sur-
roundingfeed
,antim
icrobial
use,
horm
oneuse,
andhu
man
etreat-
ment.
•Best
choice
isfree-ran
geor
cage-free,with
crowded
barn
san
dcages
bein
greason
toavoid
purch
asing;
deb
eakingis
not
anallow
edpractice.
•Certifi
catio
nsforChick
ens:
American
Human
eCertifi
edan
dCertifi
edHuman
eRaised
&Han
-dled
3
AppendixG—PurchasingGuideInteractions
Accounting Systems for the 100% LFC--Working Draft, 2015 40
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Tab
le7:
Rep
orton
theoverlap
betw
eenBAMCO
andRFC
Guidelin
esprovid
edby
BAMCO;theHam
pshire
sectionwas
generated
bytheresearch
team,from
the2013
Sustain
able
Food
Purch
asingGuide
General
Descrip
tionBAMCO
Relevan
ceto
Real
Food
Calc.
Ham
pshire
College
HumaneTrea
tmen
tofLivestock
–Gen
eral
Bytheen
dof
2015,25%
ofou
rmeat,
pou
ltryan
degg
purch
aseswill
come
fromfarm
sthat
arecertifi
edas
one
ofthe
follow-
ing:
Certifi
edHuman
eby
Hu-
man
eFarm
Anim
alCare,
Ani-
mal
Welfare
Approved
,Food
Al-
liance
orGlob
alAnim
alPartn
er-ship.
Inad
dition
tosm
allan
dmid-
sizedFarm
toFork
vendors,
we
arephasin
gin
human
elyraised
anim
alprod
ucts
nation
allyan
dregion
allythrou
gh2015.
Allprod
ucts
that
meet
thiscom
-mitm
entare
Real
Food
with
one
exception
.Glob
alAnim
alPart-
nersh
ipis
a5
stepprogram
.Farm
sthat
areat
stages3,
4,or
5qu
alifyas
Real
Food
,butthose
at1or
2donot.
-Phase
1:Allof
thegrou
ndbeef
atou
rcafes
isReal
Food
:it
iseith
er”L
ocal”from
aFarm
toFork
vendor,
or”H
uman
e”be-
cause
itis
fromafarm
meetin
gon
eof
those
third
party
certifi-
cations.
How
ever,ifthegrou
nd
beef
iscom
ingfrom
afarm
that
isGap
1or
2,itwill
not
count
asReal
Food
.
Inad
dition
toevalu
ating
prac-
ticessurrou
nding
feedantim
i-crob
ialuse,
horm
one
use,
and
human
etreatm
ent–Ham
pshire’s
purch
asinggu
idefocu
seson
keyfactors
forcertain
species,
such
asshort
tail-dockin
gfor
lamb.
•Full
List
of
Certifi
catio
nAgencies:
American
Grass-fed
Association
,American
Human
eCertifi
ed,Bird
Frien
dly,
Certi-
fied
Human
eRaised
and
Han
-dled
,Food
Allian
ceCertifi
ed,
USDA
Certifi
edOrgan
ic,USDA
Verifi
edGrass-fed
.
4
AppendixG—PurchasingGuideInteractions
Accounting Systems for the 100% LFC--Working Draft, 2015 41
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Tab
le7:
Rep
orton
theoverlap
betw
eenBAMCO
andRFC
Guidelin
esprovid
edby
BAMCO;theHam
pshire
sectionwas
generated
bytheresearch
team,from
the2013
Sustain
able
Food
Purch
asingGuide
General
Descrip
tionBAMCO
Relevan
ceto
Real
Food
Calc.
Ham
pshire
College
Seafood
Seafood
ispurch
asedaccord
ing
tothe
Monterey
Bay
Aqu
ar-ium’s
Seafood
Watch
guidelin
esfor
sustain
ability.
Ourcom
pa-
nywidepolicy
isthat
chefs
only
purch
asespecies
ratedas
green(best
choice)
oryellow
(goodal-
ternative).
BAMCO
alsohas
a”F
ishto
Fork”
program
which
guides
the
company’s
procu
rement
ofseafood
.The
program
defines
seafoodas
”sustain
able”
ifthe
boat
travelsless
than
100miles
outto
sea,distan
cefrom
dock
tocafe
isless
than
500miles,
and
thesupplier
does
not
pro-
cessfish
atsea.
Preferred
species
inclu
de
those
”low-on
-the-food
-chain
”,those
with
easilyutilized
edible
portion
s,an
dless
pop
ular
largespecies
(e.g.avoid
ingtuna
dueto
itspop
ularity
and
sub-
stitutin
gan
other
fish
with
more
stable
pop
ulation
levels).
All
seafoodpurch
asesshou
ldbe
Real
Food
under
”Ecologi-
callySou
nd.”
You
’llhave
todo
some
researchto
figu
reou
tif
theseafood
israted
asSeafood
Watch
greenor
yellow.
Ham
pshire’s
guidelin
esplace
apriority
onboth
sustain
able
pro-
duction
practices
and
sourcin
gfood
slow
inmercu
ryan
dPCBs.
•Certifi
catio
nsIn
clude:
Ma-
rine
Stew
ardship
Cou
ncil
Cer-
tified,
listedas
best
choice
byMonterrey
Bay
Aqu
arium
Seafood
Watch
Program
.•
Itis
recommended
that
forspecies
that
cannot
beeith
ersus-
tainab
lyfarm
edfor
fished
that
purch
asingis
avoided.
5
AppendixG—PurchasingGuideInteractions
Accounting Systems for the 100% LFC--Working Draft, 2015 42
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Tab
le7:
Rep
orton
theoverlap
betw
eenBAMCO
andRFC
Guidelin
esprovid
edby
BAMCO;theHam
pshire
sectionwas
generated
bytheresearch
team,from
the2013
Sustain
able
Food
Purch
asingGuide
General
Descrip
tionBAMCO
Relevan
ceto
Real
Food
Calc.
Ham
pshire
College
Worker
Righ
tsand
Just
Labor
Conditio
ns
Tom
atoesfrom
Florid
aare
pur-
chased
fromgrow
erswhose
farms
have
signed
acod
eof
conduct
with
theCoalition
ofIm
mokalee
Workers
(CIW
).
Findou
twhere
thetom
atoeson
yourcam
pusare
comingfrom
.If
they
arefrom
Florid
a,they
arepurch
asedin
accordan
cewith
anagreem
entwith
theCIW
andare
Real
Food
under
”Fair”.
Ifyou
rcam
pusiseast
oftheMississip
pi
andlocal
tomatoes
aren’t
avail-ab
lefor
thetim
eperiod
youare
reviewing,
they
aremost
likelyfrom
Florid
a.
Ham
pshire’s
guidelin
esackn
owl-
edge
both
dom
estican
dintern
a-tion
allab
orissu
esinclu
dingfair
pay,
child
labor,
exploitation
ofmigrant
labor,
andhazard
expo-
sure
(e.g.pesticid
es,etc.)
foragricu
ltural
workers.
Fair
treatment
ofem
ployees
shou
ldinclu
depayin
gworkers
alivab
lewage,
provid
ingaccess
towater
andtoilets,
andsafe
work-
ingcon
dition
s.•
Certifi
catio
nsIn
clude:Fair
Trad
eUSA,Fair
Trad
eIntern
a-tion
al,an
dFood
Allian
ce.
6
AppendixG—PurchasingGuideInteractions
Accounting Systems for the 100% LFC--Working Draft, 2015 43
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Tab
le7:
Rep
orton
theoverlap
betw
eenBAMCO
andRFC
Guidelin
esprovid
edby
BAMCO;theHam
pshire
sectionwas
generated
bytheresearch
team,from
the2013
Sustain
able
Food
Purch
asingGuide
General
Descrip
tionBAMCO
Relevan
ceto
Real
Food
Calc.
Ham
pshire
College
Co↵ee
andTea
[andchoco
late]
Null
There
isnoo�
cialcom
pany
pol-
icythat
will
qualify
co↵ee
and
teaas
RealF
ood,b
utlook
closelyat
co↵ee
andtea
Co↵
eean
dtea
purch
ases.It
islikely
that
they
areFair
Trad
e,Rain
forestAl-
liance
certified,USDA
Organ
icor
directly
traded
throu
ghalo-
calroaster.
Alth
ough
sourcin
gco↵
ee,choco-
late,an
dtea
cannot
besou
rcedlocally
(besid
esprocessin
g)the
guide
recognizes
that
there
isstill
anab
ilityto
employ
respon
sible
purch
asingpractices
with
these
items.
Here
againwe
seeksustain
able
and
equitab
lesupply
chain
s,largely
evaluated
bythird
party
certification
s.Desira
ble
Certifi
catio
ns:
USDA
Certifi
edOrgan
ic,Food
Allian
ceCertifi
ed,
Fair
Trad
eIntern
ational,
Fair
Trad
eUSA,
Bird
Frien
dly
(only
applies
toco↵
ee).•
Shad
e-grown
co↵ee
isalso
recommended
due
toits
re-duced
impacts
onrain
forestecosystem
s;the
Smith
sonian
Migratory
Bird
Center
o↵ers
and
addition
alcertifi
cationfor
shad
egrow
nco↵
ee.
7
AppendixG—PurchasingGuideInteractions
Accounting Systems for the 100% LFC--Working Draft, 2015 44
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!Figure'1'M
ap'of'local'food'suppliers''location'and'dollar'purchase'amounts'
$504-1467
$1468-3285
$3286-8283
$8284-22974
$22975-45623
Am
ount Purchased (U
SD
)
AppendixH—
Accounting Systems for the 100% LFC--Working Draft, 2015 45