The Locavore's Dilemma

The average consumer's food travels an estimated 1,500 miles before it reaches her table. Some of our food travels much further. If you eat lamb, chances are it was flown in from New Zealand. We import salmon from Asia and Chile, catfish from Vietnam, and much produce from, of all places, China.

Besides having to answer the question of what to eat for dinner, many shoppers are also now asking where their food came from. This is not only a question of food safety -- though that is a major concern -- it is also a question of sustainability. Does it really make sense to truck most of our produce all the way from California? Or that California is the second biggest producer of rice after Arkansas? Do they really have the water for that?

I can imagine semi-loads of almost identical produce passing each other as they crisscross the nation on their way to grocery store warehouses. And while some folks have campaigned for the government to regulate commerce so inefficiencies are driven out of the food supply chain, I think there is a better way to approach the issue. I believe that eating locally-grown meats and produce offers a reasonable alternative to imported food.

It seems that part of the problem is that, as American consumers, we have gotten used to the idea that we can have fresh produce in winter or exotic fruits and vegetables almost any time we want them. When we speak of the global economy, this is a big part of what we are talking about. We don't usually stop to think of what it takes to bring these foods to the table, but doesn't it seem strange that we burn about 10 calories of energy to get 1 calorie of food to the table? Or that, while we lament the demise of the family farm, monoculture and economies of scale have pushed farm families off the land so that fewer farmers are farming larger tracts of land? They have to in order to make a living.

The news, however, isn't all bad. There is a movement afoot to promote locally-grown produce. Not just vegetables and fruits, but beef, pork, chicken and eggs as well. I'm talking about the Local Food Movement. Over the past few years, farmers' markets have sprung up all over the country. Many of our local towns and cities here in northwest Arkansas have their own farmers' markets offering locally-grown produce. There are also a number of local farmers and ranchers who offer healthy, pasture-raised beef, chicken and pork on their farms.

Linda and I have been making an effort to eat more locally-grown food and I can report that, so far, it has been an enjoyable experience. We started our search for locally-grown meat by going online to LocalHarvest.com for addresses of farms and ranches near where we live.

One farm that stood out to us was R Family Farms located in Cane Hill. I called the number listed for the farm and spoke to Roger Remington, the owner. Roger told me he delivered raw milk and pastured eggs every Saturday morning to the Walmart parking lot in Siloam Springs, between 8:30 and 9 a.m. I had him put us down for a gallon of milk and a dozen eggs. They also sell various beef, pork and chicken products. All pasture-raised, of course. Roger's wife handles the meat and egg sales at the Siloam Springs Farmers' Market on Saturday mornings. You can also place your order online at www.rfamilyfarmrogers.locallygrown.net. Or you can call Roger at 479-841-8277.

And when I say pasture-raised, when it comes to beef, I mean pasture-finished. You see, almost all beef starts out on mother's milk and pasture -- it's how they are finished that makes the difference. After a certain age (usually six months to a year), most beef cattle in this country go to large feedlots where they are raised in confinement and fed a grain-based diet, sometimes with the addition of antibiotics and hormones to speed their growth. If you have ever passed a commercial feedlot out west you probably noticed the smell long before you got there and long after you left it behind.

Cattle are ruminants, which means they have multiple stomachs made especially for digesting grasses and similar plants. They were never meant to eat grains such as corn. A corn-based diet tends to acidify in the cow's rumen and can cause digestive problems. Combine that with the restricted confines of a feedlot, antibiotic use, the massive amounts of ammonia and the use of growth hormones, and the end product doesn't stack up too well against pasture-finished beef.

And beef isn't the only farm animal that benefits from pasture. Chickens and pigs also do well when they are allowed to roam free.

Linda and I love the chicken from Roger's family farm. I have to say it tastes more like chicken. I know that sounds strange, but the pastured-chicken has more flavor than commercially-raised chicken. And the eggs are a bright orange with yolks that stand up nice and firm. While pigs are omnivores like us, they do find quite a bit to eat in a pasture. They might not be able to digest grass like a cow, but there are a lot of other plants they can munch on, as well as grubbing for roots and such like. Pastured-pork is leaner and, I believe tastier. Besides, they are happier outside. I think a happy pig is a tasty pig.

And speaking of omnivores, the real dilemma in today's world is having the time to find locally-grown food that is healthy and also affordable. The balance may come in eating less meat overall but eating meat that is as good for you as possible.

As Michael Pollan once put it, "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

Eating local allows you to do that in style. Happy gardening!

Sam Byrnes is a Gentry area resident who has been gardening from his youth. He may be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.