The ACU Locavore Club will conduct the Just Food Fair alongside guest speaker Joel Salatin.
The Just Food Fair is intended to help students and ACU discover how locally-grown food systems can benefit particular aspects of agriculture, community, culture and the body. Educating students and ACU about the Locavore Club philosophy is the goal of the Just Food Fair.
The philosophy of the Locavore Club is “to promote the health, environmental, social and spiritual benefits of locally-grown food, and to participate in sustainable, small-scale agricultural systems,” according to the club Facebook page. The fair will host a farmer’s market from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday.
“The Just Food Fair is a more equal and just system to produce and consume food,” Jon Camp, assistant professor of communications, said.
Matthew Hale, senior communications major from Uvalde serves as president of the Locavore Club. Hale said that the ACU Dining Services are more open to the thought of switching to the Locavore philosophy than he thought. Hale believes the switch in philosophy is a choice of morality.
“Real food truly nourishes producers, consumers, communities and the earth,” Hale said.
Salatin, a Virginia farmer and author of You Can Farm, will be the featured speaker. Salatin raises livestock at Polyface, Inc. using natural methods for feeding and production of meat. Salatin made an appearance in the 2008 documentary film, Food, Inc. examining commercial farming.
“He’s a real crazy farmer guy,” Hale said.
Salatin and the Locavore Club will be at Bonterra Blu in Clyde at 6 p.m. Wednesday where Chef Joel Trueblood has a food production philosophy similar to that of the Locavore Club, according to Hale. Dinner is $50 per plate with all proceeds going to the Locavore Club. Locavore members will serve tables and have maxed-out capacity.
In the middle of the Just Food Fair, Salatin will speak during a two-credit Chapel forum 5-6 p.m. Thursday. He will sign autographs until 6:30 p.m. The World Famous Bean will be offering an organic meal option for dinner. The meal will cost two meal plans.
Salatin’s final stop will be in the Brown Library for a coffee house discussion where Salatin and a six-to-seven-farmer panel will discus farming philosophy and local farming missions.
