As a college student, the likelihood of developing bad eating habits after all those late night runs to

Muchas Gracias and fourth meals at Taco Bell is starting to become inevitable.

We don’t prepare our own food, simply because it takes time, effort and could potentially break our

budgets.

However, these excuses are being challenged by last week’s farmer’s market on campus. Three local

farms, one local fermenting business and one student-run garden set up outside of Dillin Hall on Tuesday,

Sept. 3 to prove that fresh and healthy produce is easily accessible to students.

The vendors included Gaining Ground Farm, LB Farms, River Ridge Farm, Home Grown Foods and the

Linfield Community Garden.

The market attracted roughly 10 percent of the student body. Many of the students were later seen eating

fresh produce rather than their usual fast food favorites.

In addition, the first 25 students who attended the event were given tokens worth five dollars that could

be used to purchase produce from any one vendor of their choice, helping offset the cost for students.

Since the market was such a big success, it has us questioning, what’s next?

Will the market continue on campus? How often will the market be? Will Linfield continue to subsidize

with tokens?

These are questions we are all wondering and hopefully answers will come soon.

Our hopes are that the market becomes a continuous event, weather permitting and that the school

continues subsidizing coins.

A monthly market will help add fresh produce to students’ diets and allow students a chance to

experiment with produce that is grown from different times of the year.

Since the biggest advantage of the market is creating awareness about where food comes from,

consistency will help students learn what foods are in season and why seasonality affects the quality of

produce.

Ultimately, the tokens were a huge success and should be implemented at future farmer’s markets. Since

many students passing by didn’t have cash on them, the token subsidization helped bring a new crowd of

students to the market.

The token system also helped educate students on the food they are eating. Without the tokens some

students wouldn’t have been as likely to try something new and step outside of their comfort zone.

The future of the market rests in the hands of the local farms and business that would be represented.

They determine whether or not they can financially and sustainably continue selling produce on campus.

However, we believe that students have a part in ensuring the future success of the farmer’s market on

campus.

Share with friends, faculty and staff how much you enjoyed the market. Reach out to those who

sponsored the event to show your support.

If there is another market, bring new people to experience the delicious taste of fresh produce and most

importantly share your opinion.

The Review Editorial Board