Family Magazine
Go Local
A variety of delicious and healthy foods await you!
By Laura M. Devick
Living as we are in the Breadbasket of the World, our diet doesn’t need to be so well-traveled. According to the University of Minnesota Extension Service, Minnesota has 79,000 farms and, in some regions of the state, more than one of every three jobs depends on the food and agriculture sector of Minnesota’s economy. North Dakota farms cover approximately 90 percent of the land and rank first in U.S. production of spring and durum wheat. Other agricultural products from North Dakota include sunflowers, barley, rye, honey, oats, flaxseed, sugar beets and more.
Because of the agrarian nature of our region, it’s not too difficult to “go local” and buy food produced in our own backyard. Here are reasons to buy local.
#1: Buying Local Supports Local People
Buying local helps farmers do what they do best—farm. The USDA data states that fewer than a million Americans now farm as their primary occupation. The U.S. has lost 4.7 million farms since 1935. Noreen Thomas, a local organic farmer, agrees. “There’s never been a more critical time to support your farming neighbors,” she comments.
Local doesn’t necessarily mean small, neighborhood farms—especially in this area of the country. Many larger operations like American Crystal Sugar, Noodles by Leonardo, Dakota Growers Pasta, Sungold Foods and Safflower Technologies, to name a few, create local products, just on a much larger scale. Supporting these growers helps the local economy, too.
“With each local food purchase, you ensure that more of your money spent on food goes to the farmer.” Buying local nets “90 cents for every dollar to the farmer, rather than to trucking or warehousing,” said Anne Morgan, head gardener at Lakes and Valley CSA near Park Rapids, Minn. In non-local situations, farmers may receive as little as 10 cents for each dollar spent.
Thomas promotes the partnership of local farmers and the Food Routes Network, which connects local foods with local consumers. The Red River Valley Chapter of the national “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” campaign began in summer 2007. This summer, and in the seasons to come, look for and ask for the “Buy Fresh” label in the supermarket. The rich colors and style (pictured to the right) are reminiscent of nostalgic posters urging families to plant a victory garden. It is an easily recognizable symbol for average consumers who want to do their part by supporting local food growers and producers.
#2 Buying Local Can Mean Good Health and Good Taste
Supporting local farms can also support sustainable, good-for-the-earth farming methods. Morgan and her assistants hand-hoe, hand-weed, and keep bad bugs away using healthy organic solutions, not pesticides. Prolonged exposure to pesticides in the food we eat or touch, and in the air we breathe has been linked to health problems. Children are especially susceptible. Organic farming is safe and healthy for the growers and us. It helps preserve nutrients in the soil for the next generation of growing.
Less travel time for food means less harm to the environment. Thomas commented, “Local food doesn’t have to travel far. This reduces carbon dioxide emissions and packing materials.” We all benefit from cleaner air and land.
Local foods are healthy for our bodies. “A tomato that travels 1,500 miles to your plate is old by the time it gets here. The nutrition depreciates rapidly from time of picking,” said Thomas. Morgan agreed, “The richest and best vitamin content in food comes when it’s ripened on the vine, and comes to a natural maturity. Most vitamins are time-sensitive.” So, the quicker a veggie can go from field to plate, “the more vitamins will get to the consumer,” Morgan said.
The health benefits extend to the animals raised on local farms. “Healthy, happy animals make for healthy food,“ says Thomas. “Once you have ‘real’ farm-raised meat, it is hard to go back. We get comments all the time, like, “the bacon tastes like it ‘used’ to taste,” Thomas remarked.
Jeff and Caroline Koppenhaver, a family living near Barnesville, Minn., have a flock of 50 hens. I picked up two dozen eggs from the Koppenhavers, who share their bounty with friends and co-workers. Theirs is a story of a family experiment turned long-term adventure. “My husband and I thought it would be a fun and educational project for our sons to enjoy. It has been a great experience for the kids. Our older son, Nate, has become quite knowledgeable about poultry science and proper care of the flock.” My own sons marveled at the varied colors of the eggs: light brown, rich beige, blue-green, white, and blue-white.
Another couple, Ted and Janet Windus, moved to land near Duluth, Minn., that had an intact barn on the property. They decided to try raising a small flock of chickens, just for fun. “Well, within one year we were raising chickens, turkeys and pigs!” Janet said. They’ve found local residents very receptive to buying locally. Tim, Janet and the local friends they’ve gained have been educated about where food really comes from. Janet said they’ve all learned that, “food does not originate on a Styrofoam tray.”
#3: Buying Local Grows New Friendships
This year our family decided to become shareholders. Not in the stock market—but a veggie market. Through Community-Supported Agriculture programs (CSAs), individuals commit to buying a share of a farm’s produce during one growing season. Shareholders receive a fresh box of vegetables grown on the farm each week from the end of May through the beginning of October. It dawned on me, after I sent our initial deposit, what a great challenge this will be for our family. We are two adults who love veggies, and three kids who would eat hotdogs and string cheese day in and day out if they could. Morgan put it nicely, saying, “It tests people’s ability somewhat,” as you learn to cook new dishes and savor the fresh-picked taste of vegetables.
She has found that relationships flourish between farmers and members of their CSA. Stories abound which keep her coming back to this “labor of love” (which isn’t her day job). Morgan told me about a local daycare that buys a share each summer. Each week, the kids gather around the box and examine each vegetable—and taste-test each one—willingly. “A lot of times, it’s the first time they’ve had a real fresh vegetable. The kids have responded really positively.”
Incorporating local foods into my family‘s diet is important to me. It can have a positive effect on our health, our community, and our world. I have learned it is easy to find a tasty adventure within miles of home, and many mouth-watering memories are waiting to be made right here.