Local is the New Organic

The hero of the Ominvore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan is a guy named Joel Salatin who runs  Polyface Farms in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Joel and his family raise chickens, eggs, hogs, rabbits, cattle and a few vegetable crops. It might seem strange for a vegetarian like myself to be touting a farm raising meat but to read about Joel Salatin, his practices and his theories, provides a better understanding of why the food provided to meat eaters is low quality and not healthy. Salatin raises his animals in a very natural way and you will be astounded at how he takes advantage of the life cycle of grass and animals. All of his creatures are essentially grass fed. From my point of view, the marketing of his product is applicable to any food crop. It’s food raised, sold and eaten locally. Last year we participated in Community Supported Agriculture (Community Supported Agriculature ). The Fry Family Farm near Ashland is a certified organic farm but Michael Pollan, in Omnivore’s Dilemma, argues forcefully that in the long run, buying local food may be a more sustainable plan than buying from big organic whose real committment to a safe food supply is inversely proportional to cost of fuel to raise and deliver their commodities. Polyface Farms and Fry Family Farms follow a different model. Their fuel costs are low and they sell their crops to locals. They invite you to come view their operation. You can look them in the eye and ask questions about their practices. They sell to restaurants, to natural food markets and participate in farmers markets. Joel Salatin asked: “Don’t you find it odd that people will put more work into choosing their mechanic or house contractor than they will into choosing the person who will grow their food?” (Omnivore’s Dilemma p.240). Why should we expect food to be cheap? No one thinks twice about paying $60 a month for a cell phone that we didn’t even need ten years ago or $80 for premium cable and internet that we didn’t even know about a generation back. Yet, we go for the cheap tomatoes raised in Mexico and irrigated with fecally contaminated water  fecally contaminated water every time. (Many people feel that even Mexican and South American grown organic veggies are suspect). But why do we eat based on price rather than the quality of the product? Do we even understand quality when it comes to the subject of food? Taste isn’t equal to quality. What we should be looking for is nutritional value. When you eat grain-fed salmon will it be healthier for you than wild salmon? Isn’t it logical to assume that grass-fed beef would be more nutritious and even taste better than corn-fed beef (genetically modified corn at that). There’s lots of debate and discussion on the health benefits of organic food. Common sense says it is healthier. But there are other health issues that have to be addressed: the health of our economy; the health of culture; the health of our community. Buying food, how we decide to spend our food dollars, can be seen as a political decision. We vote with our dollars. I encourage you to vote for your local food producers. Encourage them to go organic if they haven’t already.

Comments

[Jules Cooper]

In my small town we have a new diet called the 100 mile diet. If it can't be grown within a 100 mile radius, you don't eat it. I believe with gas prices on the rise, and nutrition at an all time low, it is the most practical diet I've heard of.

I teach yoga at the local university and it is fascinating how disconnected people are from their food. How do you get someone to understand their body is the essence of their food--and our food growing practices? When I tell them to eat organic they complain it is too expensive. Expensive???? Try cancer, diabetes or heart disease for expensive.

[Tana]

That 100-mile diet is currently being called the Eat Local Challenge, and May 2006 is the month chosen to take the challenge. I am one of over 700 people participating in this event, and one of a handful of authors who are collectively blogging about our experiences.

http://www.eatlocalchallenge.com