Feb 6, 2012
Notes from Your Farmer
Either choose healthy or don’t.
Your call……and your consequences…
A member of the farm is travelling abroad and studying food systems. She asked me to respond to the question “why support local food systems”. Here is my answer…
Given that you can’t live without food for long…the critical question is whether you believe the current system is a benefit to you. If you believe the government and USDA and their companions have your best interest at heart you do not need to be involved in your food system. If you don’t trust them you would then need to look for another solution. Locally grown and raised foods are the place to begin looking.
However, this solution may not guarantee what you are after. You must define for yourself what food producers you wish to support and why. Health of the soil, plant and animal along with sustainability will be a different solution than shopping at the local chain grocery store. Interestingly enough the prices are equalizing. As the cost of distribution is on the rise so are the costs of what I call “food like substances” that are for purchase at the grocery store. These substances may have the same name as the food a local farmer may grow but they are as damaging as being marooned on a small island and forced to drink salt water. The water will taste fine if you are dying of thirst and will dehydrate you literally to death, eventually.
If you have done any inspection into local, national and global food systems you know there is a problem and if you are a student of the topic you know that we are in trouble. Anyone that says otherwise is either living in a dark hole or is part of the machine that has created the “food like substances”.
I read a few books, watched a few movies, investigated and discovered that the food produced in this country provides the pharmaceutical companies with customers. Our government supports this nasty business directly and aggressively. Given that, I decided to create my own food source and share that with my local community. Those that get it appreciate what we do here and those that don’t, don’t. No offense and none taken. I am not a Democrat, I don’t believe in the government taking my money without my consent to support things I don’t believe in. I am not a Republican. I do believe in helping those that cannot help themselves but I get to choose who or what that is. We support many causes and frankly go without extras in order to do so.
Choosing local, knowing your farmer, learning the processes and being responsible for your own food choices is the safest route however inconvenient in the beginning.
In the long run you get to make the choice of what food you eat. And you get to live with the consequences of your choice (by the way, waiting for the government to “fix” this problem is a choice).
Notes from Your Farmer
Either choose healthy or don’t.
Your call……and your consequences…
A member of the farm is travelling abroad and studying food systems. She asked me to respond to the question “why support local food systems”. Here is my answer…
Given that you can’t live without food for long…the critical question is whether you believe the current system is a benefit to you. If you believe the government and USDA and their companions have your best interest at heart you do not need to be involved in your food system. If you don’t trust them you would then need to look for another solution. Locally grown and raised foods are the place to begin looking.
However, this solution may not guarantee what you are after. You must define for yourself what food producers you wish to support and why. Health of the soil, plant and animal along with sustainability will be a different solution than shopping at the local chain grocery store. Interestingly enough the prices are equalizing. As the cost of distribution is on the rise so are the costs of what I call “food like substances” that are for purchase at the grocery store. These substances may have the same name as the food a local farmer may grow but they are as damaging as being marooned on a small island and forced to drink salt water. The water will taste fine if you are dying of thirst and will dehydrate you literally to death, eventually.
If you have done any inspection into local, national and global food systems you know there is a problem and if you are a student of the topic you know that we are in trouble. Anyone that says otherwise is either living in a dark hole or is part of the machine that has created the “food like substances”.
I read a few books, watched a few movies, investigated and discovered that the food produced in this country provides the pharmaceutical companies with customers. Our government supports this nasty business directly and aggressively. Given that, I decided to create my own food source and share that with my local community. Those that get it appreciate what we do here and those that don’t, don’t. No offense and none taken. I am not a Democrat, I don’t believe in the government taking my money without my consent to support things I don’t believe in. I am not a Republican. I do believe in helping those that cannot help themselves but I get to choose who or what that is. We support many causes and frankly go without extras in order to do so.
Choosing local, knowing your farmer, learning the processes and being responsible for your own food choices is the safest route however inconvenient in the beginning.
In the long run you get to make the choice of what food you eat. And you get to live with the consequences of your choice (by the way, waiting for the government to “fix” this problem is a choice).
Your “Standing on her Soap Box” Farmer…Tara Smith
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