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Closer to Home: Healthier Food, Farms and Families in Oklahoma

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Preface Maura McDermott		i
Introduction Maura McDermott		v
	How to Read This Report's County Snapshots Wylie Harris	x
Chapter One: Nutrition and Health		1
	Good Food for Good Health: Combating Poor Nutrition and Obesity with Locally Grown Foods Doug Walton	1
	A Strong and Healthy Oklahoma: State and Private Employee Health and Wellness Initiatives Wylie Harris	7
	Public Policy Priorities: Nutrition and Health	8
	A Going and Growing Market in Muskogee Doug Walton	9
	Who Shops at Oklahoma Farmers' Markets?	12
	Snapshot: Muskogee County	14
Chapter Two: Food Insecurity		15
	Feeling Hungry: Food Insecurity in Oklahoma Maura McDermott	15
	Public Policy Priorities: Food Insecurity	19
	Hands Together for Community Food Security: Community Gardens Wylie Harris	20
	Snapshot: Oklahoma County	24
Chapter Three: Children's Health and Food Education		25
	A Garden to Grow on: The Leach School Garden Doug Walton	25
	Snapshot: Delaware County	27
	Curing Our Kids: Better Food for Better Health Doug Walton & Maura McDermott	28
	Melons Carry Seeds of Change: Oklahoma's Farm to School Program Wylie Harris	32
	Public Policy Priorities:	36
	Children's Health and Food Education Stop the Supersizing of Oklahoma's Student Body: Integris CEO and the Fit Kids Coalition Lead the Way to Healthier Choices for Kids Shauna Lawyer Struby	37
Chapter Four: The Cost of Good Food		41
	Getting What You Pay for: Affording Healthy Food Wylie Harris	41
	The Teacher Only Sets the Table: The Community Nutrition Education Program Wylie Harris	45
	Meeting the Food Stamp Challenge with Local Foods: Slow Food for Low and Moderate Income People Robert Waldrop	49
	Public Policy Priorities: The Cost of Good Food	51
	Fresh and Affordable: A Comparison of Farmers' Market and Grocery Store Prices Emily Oakley & Mike Appel	52
Chapter Five: Access to Good Food		55
	You Can't Get There from Here: Community Food Security in Oklahoma's Food Deserts Wylie Harris	55
	Coupons Worth Clipping Doug Walton	59
	Northeast Oklahoma City's "Grocery Gap" Shaun Chavis	61
	Public Policy Priorities: Access to Good Food	62
Chapter Six: Direct Marketing		65
	Direct From the Source: Direct Market Produce from the Crows' Farm Wylie Harris	65
	Who Sells at Oklahoma Farmers' Markets?	67
	Farm Direct: Direct Sales' Potential for Increasing Community Food Security Wylie Harris	69
	Local-plicity: The Large Economic Multiplier Effects of Small Farms Wylie Harris	72
	Public Policy Priorities: Direct Marketing	74
Chapter Seven: State of the State's Farms		75
	Changing with the Times: Oklahoma Farms in Transition Wylie Harris	75
	CSA in Oklahoma: Linking Farms and Communities, City and Country Wylie Harris	78
	Snapshot: Creek County	81
	It's Not Quite the Middle of Nowhere: CSA Goes Country Wylie Harris	82
	Snapshot: Comanche County	85
	Green Grass and Murray Greys: Beaver Creek Farms' Direct Wylie Harris	86
	Public Policy Priorities: State of the State's Farms	88
Chapter Eight: Food Imports and Exports		89
	Eating Cooperatively and Locally: The Oklahoma Food Co-op Wylie Harris	89
	Town and Country: Kim Barker's Grassfed Beef and Lamb Wylie Harris	93
	Balancing Trade for a Balanced Diet: Oklahoma's Farm Exports and Food Imports Wylie Harris	94
	Growing What We Eat? Mary Penick & Maura McDermott	96
	Importing Oklahoma's State Meal Wylie Harris	97
	Public Policy Priorities: Food Imports and Exports	98
Chapter Nine: Farm Diversification		99
	From Horn of Plenty to Plenty of Horns: Crop and Livestock Diversity on Oklahoma Farms Wylie Harris & Mary Penick	99
	Land of Opportunity: Steve Upson's Vision for Oklahoma Farms Wylie Harris	103
	Snapshot: Carter County	107
	Just Right in the Middle: Sam's Sweet Onions as a Model for Diversification Wylie Harris	108
	Public Policy Priorities: Farm Diversification	112
Chapter Ten: Local Marketing		113
	Local Food, Local Prosperity: Local Farm Sales and Community Food Security Wylie Harris	113
	A Cool Peach of an Idea: Regrowing a Local Specialty at Peach Crest Farm Wylie Harris	116
	The Buyer's-Eye View Wylie Harris	117
	Public Policy Priorities: Local Marketing	120
Chapter Eleven: Making Something New: Adding Value to Oklahoma's Crops		121
	LOVAs for LIFE: Value Added Processing and Community Food Security Wylie Harris	121
	Adding Value to the Country: Oklahoma's Rural Food Processors Wylie Harris	124
	Snapshot: Cleveland County	125
	Snapshot: Kiowa County	127
	Snapshot: Kingfisher County	129
	Public Policy Priorities: Locally-Owned Value-Added (LOVA) Processing	132
Chapter Twelve: Something Different: Food Labels		133
	Demand for Health: Community Food Security Surfs the Wave of Value Added Food Labeling Wylie Harris	133
	Spirit in the Dust: Organic Wheat and Natural Beef at John's Farm Wylie Harris	137
	Public Policy Priorities: Food Labels	140
	Snapshot: Major County	141
	SPARC-ing Change on the Plains: Soil, Health, and Sustainable Wheat Wylie Harris	142
Chapter Thirteen: Saving Farmland: Urban Sprawl and Family Farms		145
	Farmland Preservation in Oklahoma Mary Penick & Wylie Harris	145
	Farming the Family Way: Conrad Farms Mary Penick	149
	Snapshot: Tulsa County	151
	Public Policy Priorities: Saving Farmland: Urban Sprawl and Family Farms	152
Chapter Fourteen: Keeping It Closer to Home: Food Miles and Regional Markets		153
	Food Miles: The Long Road to Community Food Security Wylie Harris	153
	How Far Can Food Miles Carry Community Food Security: The Case of Braum's Dairy Wylie Harris	155
	Public Policy Priorities: Keeping It Closer to Home: Food Miles and Regional Markets	157
	Concentration in the Food System Wylie Harris	158
	Snapshot: Grady County	159
	Farming and the Environment: The Local Food Connection Maura McDermott	160
	On the Menu: A Taste of Oklahoma Maura McDermott	161
Appendix A		162
Resources		163
Frequently Asked Questions		168
Endnotes		173