Bozeman, MT — Buyers for Montana State University’s Culinary Services will begin fanning out across the state this week to purchase pigs at 4-H auctions that will end up on the plates of college students.
Last year, MSU purchased 42 pigs from 4-Hers at eight county fairs held across the state from Plentywood to Hamilton, which accounted for 5,000 pounds of pork used in the university’s two dining halls. This year, MSU expects to purchase about 60 pigs at 12 fairs across Montana.
“We’re committed to buying as much Montana food as we can, and there is nothing more Montanan than livestock raised by a 4-H kid,” said Rich Huffman, MSU Culinary Services director.
This year, MSU buyers plan to visit the following fairs on the following dates:
• Sheridan County Fair, Plentywood, July 27
• Richland County Fair, Sidney, Aug. 2
Each year, MSU Culinary Services purchases approximately $2 million in local food, Huffman said, which amounts to about 25% of its total food purchases. That includes purchases of more than 60 MSU lambs and more than 25 steers from the MSU College of Agriculture’s Steer-A-Year student program.
Culinary Services provides more than 12,000 meals in its dining facilities each day during the academic year. More information is available at montana.edu/culinaryservices/.
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