Printer-Friendly
Email this Story
Post a Comment (0)
Workable ethic
Workable ethicWe were delighted with a report last week that those interested in promoting the consumption of local food — and in supporting the growers who produce it — are beginning to edge past the talking stage and taking some tentative steps into the action arena ("Local-food movement ponders next move").
We were also a little relieved to note in Laura Ruby's incisive report that a representative from a grocery chain met with the advocates, and that she brought a wee bit of the nuts and bolts to the discussions.
We strongly support buy local, eat local efforts. The food tastes better, there are significant environmental benefits from not having to ship food in, often from a far distant elsewhere, and there are huge advantages for farmers in having markets close to home.
But a bit of reality might keep the effort chugging along, whereas without it, growers, customers and the chain grocery stores that are a huge part of the equation, are likely susceptible to disillusionment, followed by surrender.
Peggy Williams' message was that, in this part of the world, buy local, eat local is a niche market. That's not meant to disparage the effort nor belittle its importance. But perhaps it could clarify the best ways to proceed.
The produce grown within 100 miles is insufficient to supply the nine Whole Foods locations for which she buys produce, Williams told the group.
The flip side to that is that, say, lettuce doesn't care if it is grown by Farmer A in Markham or by Farmer B in Bealeton, it's planted, harvested and marketed at about the same time. No matter how much you like a good salad, you can eat only so much of the stuff.
It's easy to disparage commercial farming; it's a bit less helpful to tell consumers to simply do without, or gorge themselves.
In the action arena, local food advocates are planning to visit two possible collection and distribution points and in exploring the possibility of surveying area farmers to ascertain what they grow, how much they grow, and when it's ripe.
We encourage these farmers and the Extension agents who are assisting them to investigate the next logical step, which is to keep as much of the potential business to themselves and close to home as possible through the formation of a marketing cooperative.
Cooperatives offer a business model that has a lot to admire. Organized, owned and operated by its members, a local fruit and vegetable cooperative would give growers many of the inherent marketing advantages of commercial farming, while preserving many of the benefits that have given rise to the buy local, eat local initiative in the first place.
Fauquier County, the signs tell us, is an agricultural community. Indeed it is — the ninth-largest ag producing county in the commonwealth.
Mostly, we grow beef cattle here, and the hay and grain that fatten them. We grow a considerable number of grapes that we ferment to accompany our steaks.
Those are more independent enterprises, a commodity in one case, a proprietary venture in the other. Successfully marketing perishable fruits and vegetables requires much more coordination and cooperation.
We like the egalitarian spirit that cooperatives nurture. Fauquier County fruits and vegetables are a niche enterprise. That doesn't mean that they can't be one from which we all can profit.
You must be logged in to post a comment.