Farmers support sustainable food system
University to buy more fresh, local food
By Nick Johnson
Daily Egyptian
Published: Monday, January 25, 2010
Isaac Smith | Daily Egyptian
Josh Brown readies mature lettuce transplants for planting March 17, 2009. Brown owns and operates an organic produce farm in Pomona. He sells his produce locally and has also sold to Whole Foods Market in St. Louis.
Thanks to several local farmers, a sustainable local food system is sprouting in southern Illinois, according to a spokesman for a local food systems development group.
The entire population would have access to fresh produce grown within 100-250 miles with a local food system, said Jerry Bradley, director of communications for Food Works, an organization dedicated to the development of sustainable local food systems in southern Illinois.
Bradley said the region still lacks the infrastructure and number of growers needed for such a system.
“We wish we had … more warehousing for storage and for distribution, and more retail outlets like restaurants, grocery stores,” Bradley said. “Even institutions like SIUC and prisons.”
Tom Grant, who owns and operates Mulberry Hill Farm near Pleasant Hill and Springer Ridge Roads in Carbondale, said he routinely sells his produce to local buyers such as Neighborhood Co-op Grocery and is working with other farmers to establish a regional warehouse site for more organized distribution.
Bradley said a healthy local food system would bring economic growth, as more farms would create jobs and receive income from the community — that could then be spent at local businesses.
In addition to being healthier and fresher than other food sources, most of which are thousands of miles away, locally grown food leaves a smaller carbon footprint, he said.
“We’re trying to get to where we’re going into serious production (and) can start feeding the universities,” Grant said. “The ultimate goal is to have food go from this farm to university kitchens.”
Josh Brown, of Farmer Brown’s Production, made his farm in Pomona the first in the region to receive USDA organic certification in 2009. In addition to selling to Neighborhood Co-op Grocery, Brown said he sells produce directly to William Connors, SIUC’s head chef for University Housing.
Connors said 28 percent of all the food he buys is grown within 250 miles of the university and he plans on buying more this year from Brown, Grant and other local farmers.
“It’s usually much fresher than anything I can get anywhere else,” Connors said. “They would call me on Tuesday, and either Wednesday night or Thursday night (they would) drop it off.”
Kris Pirmann, a farmer who is new to the region and in his preparatory season near Tunnel Hill, said he is also interested in USDA organic certification and being a part of a local food system.
“I think it’s important for people to have a real sense of the region they come from and a lot of that is tied to what people eat,” Pirmann said. “Eating in season, eating what grows in your region, gives you a connection to where you’re at.”
To attract interested farmers to the region, Food Works has invested in new farmer training programs that teach the nature of southern Illinois farming to interested parties, Bradley said.
“In southern Illinois the terrain is good for small, diversified family farms,” he said. “The climate stays warmer longer, so farmers can get a jump on the seasons earlier and extend it longer.”
Bradley said while affordability is an issue with organic produce that needs to be addressed, the cost issue won’t be solved easily and people should be willing to pay a bit more for healthier food.
“Our grandparents used to (spend) a lot more of their annual income on food than we do,” Bradley said. “We spend a ridiculously low amount per year on food. You almost can’t afford not to eat good, healthy food. You’re going to be paying more down the road.”
In addition to the Neighborhood Co-op Grocery store, Carbondale features a popular farmers’ market—which runs April through November—where residents can buy locally grown produce, he said.