Editorial

Forget the ballot, vote with your fork!

It’s that time again, leading up to November during a presidential election year. Everyone has an opinion on who MUST win in order for the world to be a better place.

I’m not actually suggesting you forget the ballot … by all means, participate in the democratic process and make your voice heard.

But hear me out for a minute.

What if you could influence the major issues of the day without having to wait for an election cycle? What if you could, in effect, vote every single day for the kind of world you’d like to live in? What if you didn’t have to wait for politicians to fix the world’s problems?

How is this possible? What decisions do we make every single day that could have that kind of an impact? An impact on hot-button issues like climate change, health care, social justice, immigration, animal welfare and the economy?

Your food choices, the decisions you make every single day about where you shop and the kind of food you buy makes a dramatic impact on the world you live in.

Concerned about climate change? Support your local farmers.

Not only will it drastically reduce your carbon footprint, requiring your food to travel less than 100 miles instead of thousands of miles, but many local farmers are working hard to grow food using methods that are sustainable or even regenerative. Small farms that embrace polyculture (as opposed to monoculture systems), incorporate agroforestry (integrating forests and pasture) and regenerative agriculture are building soils, sequestering carbon and contributing to lower greenhouse gasses.

Concerned about your health? Support your local farmers.

Farmers that are growing and producing food for their own families and their local communities are accountable directly to their customers. So, even if you choose to support a local farmer using conventional methods of agriculture, you are far less likely to encounter issues with E. Coli or Salmonella contamination when buying produce from a farmer who knows he or she will be seeing your smiling (or not smiling) face next week.

Local farmers choosing to grow using organic or natural methods will provide you and your family with produce that has not been exposed to harsh chemical fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides that have been proven to contribute to many of our common chronic diseases like: obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

Those that are raising animals for dairy, meat and/ or egg production who are using natural methods are not relying on the overuse of antibiotics which can lead to antibiotic-resistant superbugs, leaving humans without this vital line of defense.

Concerned about illegal immigrants? Support your local farmers.

By not shopping at the grocery store, you can most likely avoid buying products that were produced by taking advantage of illegal labor forces. Illegal labor is appealing to Big Ag because they can get away with paying their workers less wages and can subject them to less safe working conditions - saving them time and money. Those cost-savings are then passed on to the consumers who are demanding the cheapest possible product at the grocery store.

Your small, local farms are mostly family owned and operated. Without thousands of field hands in their employ, they are not a big draw for an illegal workforce. So, if you want a crackdown on illegal immigration, one of the best ways to contribute is to be willing to pay fair-market value for the food you consume.

Concerned about social justice issues? Support your local farmers.

There are more women and minority owners of small farms than large corporate farming operations. If you are getting to know your local farmers, you will have the opportunity to support farms that are owned by women and other minorities. Local farmers markets and farming co-ops often make a special effort to serve communities that have limited access to fresh foods. And local food systems help protect against food insecurity.

Local farms often participate in educational programs, teaching children and adults alike about food, nutrition, and responsible methods of growing foods and raising animals.

In contrast, Big Ag often takes advantage of immigrant labor through low wages and unsafe working conditions. Additionally, unsafe farming practices often put surrounding low income communities in danger from pollution, run-off and excessive animal waste; often resulting in communities with higher incidences of asthma, cancer and other chronic illnesses.

I could go on, but I hope you are starting to get the picture. While voting is important, I would argue that the choices we make every single day - voting with our purchase power - have a far greater cumulative impact on the world we live in.

Money talks. You may not feel that you have enough money to make a difference, but every single dollar you spend is a vote for the kind of world you want to live in. The kind of world you choose to leave for the next generation.

Eat wisely. Your choices matter.

And please remember this is only my personal and somewhat humble opinion, it does not necessarily reflect the opinions of our awesome advertisers or the farms and people whose stories we share!

Let’s keep on growing,

LEEANNA TATUM, Editor