On campus, food option are more than just located on campusthe Auburn University aquaponics program, a member of Auburn Foods, supplies Tiger Dining with tilapia and vegetables which go straight from the farm to campus tables.
At the E. W. Shell Fisheries facility on North College, experimental forms of agriculture and bioengineering are practiced to find healthy ethical ways to grow food and use byproducts wisely. Tilapia, cucumbers and tomatoes are raised naturally and sustainably using an aquaponics system. “We kind of function as a CSA [community supported agriculture] currently…We produce only for Tiger Dining.” said Mollie Smith, Outreach Program Director. The fisheries is a producing member of Auburn Foods.
According to Smith, “tilapia is the best fish for this kind of system.” They grow fast, produce a lot of protein and keep the tanks clean. The water that circulates through the tanks is airlifted and used to both water and fertilize cucumbers and tomatoes. Solids are removed from the tanks and either used as a compost material or for research and development. The Biosystems Engineering program at Auburn is currently working on finding ways to develop those solids into a precursor to plastics. The Food Sciences department at Auburn is also involved in the process, testing vegetables for inadequacies, disease and bad bacteria. This multi-department student involvement is a characteristic of Auburn Foods and Tiger Dining. According to Glenn Loughridge, director of Campus Dining, student involvement is always a primary goal in the university’s “learn by doing” approach.
Right now the aquaponics center functions on two greenhouses. One contains the fish tanks and the other contains the cucumber and tomato plants, but that is soon to expand. Two more greenhouses are set to break ground soon and will be built in part using student involvement, to encourage a “learn by doing” approach. The fish tank greenhouse in theory can support up to six plant greenhouses. Up to 15 greenhouses can fit in an acre of land which can produce many tons of food every month. In the past two years, the Auburn aquaponics program has produced 20,000 pounds of fish and 30,000 pounds of vegetables, served on Auburn’s campus. The cost to run all of the pumps and aerators for both the greenhouses comes out to $450 per month, Smith said.
Growing, processing and serving all within a five mile radius means fresh, ripe, nutrient-rich foods are the end result. When cucumbers are harvested from the center, they are taken to Tiger Dining in the student center and stored in coolers until they are used. When tilapia is taken from the ponds, it is filleted and served the same day.
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