2008 Essay Contest Winners

Honorable Mention – 2008
Felisha Yoder
Thomas High School
12th grade

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The Value of Locally Grown Foods

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain,
And the wavin’ wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, every night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk makin’ lazy circles in the sky.
We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say--Yeeow! A-yip-i-o-ee ay
We’re only sayin’ You’re doin’ fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma--O.K

Our state was formed by tillage and labor of the soil. Dirt broke to build homes, highways, and businesses. However, where would Oklahoma be today if individuals a hundred years ago had not taken the time to enhance the true value that our red dirt can produce... our crops. How concerned are we with the value of locally grown? As our state song sings, “We know we belong to the land, and the land we belong to is grand,” we should also know and support what is being grown in our land.

Supporting our local farmers and valuing locally grown foods has its pros and cons like most things in life do. Giving this issue great thought and consideration is more significant than most people think. “Local” is considered anywhere within our state. The farmers of our state serve as one large production agricultural team working together to improve our state by keeping alive the foundation that Oklahoma was built upon.

As Americans we constantly hear of tremendous amounts of fossil fuels polluting our water and air everyday. Do we realize on average the food we purchase at a local supermarket has traveled roughly 1,500 miles by the time it reaches our refrigerator? Think of how much carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide could be conserved if the food only traveled within the state compared to across the U.S.

Want food at its prime? Buy it from a local farmer! The fresher the food, the better it is for our health. Buying locally grown foods promises fresh nourishing products. In the summers of 2004 and 2005 I worked on a farm that produced sweet corn. I remember starting at six o’clock in the morning and picking for two hours, then loading the corn and taking it to the market in town to be sold. People came from all around just to get fresh sweet corn. I recall many customers saying, “There is nothing like fresh home-grown sweet corn!” As a producer knowing the customers are satisfied brings more satisfaction and pride than anything. I wonder bow many of us would actually eat the food we buy if we knew how many preservatives were used to keep that food stable long enough to reach the supermarkets.

Local farms also equal smaller quantities of food produced at one time. The breakout in 2006 of E. coli within our nation’s spinach left numerous people ill, covering 26 different states (FFA speech). This left me with one question, “How much sooner could one identify the origin of a bacteria and prevent illnesses within a smaller quantity of food from a local farm?”

Our society demands our land for cities and suburbs, losing two acres of farmland per minute, and leaving 2% of our nation as production agriculture. Since 1935, according to the USDA, the U.S. has lost over five million farms. Family farms have been the foundation and prospering peak of our state and across our nation. They are the heart of our rural communities. If we allow our foundation to drift away, we will see the walls we have built begin to slowly crumble.

There is a season for everything, even the food we eat. One of the major cons to locally grown food is that we can not always have the food we want, when we want, if we want it fresh. Farmers can only produce so much of one crop at a time and only for so long because of the different weather conditions. Are we willing to eat certain foods only at certain times of the year? As a nation with the mentality of, “It’s about what I want,” right or wrong, our society would not be willing to eat spinach instead of sweet corn simply because sweet corn is out of season.

One risk we may take, even though small farms undergo minimal processing, is buying food that has not been through a processing plant. On large plantations specific standards are to be met. However, on small family farms, unless we personally ask questions and request a record of all pesticides and fertilizers use on the food, we must take the farmers word for it. We must learn to trust our local farmers.

“What is the value of locally grown foods?” In my humble opinion the value is huge. Regardless of the risk we may take, we owe it to the farmers. We as community members of rural areas, farmers, farm kids, FFA members, etc., can help make a huge impact by working together to continue to educate our nation’s public of the importance of production agriculture. People might not always agree with us, but they should never forget that our nation was built on farmland and without the hard work and determination of our farmers America would not be where it is today. Just as our state song sings about wavin’ wheat and the wind that sweeps down the plain, we must not forget that the land we belong to is grand and that land covers an entire nation that depends on locally grown food.

Works Cited

“Bringing Oklahoma Food to Oklahoma Schools.” www.kerrcenter.com 2003. 3 Mar. 2008 http://www.kerrcenter.com/nwsltr/2003/fall/newsokfood.html.

Closer to Home. Kerr Center 3 Mar. 2008
http:/www.kerrcenter.com/publications/closer_to_home_index.htm.

“Family Farms are an American Tradition in Danger of Fading Away.” www.foodroutes.com 2002. 3 Mar. 2008
http://www.foodroutes.orglwhycare3.jsp.

“Growing the Oklahoma Food Organization.” www.oklahomafood.coop 4 Mar. 2008 http ://www. oklahomafood.coop/grow.php.

“Growing the Oklahoma Food Organization.” www.oklahomafood.coop 4 Mar. 2008 http://www.oklahomafood.coop/grow.php.

“The Freshest, Most Flavorful Food is Just Around the Corner.” www.foodroutes.com 2002. 3 Mar. 2008 http://www.foodroutes.org/whycare2.jsp.

“There are Many Good Reasons to Buy Locally Grown Food.” www.foodroutes.com 2003. 3 Mar. 2008 http://www.foodroutes.org/whycare1.jsp.

Hammerstein, Oscar. “Oklahoma State Song.” 50states.com 1985. 6 Mar. 2008 http:/www. 50states.com/songs/okla.htm.

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