Fresh Choices

By Madison Burke

If you’ve eaten any fresh fruits or vegetables at Boone Hospital Center, as a patient or visitor, you may have noticed them tasting extra crisp and flavorful. But you probably didn’t know they were grown right here in the Columbia area.

Boone Hospital gets much of its fresh produce from Pierpont Farms, an organic farm located just south of Columbia. The farm produces vegetables, herbs, flowers and fruits using organic, sustainable methods.

“We don’t use the chemicals and pesticides that are needed for shipping and preserving food because we sell our food locally. That makes the food healthier and also more flavorful,” says farm owner Rob Hemwall.

Boone Hospital director of Nutrition and Food Services, Julie Winters, says the partnership benefits the hospital as well as the community.

“There are so many benefits to using local produce. It reduces the amount of time that the food spends traveling to our hospital from the farm where it was produced. The product then has a longer shelf life here, which helps us reduce costs. The local produce that we purchase doesn’t have preservatives added to extend shelf life, increasing the taste and amount of nutrients of the food. A really awesome benefit to using local produce is that it supports local farmers and make sa positive impact on the Boone County community,” says Julie.

The farm provides seasonal fresh produce all year long, something Boone Hospital clinical dietitian Kelsie Knerr enjoys.

“Eating local means getting seasonal variety, I love going to the Boone Cafeteria and seeing the gorgeous multi-colored cherry tomatoes available. When people eat seasonally, they go from eating more zucchini and tomatoes in the summer to switching it up to more carrots and beets come winter. There’s a benefit to letting nature keep you on your toes and not getting stuck in a rut with the types of foods we consume,” says Kelsie.

Pierpont Farm is known for its large row covers, which help protect the plants from Missouri’s unpredictable weather.

“The covers serve as a protection, but they also help lengthen the seasons of the produce we grow,” Rob explains.

Rob says the one thing he is most passionate about is sustainability. That’s a large reason why he doesn’t use harmful pesticides on his crops.

“If we kill all the bugs, we will be hurting our ecosystem. There are a lot of good bugs that are important in maintaining a sustainable world,” says Rob.

Rob says the lack of pesticides used on the produce is a large reason local food often tastes better. Kelsie agrees.

“When the focus isn’t on growing produce to withstand thousands of miles in a truck, local farmers are able to grow more varieties that are known for their taste,” says Kelsie.

This fall, Boone Hospital is serving a variety of fresh beets, carrots, greens, herbs and other fall vegetables from Pierpont Farms.