An Internship in Review: Part 1 

Lindsay Ganong

 In the fall of my junior year as a nutrition-dietetics student at the College of Saint Benedict, I began planning a senior honors thesis only to find that my interests were too broad to be contained within a manageable paper topic.   With the help of Ramona Robinson-O'Brien, my faculty moderator, and Kate Ritger, my supervisor at the Common Ground Garden, I developed an internship to meet my learning goals.  My goals were part of a working contract that was constantly under revision.  In the end, I met the following goals: Learn the hands-on skills of raising a vegetable crop and explore farming as a profession.  Discover the means by which consumers can obtain local foods through interviewing community members, grocers, farmers, and a food executive chef.  Present findings to Common Grounds gardening team, supervisors, and community.  I am thankful for the contributions of all interviewees, the guidance from Ramona and Kate, and to the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict for the opportunity to work in the Common Ground Community Supported Agriculture.

In the publication Marketing Local Foods, the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture (MISA) wrote, "How local is local? We don't pretend to have the right answer" (2). I don't either. In my journey to define St. Joseph, Minnesota's local food culture, I have learned that, in asking a question, one is much more likely to gain more questions than answers. Although my ideas about local food culture were constantly changing throughout my internship, I have developed some "big ideas" about local food culture that I would like to share, including the following: ideas about the definition of "local"; the motivations for St. Joseph residents to buy local foods; and challenges to providing, preparing or buying local food.

I interviewed two grocers, a college food service executive chef, a college Director of Sustainability, and a farmer. I asked five core questions of each interviewee: 1) What is your definition of local food? 2) What is your definition of sustainable food production? 3) Do you have thoughts on a local food system? 4) Do you have a success story about local food? 5) What are some challenges you have come across with local food? I found that defining "local" was difficult, not only for me. Additionally, I was met with searching mouths and blank stares when I ventured to ask how one defines "sustainable food production." In the end, I had fun answering the interviewee's question, "Well, what do you mean by sustainable?" by saying, with a knowing smile, "That's what I'm asking you."

Although it was a challenge to put words to such a multifaceted, politically charged idea, interviewees were willing to share their thoughts. In July, I spoke with Minnesota Street Market manager Katie Foley, and she said that all of the food labeled "local" at that time was from within 40 miles of the Co-op. Jim Degiovanni of Dancing Bears Organic Farm shared that getting food in Minnesota or even in Stearns County is best. Degiovanni added that the region or miles are arbitrary but it is good for the local economy to buy locally. Judy Purman, College of Saint Benedict (CSB) Director of Sustainability said that "local" is relative. According to Judy, Gorecki Dining Center defines local as within Minnesota. She summed it up by saying, "It depends on who you are talking to." Darrel Halverson, the CSB Executive Chef, defined local as from the Midwest region. The Produce Manager at St. Joseph Coborn's defined local food as, "As local as possible" (Coborn's). I tend to agree with Steven Hopp who wrote in a guest article in Animal Vegetable Miracle that almost any attempt at buying local is "better than [the] average 1,200 miles that food travels for Americans to eat" (Kingsolver 2007). The willingness of each interviewee to share their ideas about local food is a positive sign. 

Stay tuned for Part 2 of Lindsay's Internship in review in next week's newsletter. Part 2 will look at the motivations behind the interviewees' perspectives and how those perspectives connect to an American local food cuisine. You can discuss Lindsay's internship with her at distribution, cheese-making or the Garden Harvest Festival, or email responses to commonground@csbsju.edu.