Iowa and Local Foods

I had someone point me to this article. 
 
http://www.strollingoftheheifers.com/locavore-index-2013/

In a nutshell, this is what they did (what shows below is directly taken from the web article linked to above):
===================================================

Data Sources:

• Population 2012 — US Census bureau estimates as of 7/1/2012: http://www.census.gov/popest/data/state/totals/2012/
• Farmers Markets as of March 14, 2013: http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets/
• CSAs as of March 20, 2013: http://www.localharvest.org/
• Food hubs as of Jan. 4, 2013: http://www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/FoodHubs

Methodology:

• Weighted score: Farmers Markets 45%, CSAs 45%, Food Hubs 10%
• Score per 100,000: Weighted score/(population/100,000)
• Download full index data file (PDF)

====================================================

If that didn't make any sense - here is the quick idea.  They figured state populations using the census.  They counted the number of farmers' market listed by the USDA site.  They counted the number of CSAs listed on the Local Harvest site (YES, we ARE on it - go visit it and give a review of our CSA for all to see if you'd like).  And, they counted food hubs also listed by the USDA.  The ranking is purely a per capita ranking.  That's it.

So, what are my reactions?

Iowa is fifth?  (behind Vermont (first), Maine, New Hampshire, North Dakota)
And, it was SECOND the last time they did this.  That's the wrong way, but still, here we are.  What this means is that there are more opportunities for you to acquire local food in Iowa than in most of the United States - assuming you believe the methods they used here captured everything accurately.  It does not mean that the state is particularly friendly to those who grow local foods, nor does it indicate the relative health of the farms, markets and CSAs that grow.  It just means more opportunities exist per person in Iowa than most other states... period.

More opportunities per capita doesn't mean we are doing extremely well.  Instead, it points to how poorly we are doing as a nation in this area and how low the bar is that we must hurdle to gain a top five ranking.  If we could no longer ship in food to our state, we would have a significant food shortage.  I'm sorry, but we can't eat most of the crops we grow here, that's just the way it is.  And those crops make it difficult to grow food crops in the state by virtue of the culture created by commodity crop businesses. 

But, even so, when you consider the historical strength Iowa has had as an agricultural state, we should be first.  In fact, we should be so far ahead, that the others might wonder how they could ever catch up.  Sure, California and Michigan might grow more produce, but that doesn't indicate local sales and sourcing, and it certainly doesn't take into consideration the per capita rating. 

I see this as an opportunity to appeal to the pride in Iowa for doing what is practical.  And, what could be more practical than using our excellent soils to grow more of our own food?   And, we have a number of good people who are working hard to raise/grow good food for Iowans - and many others who might like to get started.  The potential for something wonderful is here - let's go get it.

So what should you do?

• Learn a little bit about methods of growing and raising food so you can...
• Ask the right questions of local growers, then you will be able to...
• Support growers that use methods that are agreeable to you - and hopefully support healthy communities and environment.
• Buy local food consistently.  When you find local sources you trust that grow things in a way your approve, keep them in business by being a regular customer.  Do this even if...
• The local producer cannot be as consistent as a grocery store.  In fact, it might be best if they are not able to give you tomatoes in January.  Perhaps you should adjust to seasonal eating and consider buying extra in August for processing and storing until January.
• Be more than a buyer of food.  Ask questions and give feedback to your local producers.  If given the opportunity, find a way to be a participant rather than a spectator.
• Try new vegetables and recipes once in a while.  We're not asking you to do something new every night.  But, there are some mighty tasty veg that grow well in Iowa that have very low demand.
• Pay attention to the National Farm Bill.  I know, it's one more thing.  But, this bill has more to say about how we use land, what we grow, what chemicals are used, etc than any other bill.  Make some noise to your representatives.

Just remember, your consistent patronage and support of local food sources keeps these businesses going.  Your consistency feeds into our consistency.  This is one of the surest ways to increase your opportunities for sources of tasty, sustainably grown, local foods.