10
Help change the world, one fork at a time.
REASONS
TO B UY
YOUR
F OOD
FROM
REGIONAL
F AMILY
F ARMS
Just what is good food?
More than 100,000 U.S. families lost their farms between 1996 and 2001.
According to
the Centers for
Disease Control
and Prevention,
obesity-related
health problems
now account
for nearly
10% of U.S.
health care
costs.
Eating fresh
fruit and
vegetables
helps reduce
obesity.
E
veryone needs to eat. Eating good food gives
us pleasure and keeps us healthy. But how do we
know what is good food?
Flavor is one measure. Fruits and vegetables grown
for regional consumption are generally allowed to
fully mature before harvest, so they taste better.
In addition, studies show that foods produced
organically can be nutritionally superior to those
grown conventionally. Fruits and vegetables
consumed shortly after harvest retain more nutrition
than those stored for days or weeks before reaching
grocery store shelves.
J
ust what do you know about the food you
and your family eat? Do you know:
Where it was grown?
How it was grown?
Who grew it?
When it was harvested?
When you shop in supermarkets, are you able to find
out where the food was grown? Can you learn about
what pesticides or fertilizers were used? Are you
able to find out who the people are that grow and
produce your family’s food?
Do you know who’s
growing your food
...and how?
60% of Farm Bill subsidies go to 10% of the largest corporate farms.
D
o you feel it’s important to know where
your food dollar goes? If you answer “Yes!”
you are concerned about where your food comes
from and how it was produced.
Do you know if the fruit, vegetables, dairy, meat,
and other foods you buy are grown or raised nearby
on family farms? Or is your family’s food grown
thousands of miles away and then, using huge
distribution networks, transported vast distances to
local stores via ship, train, airplane, and truck?
R
ight now, you still have a choice. But what
about tomorrow? Do today’s supermarket
chains and huge agribusiness corporations foretell
the demise of America’s family farms?
The sponsors of this publication invite you to help
us revitalize economically sustainable farming right
here, close to home. It’s the best way to protect your
choices for healthy, fresh foods.
T
ake a moment to discover ten important
reasons why you should buy more of your food
from nearby family farms.
Buying your
family’s food
from nearby
family farms
provides you
with fresher,
tastier, and
often much
more nourishing
food.
It also helps
make our
country
stronger by
supporting rural
communities.
1
Locally grown
food is fresher
and tastes better.
Since 1950, riboflavin levels in grocery store produce have declined 38%.
T
here’s nothing like biting into a juicy,
garden-ripe tomato. The juice dribbles down
your chin, and the burst of intense flavor is out of
this world.
However, most tomatoes sold in America aren’t
especially juicy or flavorful. Bred for durability not
flavor, they are picked while still green and often
shipped thousands of miles. To make them appear
ripe when offered for sale, they are treated with
ethylene gas to help them turn red quickly.
How about the taste of a just-harvested peach or
strawberry? If you’ve ever tasted ripe fruit picked at
its peak, you know how much better it tastes.
It’s impossible for fruit and vegetables that are
picked, packed, stored, and shipped long distances to
taste as good as those just harvested at peak maturity
on regional farms.
F
ruit and vegetables grown for nearby
consumers are harvested at the peak of
ripeness for the best flavor.
Family farms
help protect the
environment.
2
One large factory hog farm produces as much sewage as a city of 100,000 people.
I
n most cases, farm families live where they
farm. They see themselves as stewards of the land
and are more likely to use environmentally sound
methods to manage pests and fertility.
Large agribusiness concerns have limited ties
to the land and communities where they operate.
These large corporations invest in agriculture
solely as a means to satisfy shareholder demands
for profitability.
Farmers who live where they farm often use
sustainable approaches to managing pests and
fertility. Considering it a precious resource, they
take care of the land before passing it on to the
next generation.
Many of these family farms are certified for organic
production, giving you an assurance of healthy food,
produced without the use of synthetic pesticides,
hormones, or chemical fertilizers. Remember, it was
small-scale farmers that started the rapidly growing
organic agriculture movement.
F
amily farmers are some of the most
environmentally conscious land stewards.
3
Buying regionally
conserves precious
resources.
The average grocery store item travels more than 1,500 miles to your table.
B
uying your food directly from farms as
close to home as possible helps conserve
natural resources. Corporate agribusiness
conglomerates rely on a global transportation system
that consumes millions of barrels of oil every year.
American industrialized agriculture is amongst the
least energy efficient on the planet, often consuming
up to ten times more energy for production and
transport than it yields.
When you buy food grown closer to home, you’re
helping reduce dependency on precious fossil fuels
and helping put more food-buying dollars in the
hands of regional farmers.
Food produced for regional sale doesn’t travel far
before being consumed, helping reduce carbon
dioxide emissions and the need for costly packing
materials. Buying local also helps to make
farming more profitable and selling farmland for
development less attractive.
S
upporting nearby farms helps preserve our
planet for future generations.
Thriving family
farms build
rural economies.
4
Today’s farmers earn less than 8¢ of every food dollar spent by consumers.
D
ollars generated in local communities
change hands three or four times before
they leave. When agribusiness corporations come
to town, most dollars leave the community by close
of the business day.
In rural communities, economic well-being and
social vitality are inextricably linked to the type
of farms in the region. Family farmers buy from
merchants in their own communities, helping
support diverse local jobs and small businesses.
A landmark study comparing two rural communities
found that the family farm-dominated community
had an overall higher standard of living—more retail
trade and independent businesses as well as more
parks, schools, churches, and community involvement
than the community dominated by large, corporate
agribusiness-type farms.
I
ncreasing the number of viable family
farms helps rebuild the economic and social
health of rural communities.
5
Buying local helps
you learn how your
food was grown.
Corporate agribusiness profits have nearly doubled since 1990.
B
uying direct from family farms helps
ensure you find safe, wholesome food for
your family. When you visit local farms, farmers
markets, roadside stands, and food co-ops, you gain
the opportunity to talk with the farmers growing
your food.
Farmers supplying nearby markets are more
accountable to their buyers. Since consumers can
learn who these farmers are and what practices they
use, they have more confidence in the safety of the
foods being grown.
Studies show that most consumers question the
motivation of global agribusiness to produce
safe, wholesome food. The studies go on to
show Americans maintain great confidence in
family farmers to produce wholesome food using
environmentally sound methods and inputs.
K
nowing where your food comes from and
how it was grown can help you choose
healthy, nutritious food for your family.
Family farms
help children learn
healthy values.
6
Participation in school lunch programs rises when farm-fresh food is on the menu.
L
ike other family-owned businesses, family
farms are models for children to learn
values such as cooperation and responsibility.
Farm children learn to contribute by doing chores
such as gathering eggs and helping with harvest.
Their parents’ example helps shape their attitudes
toward the land and the value of food.
Many children have no idea where food comes from
before it reaches the grocer’s shelves. Many have
never experienced how flavorful truly ripe fruits
and vegetables can be. Family farms often welcome
people to visit and learn valuable lessons about food
and nature. Taking children to visit a farm is a fun
learning experience.
Many elementary schools arrange field trips to
nearby family farms to help students learn about
their food. They’ve discovered that introducing
children to fresh, wholesome food helps improve
children’s health and educational performance.
F
amily farms model healthy values and
provide educational opportunities.
7
Locally grown
food protects
genetic diversity.
95% of all commercial production dairy cows are from a single breed.
D
iverse family farms around the world,
growing for nearby markets, raise
thousands of centuries-old varieties and
heritage breeds carefully selected for their flavor
and ability to thrive in unique environments.
Agribusiness shippers demand today’s produce items
have a tough skin that can survive harvest, packing,
and transport as well as have a long shelf life in the
store. Only a handful of developed varieties meet
these global marketing requirements, so there is little
genetic diversity among the key food plants grown
for mainstream markets.
In contrast, diverse farms grow a broad range of
produce varieties and animal breeds selected for
flavor, high nutrition, and regional adaptability.
Many of these varieties and breeds have been passed
down for generations and contain genetic material
from hundreds of years of regional selection. These
broad variations may someday provide the genetic
resources necessary to adapt to changing conditions.
B
uying locally grown products encourages
robust, genetic diversity in our foods.
Many family
farms grow a feast
for the senses.
8
In 2006, Washington’s farmers markets added $38+ million to local economies.
N
earby family farmers provide consumers
with a broad variety of produce
throughout the season. When you buy from
farms closer to home, you have the opportunity to
try foods that aren’t available in grocery stores.
This is especially true when you buy directly through
on-farm sales, farmers markets, or Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs. Farmers
often have recipes available with great ideas for
using these unique varieties.
One Eastern Washington farmer grows an
astonishing 82 different varieties of peppers to share
with farmers market patrons on both sides of the
Cascades. He grows fresh peanuts as well. You won’t
find that kind of variety in any supermarket!
These small farmers often grow varieties with unique
flavors, colors, and shapes offering a fascinating link
with history. Imagine eating the same tomato variety
grown and eaten by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello!
L
ocal farmers provide you and your family
with an ever-changing palette of rich
colors, flavors, and food heritage.
9
Nearby farms
help keep your
taxes in check.
The U.S. loses farmland at a rate of 2 acres/minute, over 240 million acres since 1970.
L
ocal farms contribute more in taxes than
they require in services. Unfortunately, with
a trend that turns existing farmland into suburban
and industrial developments at a rapid clip, current
attitudes towards farmland preservation ensure our
taxes will rise even faster in the near future.
According to several studies, for every $1 in revenue
raised by residential development, governments
must spend at least $1.17 on services, thus requiring
higher taxes of all taxpayers.
However, for each $1 in revenue raised by farms,
forest, and open space, governments only spend
about 34¢ on services, a net gain to the government
of 66¢ on every dollar collected.
W
hen you support nearby farms with
your food-buying dollars, you help keep
government spending on services lower.
Diverse family
farms means
food security.
10
Four agribusiness corporations control 80% of U.S. beef and pork production.
S
upporting family farms helps protect our
ability to feed ourselves. Without thousands
of thriving farms around the region, we lose the land
security needed to ensure each foodshed maintains
the ability to feed itself.
Food from far-off places is now the norm.
International food trade has tripled since 1961, and
corporate agribusiness profits have nearly doubled
since 1990. Apples sold in U.S. stores may come
from China, while potatoes sold in Peru may have
been grown in Idaho, even though the potato is
native to the Andes region of South America.
However, we need to think about what happens
if something disrupts that constant flow of food
products across continents and oceans.
We must act now to guarantee the survival of diverse
family farms. If we don’t, the inevitable disruption of
global agribusiness networks will become a serious
hardship to our families and communities.
S
upporting regional family farms helps
ensure we can feed ourselves not just now,
but well into the future.
Here’s what you
can do to support
family farms.
Washington State farmers grow and produce more than 300 different foods and crops.
3
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3
3
3
3
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Buy your food directly from regional farms
and stock up on your family’s favorites.
Visit your local farmers market regularly
during the season.
Join a CSA and receive weekly boxes of fresh,
local produce.
Ask your grocery store manager to stock
locally grown farm products.
Serve your family and friends meals prepared
with fresh, local ingredients.
Encourage school districts and hospitals to
buy and serve locally grown foods.
Feature local fresh foods at your organization’s
next meeting or event.
Demand Country of Origin Labeling on all
the foods you buy.
Tell elected officials to support regionally
based agriculture to help keep our farm
families living and working on the land.
60% of all U.S. retail food sales goes through just five supermarket chains.
V
isit these organizations’ web sites for more
information on what you can do to help support
family farms growing healthy food.
Tilth Producers of Washington
www.tilthproducers.org
Initiative for Rural Innovation
& Stewardship/North Central
Washington Resource
Conservation & Development
District: www.ncwrcd.org
Puget Sound Fresh
www.pugetsoundfresh.org
Washington Sustainable
Food & Farming Network
www.wsffn.org
Washington State Farmers
Market Association
www.wafarmersmarkets.com
21 Acres
www.21acres.org
Sustainable Northwest
www.sustainablenorthwest.org
WSU Center for Sustainable
Agriculture & Natural Resources
www.csanr.wsu.edu
Local Harvest
www.localharvest.org
Sustainable Connections
www.sconnect.org
Skagitonians to
Preserve Farmland
www.skagitonians.org
Education &
Agriculture Together
www.eatncw.org
Cascade Harvest Coalition
www.cascadeharvest.org
Cascade Foothills
Farmland Association
www.visitwashingtonfarms.com
WSU Small Farm Team
smallfarms.wsu.edu
Farm to School
www.farmtoschool.org
Action for Healthy Kids
www.actionforhealthykids.org
Heifer International
www.heifer.org
PCC Farmland Trust
www.pccnaturalmarkets.com/
farmtrust/
Northwest Agriculture
Business Center
www.AgBizCenter.org
Help conserve resources and pass this booklet along after you are done reading it.
Think globally. Eat locally!
Original concept by the
Institute for Rural
Innovation & Stewardship and
Tilth Producers of Washington.
Produced through
the generosity of
WSU Small Farm Team,
Cascade Foothills
Farmland Association,
Cascade Harvest Coalition,
HumanLinks Foundation,
PCC Natural Markets,
Heifer International,
Northwest Agriculture
Business Center,
Sustainable Connections,
Tilth Producers,
the Institute for Rural
Innovation & Stewardship,
& the Community Foundation of
North Central Washington.
Text by: Chris Rader,
Kent Mullinix,
& Kate Halstead
Design & layout: Kate Halstead
Photo credits:
Front cover bottom: © 2006 Tilth
Producers of Washington
Front cover top, pages 7, 13, 15 lower,
back page upper left:
© 2006 Organic Valley Family of Farms
Page 3: © 2006 Carrie Branovan for
Organic Valley Family of Farms
Pages 2, 9, 10, 14 top, 15 top, back
cover top right & bottom: courtesy
USDA Agriculture Research Service
Page 12: © 2006 Puget Consumer Co-op
All others: © 2008 Kate Halstead