Homegrown foods
Developing Texas supply chains will create a positive and profitable ripple effect.
Not many families in Houston enjoy meals where the meat, veggies and fruit are all locally grown. Much of the kale, spinach, herbs and other fresh produce lining our grocery store aisles hail from California. The clusters of red tomatoes for sale are likely part of the globalized food network, transported here from Mexico. The Thanksgiving turkey on many people’s table may have come from a top turkey-producing state such as Minnesota.
Even as we live close to the Brazos Bottom, some of the best farm and ranch land in the state, we’ve become inured to the fact that we import much of the fresh produce that we eat from other states and countries. For local and regional food systems to thrive, farmers and rural producers increasingly need to access customers in urban areas and be able to offer products for sale in grocery stores, farmers markets and specialty shops.
But the infrastructure in our region to support local agriculture — not just farmers, but also processors, distribution networks and warehouses — died out about 60 years ago, according to David Leftwich, executive editor of the local food magazine, Sugar and Rice.
It’s time to rebuild the infrastructure, and generate an increase in local food supply, as may be now possible with a new and much-needed public-private partnership announced last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA Food LINC (Leveraging Investment for Network Coordination) is partnering with the Texas Center for Local Food based in Elgin to help develop regional food supply chains. These food chains will drive job growth and increase farm income, while helping to meet consumer demand for regionally produced food.
Eighteen million Texans live within 200 miles of the new center, according to USDA Deputy Under Secretary Lillian Salerno. That’s a big market for locally produced food and related products.
As a result of this partnership, in the upcoming years, Houstonians should be able to enjoy more varieties of fresh local squash, greens and melons, and we also may find it easier to purchase pastureraised chicken and grass-fed beef.
The developing supply chain will create opportunities for more entrepreneurs. Take for example the farmer who produces an excess of tomatoes or cucumbers but who has no time to preserve it before it decays. A nearby cannery could take that excess and transform it into a product for sale in area stores. A more robust infrastructure of support for family farms will have other positive ripple effects. Profitable family farms will ensure that some of the remaining beautiful, lush farmlands in our area are preserved, rather than carved up into shopping centers and subdivisions. Keeping land as farmland benefits this generation and generations to come.
In addition, buying local is better for our environment. A high percentage of the fossil fuels used in the global food system goes to packaging, transporting and marketing. Buying local reduces our dependence on fossil fuels. Moreover local foods need less processing since products don’t need to be shipped so far.
The drought in California is starting to have an impact on the availability of fresh produce, and expanding local production would enhance food security. In addition, our country remains a net importer of fresh vegetables, according to the USDA. Mexico and Canada are the largest suppliers and fresh vegetable imports from both countries increased in 2014. There’s nothing more secure than homegrown.
When consumers buy directly from a local farm, the farmer receives a larger portion of the food dollar. By buying food grown in Texas, we keep our money in Texas and help provide good-paying jobs for Texans. This public/private partnership is a delicious and nutritious win/win.
When consumers buy directly from a local farm, the farmer receives a larger portion of the food dollar. By buying food grown in Texas, we keep our money in Texas.