Happy “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” Week!

Return to the local farmer's market, Aug 2009 - 37 from Flickr

Vilsack and Merrigan announced that this week will be “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” week. They apparently have $65 million set aside for various programs and will be rolling those out in the next few days. While I’m all in favor of the general idea, at this point I’m on the “wait and see” side of the fence. Why?

It’s easy for government to step in and say, “Hey, look at us! We’re good guys!” when they have money they want to throw at a problem that has caught the public’s attention. Safe food, local eating, sustainable farming, all the buzzwords that have filled the air and airwaves this summer have caught the USDA’s attention. That’s good. But will they hear the cattleman who brings legitimate argument against food safety bills which would force him out of business and put hundreds or thousands of consumers one step further from safe food instead of closer? Are they listening to the lies about raw milk being dangerous perpetrated by big dairy? Do they hear the whole argument about the importance of removing government subsidies from corn and other food products to restore balance to the marketplace or only the part Big Ag’s lobbyists have the power and money to push?

Think I’m just being skeptical without reason? Let’s do a quick comparison of three tiny blurbs from today’s press release:

“Reconnecting consumers and institutions with local producers will stimulate economies in rural communities, improve access to healthy, nutritious food for our families, and decrease the amount of resources to transport our food.”

Sounds good, Secretary Vilsack. Decrease amount of resources to transport our food. Looks like you’re advocating local food supply.

“‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ seeks to focus that conversation on supporting local and regional food systems to strengthen American agriculture by promoting sustainable agricultural practices and spurring economic opportunity in rural communities.”

Lovely! Deputy Secretary Merrigan agrees. But wait…

“USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service proposed regulations to implement a new voluntary cooperative program under which select state-inspected establishments will be eligible to ship meat and poultry products in interstate commerce. The new program was created in the 2008 Farm Bill and will provide new economic opportunities for small meat and poultry establishments, whose markets are currently limited.”

Oh. So, here we see not the acceptance of small and local establishments as being valuable and viable within their own locality, but an expansion of shipping across state lines. Funny, that sounds an awful lot like more of the same “get big or get out” line to me. I thought we were trying to support local and regional food, not send my local and regional food two or three states away. But maybe I’m confused. Symbolic rhetoric solely for the sake of public adulation does that to me sometimes.

But, in the meantime, consumers (that’s you and me, folks) can make of this week what we choose. So, go to the Farmer’s Market. You know you’ve been meaning to, but the parking, and the summer heat, and well…

Start here. Find your market. Then, just go. Be bold. Introduce yourself. Ask about those bumpy aqua-colored squash. Find out how to cook okra so it doesn’t get slimy. Hear about the purple and white spotted green beans that turn light green when they are “done” cooking. As Michael Pollan says, “Shake the hand that feeds you.” Buy something. Bring it home and eat it. Know your farmer and know your food. You’ll learn something about yourself. And when you do, come back here and share!

This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays, hosted this week by Kelly the Kitchen Kop.