How fun is this? Each week, Richmond.com has a feature called '5 questions for a Foodie'- and this week, the RFC was featured! Check out the article here. My favorite part? That I admit to having five meals a day- two of which are mostly drinks...
Showing posts with label Articles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Articles. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
The RFC on Richmond.com!
How fun is this? Each week, Richmond.com has a feature called '5 questions for a Foodie'- and this week, the RFC was featured! Check out the article here. My favorite part? That I admit to having five meals a day- two of which are mostly drinks...
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development
The new Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development (JAFSCD) is offering up their first issue for free online until October.
Looking at this peer reviewed journal you can check out topics such as Commentary on Why Aren’t There Any Turkeys at the Danville Turkey Festival? (That's Danville Ohio) Or you can read columns like The Economic Pamphleteer: Rethinking Government Policies for Growing Farmers, as well as Views from the Food System Frontier: Measuring Agricultural Stewardship: Risks and Rewards. Click here to read from the August issue or to subscribe.
Looking at this peer reviewed journal you can check out topics such as Commentary on Why Aren’t There Any Turkeys at the Danville Turkey Festival? (That's Danville Ohio) Or you can read columns like The Economic Pamphleteer: Rethinking Government Policies for Growing Farmers, as well as Views from the Food System Frontier: Measuring Agricultural Stewardship: Risks and Rewards. Click here to read from the August issue or to subscribe.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Walmart Pursues the Local Food Market- Update
Feb 28, 2010 (Since I originally posted this I have read Joel Salatin's piece in Flavor Magazine on trying to learn lessons from the big box stores. One of his comments... we need an independent store in a high traffic area.. "preferably next to a Walmart." He also talks about the need for an attached dinner or large food processing kitchen to reduce food waste. Check out Joel's thoughts on the subject in the February/March issue of Flavor. I agree with his ideas for moving the sustainable food movement forward. His model, properly executed, could be just the sort of independent support our local food systems need.)
First it was organic produce and now local. It appears that Walmart has been hard at work not only acquiring locally grown foods, but trying to recreate the diverse, small farm system that insured a variety of locally grown foods in the days before Big Ag. Our Friend Anne with the Richmond Area Food System council sent us this article from the Atlantic magazine. Speaking as someone who has set foot in a Walmart exactly once in the last nine years, I have to say I am skeptical about the good that can come of this. Truthfully, my paltry knowledge of Walmart comes strictly from the occasional news story on the radio or television (although there have been quite a lot of those stories for me to hear, and from the anecdotal comments sometimes made by individuals a few decades older than me who have their own sense of how Walmart has changed as a company and changed the world around us.
It seems that Walmarts efforts on the local food front front have the potential to make a world of difference to small farmers trying to find a market for their produce. Perhaps, however, the creation of whole farming communities that depend upon Walmart for their survival is less than ideal. Walmart grew to be know for a long list of negatives including the undoing of many, small and medium sized businesses. The Walmart that so many have come to demonize in part for doing in 'Main street' is the same company that made a name for itself as a major supporter of "Made in the Usa." Walmart became a behemoth, and changed it's purchasing practices. Companies that didn't sell to Walmart found it hard to compete, and many who did found the low prices Walmart demanded forced them to change the way they ran their own businesses. Often this pressure to create goods ever more cheaply forced even Walmart's suppliers out of business.
In the end, it is not just an issue for me of Walmart's own record, but of the potential for one corporate entity to yield so much power over our local food systems. Perhaps this is the answer to some small farmer's prayers, or maybe it's just an easier answer that will prevent the independent creation of local food systems. It seems that a fundamental issue consistently raised about our current food system is a lack of independence for the farmer. It could be very good news if Walmart does become successful in encouraging greater regional diversity, small producers, and efficient distribution of their goods. At the same time my first, uneducated thought is of the potential costs resulting from a local food system overly dependent upon one very large corporate entity. I think I need to do some more research, maybe even go to a Walmart.
First it was organic produce and now local. It appears that Walmart has been hard at work not only acquiring locally grown foods, but trying to recreate the diverse, small farm system that insured a variety of locally grown foods in the days before Big Ag. Our Friend Anne with the Richmond Area Food System council sent us this article from the Atlantic magazine. Speaking as someone who has set foot in a Walmart exactly once in the last nine years, I have to say I am skeptical about the good that can come of this. Truthfully, my paltry knowledge of Walmart comes strictly from the occasional news story on the radio or television (although there have been quite a lot of those stories for me to hear, and from the anecdotal comments sometimes made by individuals a few decades older than me who have their own sense of how Walmart has changed as a company and changed the world around us.
It seems that Walmarts efforts on the local food front front have the potential to make a world of difference to small farmers trying to find a market for their produce. Perhaps, however, the creation of whole farming communities that depend upon Walmart for their survival is less than ideal. Walmart grew to be know for a long list of negatives including the undoing of many, small and medium sized businesses. The Walmart that so many have come to demonize in part for doing in 'Main street' is the same company that made a name for itself as a major supporter of "Made in the Usa." Walmart became a behemoth, and changed it's purchasing practices. Companies that didn't sell to Walmart found it hard to compete, and many who did found the low prices Walmart demanded forced them to change the way they ran their own businesses. Often this pressure to create goods ever more cheaply forced even Walmart's suppliers out of business.
In the end, it is not just an issue for me of Walmart's own record, but of the potential for one corporate entity to yield so much power over our local food systems. Perhaps this is the answer to some small farmer's prayers, or maybe it's just an easier answer that will prevent the independent creation of local food systems. It seems that a fundamental issue consistently raised about our current food system is a lack of independence for the farmer. It could be very good news if Walmart does become successful in encouraging greater regional diversity, small producers, and efficient distribution of their goods. At the same time my first, uneducated thought is of the potential costs resulting from a local food system overly dependent upon one very large corporate entity. I think I need to do some more research, maybe even go to a Walmart.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Getting the Most Out of Your Meals
NPR has been devoting a good deal of attention to food related issues this summer. One piece on the July 27th broadcast of Morning Addition discusses the need to incorporate fat into your vegetable dishes in order to absorb the nutrients contained within. It also holds some surprising information on microwaving. Click Here to read the transcript or Here to take a listen.
The above story was followed by one one on the issue of food safety that starts off with the startling statistic that 75 million people are made sick by contaminated food each year with 5,000 deaths resulting. Focusing on the FDA's inspection of imported foods, ( They inspect 7,000 of 190,000 imported products each year), as well as the need for at- home vigilance when preparing food. This particular piece emphasises safety practices like cooking all meat and eggs thoroughly, and rewashing salad greens, and so doesn't directly raise questions about the potential benefits of stepping outside of the industrial food system, but instead focuses on safer ways to work within that system. Click Here to listen.
The above story was followed by one one on the issue of food safety that starts off with the startling statistic that 75 million people are made sick by contaminated food each year with 5,000 deaths resulting. Focusing on the FDA's inspection of imported foods, ( They inspect 7,000 of 190,000 imported products each year), as well as the need for at- home vigilance when preparing food. This particular piece emphasises safety practices like cooking all meat and eggs thoroughly, and rewashing salad greens, and so doesn't directly raise questions about the potential benefits of stepping outside of the industrial food system, but instead focuses on safer ways to work within that system. Click Here to listen.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Polyface at St. Stephen's
Check out this article in today's Richmond Times Dispatch on Polyface Farm and the Market at St. Stephen's.
Highlights:
"The Grove Avenue church's market is the only one in Richmond to carry Polyface's goods. In addition to purchasing the farm's goods without ordering them in advance, shoppers can learn about Polyface's unconventional farming methods.
Wright says Polyface, famous for its sustainable agriculture stance, was a natural addition, as other vendors like Frog Bottom Farm make up this rapidly growing market, bringing fresh produce to town with the support of the community.
"Polyface has great products, samples are given and they let people know there's a difference in flavor and consciousness," Wright said. Up to 25 vendors participate on any given Saturday, and as families and neighbors come on foot to mingle and buy, the market has become a weekend family outing.
Polyface is known for its unwavering defense of local farming against industrialized farming practices, even sometimes refusing to ship their products for ethical reasons. You won't find just eggs, bacon and chickens at Polyface, but also educational materials to encourage awareness of the source of their products, the farm and their buying clubs."
Highlights:
"The Grove Avenue church's market is the only one in Richmond to carry Polyface's goods. In addition to purchasing the farm's goods without ordering them in advance, shoppers can learn about Polyface's unconventional farming methods.
Wright says Polyface, famous for its sustainable agriculture stance, was a natural addition, as other vendors like Frog Bottom Farm make up this rapidly growing market, bringing fresh produce to town with the support of the community.
"Polyface has great products, samples are given and they let people know there's a difference in flavor and consciousness," Wright said. Up to 25 vendors participate on any given Saturday, and as families and neighbors come on foot to mingle and buy, the market has become a weekend family outing.
Polyface is known for its unwavering defense of local farming against industrialized farming practices, even sometimes refusing to ship their products for ethical reasons. You won't find just eggs, bacon and chickens at Polyface, but also educational materials to encourage awareness of the source of their products, the farm and their buying clubs."
Monday, June 29, 2009
Charlottesville Farmers Featured
This weekend my driver's license expired and I was forced to spend 2.5hours navigating the DMV in order to get one of those creepy new facial recognition IDs. The secondary result was a big chunk of time to spend reading magazines. I happened to grab a Southern Living Magazine and discovered a six page feature on Charlottesville farmers an it's own strong local foods movement. The article provides a brief profile of individuals like John and Nancy Hellerman from Goodwin Creek Farm & Bakery, Cheese maker Gail Hobbs-Page and her goat farm Caromont Farm and more. Page got her goats from Dave Matthew's own farm named Best of What's Around. How cool is that?! Check out the article in the July issue of Southern Living or check out their website where now even they have a guide to farmer's markets in the south at www.southernliving.com/local-markets. In addition it appears that each month, at least during peak season, Southern Living will be featuring a different local foods community from various southern states.
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