Carleton Students See a Family Farm First-hand
- by Guest
Submitted by Katie McKenna, General Manager
A farmer with his chicken
Students at Carleton College in Northfield, MN, are already well-versed about the importance of sourcing food locally, but it’s not often they get to actually visit one of the farms that supplies the café and see first-hand what it means to run a family farm.
During the college’s week-long celebration in honor of Food Day, a few lucky Carleton students were invited to join Bon Appétit chefs and managers on a tour of Hidden Stream Farm in Elgin, MN. Lisa Klein and her family have been selling to Bon Appétit at Carleton since 2008.The café purchases about three hogs every two weeks, about 45 total throughout the academic year.
Lisa and her children were excited to show off their chickens and their latest litter of brand-new piglets. Lisa told the group how she and her husband Steve took over the farm from her father to keep it in the family, and the challenges and work involved in running the farm. Everybody, including the children, works hard every day to take care of the pigs, cows, and chickens. Students, chefs, and managers alike ended the day with an even greater appreciation for how hard family farmers must work to feed us so well.