The Official Newspaper for Foster County
The Official Newspaper for Foster County
My wife and I bought a pig two weeks ago. Actually, we bought half a pig.
Our niece’s children are enrolled in the 4-H swine project. The brother and sister duo own several sows, and they’ve developed a good business of direct marketing meat from the animals they raise.
We get a call each fall saying that the pigs are ready and asking if we want to buy one. The enterprising 4-H’ers tell us, “Happy pigs taste good!”
The USDA reports that farmers and ranchers sell more than nine billion dollars of food commodities directly to consumers annually.
Here are four benefits of growing and purchasing food in local systems:
• Consumers gain access to fresher food, and they feel better about what they are eating because they know its source.
• Farmers benefit economically when they sell produce directly to consumers. The farmers are able to retain value-added costs that normally go to middlemen in the food supply chain.
• Communities benefit when producers and consumers know each other. Trust and pride increase as social connections are built.
• The food supply is less likely to be disrupted by transportation issues, outbreaks of foodborne illness, weather and high fuel costs.
It’s not only individuals, but also institutions who buy food directly from producers. For example, with help from the USDA’s Farm to School Program, 73 percent of North Dakota schools include locally produced food on their lunch menu.
Research shows that our food typically travels 1,500 to 2,500 miles before reaching our plates. There is growing interest among policy makers to reduce this distance by establishing local and regional food production systems in the U.S.
The USDA has committed 15 million dollars over the next five years to develop infrastructure which will allow for small and mid-size processing of livestock, fruits and vegetables in North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota.
As a result of the project, I expect to see greater availability of locally produced food and new economic opportunities, especially for small and medium-sized farms in our region.
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Local food will be among the topics covered at Central Dakota Ag Day on Dec. 16 at the Carrington REC.
Sue Balcom, owner of the Root Sellers Farm near Mandan, will present two sessions during the event.
During the first session, “Returning to Roots: How Did Our Ancestors Feed Themselves?”, Balcom will share stories of how North Dakota homesteaders gardened, cooked, baked and preserved food.
She’ll also describe how the traditional skills of the pioneers translate into today’s renewed interest in gardening, cooking, baking and farming.
In her second session, Balcom will introduce Christmas traditions among German-Russians living in North Dakota.
The Central Dakota Ag Day program will also provide up-to-date information about crop production, livestock production and marketing.
Farmers, ranchers and townspeople are all invited to attend the event.
Details about the program are available at https://www.ndsu.edu/agriculture/ag-hub/events/central-dakota-ag-day.
No registration is required. Lunch will be provided.
For more information, contact me in the Foster County Extension office (652-2581, jeff.gale@ndsu.edu).
