Farmer: Keep food purchases local

By Trisha Marczak (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Monday, September 29, 2008

Keeping it local was the message Friday at MSCTC - Fergus Falls, where residents and college students discussed the reasons and methods for purchasing local foods.

Supporting family farms, reducing the amount of energy spent on transporting foods, and ethical reasons regarding the treatment of animals are all considered to be prime reasons for supporting the “buy local” trend.

With Minnesota’s varying climate, the question of how to survive the winter months on locally harvested food was a top question for many.

“You’re going to need to learn how to cook,” was the answer from Kent Solberg, a Verndale farmer who led the discussion. “We’ve forgotten how to cook in our society.”

Solberg stressed the importance of planning ahead, purchasing meat products when the season and prices are favorable and preserving the food in a chest freezer.

Rather than making dinner decisions based on what a person may “want,” Solberg said it is important to make decisions based on what is in the freezer.

The concept of supporting local farmers may be a fresh idea to those of younger generations, but Solberg said this isn’t a new concept. In fact, many of the practices now being adopted by locally-focussed farms are inspired by the old days.

Although locally harvested food may not carry the USDA “organic” label, Solberg says it doesn’t mean the quality of the food is inferior. The cost to follow USDA certified organic guidelines is simply too much for the little guy — and it’s not likely things will change anytime soon.

“Big producers know if they lose ten percent of their market, they know they’re done,” Solberg said.

The issue of where to find locally harvested meat, dairy products and vegetables was also a question on many people’s minds.

Networking, building relationships and, in many cases, simply asking questions were top methods for breaking into the local food scene.