The Food Connection report: UK Dining invested record $8 million in Kentucky farms, businesses

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 11, 2026) — For more than a decade, The Food Connection has advanced the University of Kentucky’s land-grant mission by building stronger connections between campus dining operations and Kentucky farms, food businesses and communities. 

That work has culminated in a record $8,477,837 of spending with Kentucky farms, food businesses and independently owned restaurants during fiscal year 2026. That total represented 50% of UK Dining’s $17.1 million in food and beverage purchases. 

“Our goal is to provide a clear and transparent account of how UK Dining’s local purchasing commitments benefit Kentucky farms and food businesses,” said Ashton Potter, Dr.P.H., executive director of The Food Connection. “This year’s results show the impact that a large institution can have when it builds Kentucky purchasing into its food service operations.” 

The Food Connection is an applied food systems center housed in the Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CAFE). The center supports Kentucky’s farm and food economy through value-chain coordination, food safety assistance for produce growers and an annual review of UK Dining’s local purchasing. 

The local purchasing initiative began with UK’s dining contract in fiscal year 2015. The contract established performance measures for purchases from Kentucky farms and Kentucky-based food businesses in response to feedback about UK’s role in the state’s agriculture and food system.  

Over the life of the initiative, UK Dining’s Kentucky Farm and Food Business Impact purchases produced more than $48 million in direct investment in Kentucky farms and food businesses. The work also earned national recognition and helped inform nationally harmonized measures for institutional farm purchasing. 

Highlights from the fiscal year 2026 report include: 

The report also highlights targeted efforts to buy more Kentucky-grown and Kentucky-produced foods. UK Dining purchased 20 hogs every other month during the academic year through its whole-hog program. It also committed to buying about 1,200 pounds of chicken from a small family-owned farm each academic month for campus dining.  

Purchases of proteins sourced entirely from Kentucky farms increased from $98,533 in fiscal year 2025 to $248,539 in fiscal year 2026. Purchases of dairy products sourced entirely from Kentucky farms also nearly doubled, increasing from $121,767 to $239,715. Kentucky milk and cheese were used in products served across campus, including ice cream, pizza and salad bars. 

“This work connects UK’s purchasing power with the people who grow, produce and prepare food across Kentucky,” said Laura Stephenson, Ph.D., vice president for land-grant engagement and dean of Martin-Gatton CAFE. “It reflects the University of Kentucky’s land-grant mission by creating opportunities for Kentucky farms and businesses while bringing more Kentucky food to our campus community.” 

The report notes that 88% of Kentucky Farm Impact food items were purchased from Kentucky farms and Kentucky food businesses. Five years earlier, most farm-impact items came from Kentucky-based publicly traded farms or food businesses. The shift reflects a greater focus on independently owned Kentucky operations.  

The Food Connection also works with producers and distributors to address barriers to institutional purchasing. Those efforts include crop planning, onboarding more Kentucky farms with distributors and helping produce growers complete third-party Good Agricultural Practices audits needed to enter institutional markets.  

Fiscal year 2026 marked a transition in UK’s dining services. Compass Group began providing services in July 2026 through the university’s new Enterprise Services Partnership. The Food Connection will continue offering technical assistance and programming intended to strengthen Kentucky food supply chains and support UK’s land-grant mission.  

That will include an expansion of efforts in support of UK’s Advancing Kentucky Together Network. Initiatives that will be implemented in the coming year include an effort to bring university resources to more counties and communities throughout the state as well as a Group Purchasing Organization that can help local communities, governments and school systems maximize their purchasing efforts.