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Field Guides to Food

Local Food: Where to Find It, How to Buy It (PDF)

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Food production in southeast Minnesota uses much more energy per acre than the global average...
...although people across the food system are working to address this.
This statement was based on passages from "Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact"...
Currently, food travels approximately 1,500 miles from farm to fork. For example, a cut of meat purchased by a Minnesota consumer at a supermarket, even if raised by a Minnesota farmer, is likely to have been processed out of state and shipped back in.ii Roughly 17 percent of all energy used in the U.S. is devoted to bringing food to our tables, for a total cost nationally of more than $139 billion per year.
...and "Local Food: Where to Find It, How to Buy It."
If your lunch today was typical of most American meals, the food you ate traveled hundreds -- or even thousands -- of miles to get from the farmers that grew it to you. A lot of resources went into the refrigerating, processing, packaging, and transporting of that food. (p.2)
It is also reflected in statements from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy...
We are working to stop the overuse of antibiotics in agriculture and aquaculture, while limiting the release of mercury and other toxic pollutants that fall onto farmland and enter the food supply. IATP is also monitoring the impact of genetically engineered crops on the environment, human health and farmer income.
...and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Not only does eating locally grown fruits and vegetables save fossil fuel, your food is fresher, tastes better, cost less, retains more nutrients plus support local farmers and keep dollars in your community… Current research is also showing both short- and long-term benefits to our population and the planet with organic and other sustainable production systems... Biodiversity is enhanced in organic agricultural systems, which makes these farms more resilient to unpredictable weather patterns and pest outbreaks...
People are working to make fresh produce more available...
...throughout the region.
This statement was based on passages from "Opportunities for Learning, Leadership, and Impact"...
"A sustainable regional food system is guided by several principles [including that]... it is accessible and affordable to all citizens... Specifically, a sustainable energy system would... provide affordable and adequate energy for vulnerable communities and everyone in the region." (p.3,19) "The health impact of the nation’s current food system is enormous. Poor diets—based on unhealthy foods high in contaminants and added fats and sugars, low in vitamins, minerals, and essential fatty acids—have been linked to obesity, disease, and behavioral disorders." (p.52)
...and "Local Food: Where to Find It, How to Buy It."
"People nationwide are discovering that for true freshness, flavor, and nutrition, local food is hard to beat." (p.2) "Promotes healthy food choices" is listed as one of the top 10 reasons to buy local food.
It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota Department of Health...
"By improving the offerings of fresh fruits and vegetables, Farm to School programs will help make the healthy choice the easy choice for students and school staff."
...and the National Gardening Association.
"The satisfying experiences of planting, cultivating, and harvesting fruits and vegetables creates a lifelong appreciation for healthy living... By supporting thousands of school and community gardens nationwide, we help children and adults establish links between plants, gardening, food, and health."
Agricultural practices are used to protect regional water quality...
...via soil conservation and nutrient management.
This statement was based on passages from "Local Food: Where to Find It, How to Buy It"...
Buying locally grown food is an investment in the economic and social well-being of your community... [You are] helping the local economy by circulating dollars locally, creating a multiplier effect as farmers spend those dollars at local businesses. When you buy locally grown food, you have the opportunity to vote with your dollars for the kind of farming you want to support. Your food-buying choices can encourage farmers to use methods that are important to you, be they crop rotations to reduce pesticide use and soil erosion, the humane treatment of farm animals, even the setting aside of some acreage for pollinator or wildlife habitat. (p.2)
...and "Opportunities for Leadership, Learning, and Impact."
Mainstream agriculture degrades water quality by depleting and polluting groundwater, encourages flooding by eliminating wetlands, destroys wildlife habitats, emits greenhouse gases, and degrades air quality with pesticides and particulates. In addition, as farms become controlled by large, out-of-area corporations, fewer local people and rural communities benefit economically. Sustainable agriculture, including biomass production, reduces runoff, creates wildlife habitat, prevents soil erosion through farmland trees, and offsets greenhouse gases. (p.4)
It is also reflected in statements from the Minnesota Corn Grower's Association (on a previous version of their webpage)...
With a GPS, "farmers are able to evaluate their acreage right down to the square foot. This allows them to pinpoint areas where fertilizers and other inputs need to be applied... By applying only what is necessary, farmers can keep run-off to a minimum... Instead of wheels, some new tractors have treads much like a snowmobile track. This distributes the vehicle's weight over a greater area, so the soil doesn't compact as much. Less compacted soil can absorb more water, thereby reducing runoff."
...and the Southeast Minnesota AG Alliance (on a previous version of their webpage).
Our organization promotes production agriculture as a vital and necessary enterprise to the financial and ecological welfare in Southeast Minnesota... Many of our members attend their local zoning and planning boards and talk with county commissioners to make sure that the people making the laws have an accurate view of today's environmentally friendly farming practices.