After much planning and anticipation, the University will have a farmers market on campus starting today.

The Campus Farmers Market, the brainchild of the Sustainability Commission of Student Government, will run in the Brickyard from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Wednesday until Nov. 18. The market will return in the spring.

Vendors at the Campus Farmers Market will sell a variety of local, organic and sustainable food and other products.

“There will be seasonal fruits and vegetables from Wise family farm’s in Louisburg, North Carolina … There will be meat, including, beef and pork, milk and eggs, and seafood, including clams, shrimp, grouper and snapper,” Ariel Fugate, Campus Farmers Market manager, said.

Fugate said along with local produce, there will also be educational material on sustainability at the farmers market.

“We don’t have a goal in mind as far as money goes, because we’re not making a profit off of this. But our specific goal … is to educate students, staff and faculty and to enhance North Carolina as a land grant institution by supporting North Carolina farmers. Our main goal is educational,” Fugate said.

The Sustainability Commission’s goal is to “incubate sustainability related projects and competitions in order to stimulate environmental awareness and participation on campus,” according to its Web site, and the Campus Farmers Market is just one of the projects it has for this year.

Fugate said Eric Ballard, a 2009 alumnus and former member of the Sustainability Commission, was the mastermind behind the Campus Farmers Market. The commission decided to test last semester how well a farmers market would be and Student Body President Jim Ceresnak said it was a success.

“Last year, the preliminary run got a great response. A lot of students reacted positively, and it exceeded our expectations,” Ceresnak said.

Mike Batten, a graduate student in civil engineering, said since he enjoys buying local produce at the Raleigh Farmers Market, he would be interested in checking out what the Campus Farmers Market has to offer.

“I might attend it. If I go, I would probably buy vegetables. Okra and corn are what I usually buy at the regular farmers market,” Batten said.

Ceresnak, a senior in political science, said he is will be at the Campus Farmers Market today and would likely buy beef.

“I’m absolutely going to attend. I’m excited about the list of vendors. I heard there was going to be a meat vendor there, and I’m a big steak fan. Also, vegetables would be good. I could very likely pick up a tomato from the farmers market,” Ceresnak said.

Fugate said the response that she has heard from students is positive and that people are looking forward to having a different option for food on campus. She also said it would be a good educational experience for those who are not familiar with agriculture.

“Everyone is really excited to have something so fresh available … some people don’t know what a farmer’s market entails. Some are really excited to have good and fresh food and environmentally friendly options. The most important part of this is to support and educate people about North Carolina produce,” Fugate said.

Batten said the main reason why he would visit the farmers market is because he wants to support N.C. farmers.

“Buying local foods sounds like a good thing,” Batten said.  “I like supporting local farmers, because everyone knows goodness grows in North Carolina.”