News 2018: Freight Farms: The Leafy Green Machine

UMass Dartmouth Dining Services has made a commitment to utilizing the many local businesses and resources on the South Coast.

There’s eating local, and then there’s eating very local. Most of the leafy greens found at the Marketplace and Plate by Plate are grown right on Campus, in a recycled 40-foot shipping container next to the Campus Center. The Leafy Green Machine is a hydroponic farm, capable of producing 5,000 heads of lettuce per semester.

“We can harvest lettuce at 10:00am and serve it to the students for lunch that day,” Executive Chef Kevin Gibbons said.

This true farm to table concept is redefining what it means to “eat local” on campus.