This is a very interesting Op-Ed from the Times, by a mid-western farmer who came up against the commodity policies that continue to make it difficult for small local vegetable farmers to expand to meet local demands. Another perspective on the many effects the Farm Bill has on our landscape and the food available to us.

An excerpt from the piece My Forbidden Fruits (and Vegetables) By, Jack Hedin, Published March 1, 2008:

If you’ve stood in line at a farmers’ market recently, you know that the local food movement is thriving, to the point that small farmers are having a tough time keeping up with the demand.

But consumers who would like to be able to buy local fruits and vegetables not just at farmers’ markets, but also in the produce aisle of their supermarket, will be dismayed to learn that the federal government works deliberately and forcefully to prevent the local food movement from expanding. And the barriers that the United States Department of Agriculture has put in place will be extended when the farm bill that House and Senate negotiators are working on now goes into effect.

To read the complete Op-Ed on the NYTimes, click here.

This entry was posted on Monday, March 3rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Food Policy and Action. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.