In some ways, shopping at farmers’ markets and buying at local craft fairs seems to have become trendy, as only the rich can buy from these places. While local items are often more expensive compared to big box stores—that is by design.
Local establishments typically receive no subsidies or government backing, and raising food is expensive and labor-intensive, but worth it.
Regardless of pricing when you choose to buy ground beef from a local farmer, that money goes directly back into your local economy and the farmers pocket, it doesn’t go up the pyramid to shareholders, it doesn’t go to BlackRock, it goes to real people.
Pricing seems to be a barrier for some to afford more local options. I understand it, but understanding why might help you see the importance of supporting local.
You see, we have entered into what some call managerialism or shareholder capitalism. Many claim the wealth trickles down, but it really doesn’t; instead, the cost of living continues to increase because shareholders must maximize their profit.
So, as they say, the system is working as it is supposed to. It creates a barrier for people living paycheck to paycheck, those in poverty, to access real quality food. And when a farmer or local artisan prices their products, it’s to combat the many fees they pay up front.
For a farmer raising pork, beef, or even chicken, the amount of feed they may spend and the amount they spend on USDA processing fees can be in the thousands, and then they will need a meat license and somewhere to market their meat. There are farmers’ markets, direct-to-consumer apps, and various markets. Then, add the labor and time, mending fences, rotating pastures, watering, and so on, the price tag to even get that pound of beef on your plate comes with a large expense, which must be footed before the consumer even decides to buy.
To clarify, I’m not suggesting farmers shouldn’t get paid, but the reason good quality food is expensive is that the economy has been rigged. It is designed to benefit the elites/shareholders.
Again, it’s not to see growers, farmers, etc cannot make a good living, there are many. But the point of this essay is to highlight the critical need for more people to start participating in local food systems. I highlighted the economic issues, because many will complain about pricing, but maybe if we understand why, we can figure out how to create parallel systems to create hyper-local food systems that allow all of us to thrive, no matter economic barriers.
At least allowing people to access food that they can afford, this isn’t saying everyone should be able to buy a filet mignon, but to say that people should be able to access better quality budget cuts and food items. Not processed junk.
To highlight the importance, I am going to share how I am accessing food for my family. Keep in mind, we grow, hunt, and raise most of our food, but we still buy from others because we can and cannot grow all of our needs/wants.
Today I talked to Preston, my husband, about how I was really craving a good burger. We are out of ground beef; we have venison, but the taste of beef sometimes just does better for taste buds. He made the remark that we could wait til the farmers’ market tomorrow, unless somewhere else.
So I went to Facebook, local beef in Centerville, TN, sure enough, a newly opened regenerative farm store. I gave them a ring, ‘Do you have any ground beef?’ The farmer replied: ‘Just got 800 pounds back from the processor!’ I replied: ‘I’ll be there in a bit for some.’
I could have skipped that, driven 30 minutes, and grabbed some ground beef from Walmart; in some ways, that would have been easier, but I chose the route that aligned with my values, and now a local farming family will receive my dollars and not BlackRock and other corporate entities.
On top of that, I’ll go to another local farmer for my weekly CSA pickup. I’ve been getting extra veggies, onions, garlic, and things that I didn’t grow.
After that, I’ll go to my parents who sell pork, and buy some bacon as I am out of that.
And this evening I’ll enjoy a fresh local burger, with my tomatoes and my homegrown potatoes—and once again corporate entities won’t get jackshit.
I made the conscious choice. My family is not rich; to be blunt, we just overdrafted our account after refinancing our home. I know that might not be palatable to some or taboo to talk about such things, but it’s the truth, to clarify our account was not overdrafted because we bought locally.
It happened after paying $900 for an appraisal, a $600 electric bill (increasing rates due to electricity demand from data centers…), and filling our tanks up, which cost around a $100 a week, Preston commutes over 100 miles a day, and business expenses. We are okay this week, and in the coming weeks, our finances and savings will come back up, but unplanned expenses can put a damper on things at times.
Because of our resilience, we have applied at home, for a couple of weeks, we skipped the grocery store, and we had enough food to not need outsourcing. We strategically planned for times like this. In my resiliency home guide, I share about the steps I take to be able to accomplish this.
But our commitment to creating a parallel reality is much more important than a little inconvenience.
It’s a decision we all must make. Do we want to lose our sovereignty completely? Food is a big piece of this. Our ability to feed ourselves is critical.
Our ability to have an economy built on people truly owning the means of production, freely able to buy, and not having an inflated market to keep up with the debt and subsidies.
And every week, I make the conscious decision to buy food this way. I also make the conscious decision to grow and raise food. Because we are a collective system, we cannot think in an ego-centric way; we must learn to think in an eco-centric way.
Surprisingly, this image was on the WEF website…
So become involved. Where are you called? Maybe you can’t afford to buy all of your food locally or even grow a thing, or maybe you can spend $9 a week on a lb of beef and grow your tomatoes in a bucket.
Small intentional choices are what ripple out. The massive impact if more took this approach would be astronomical.
So make those small choices today. I’m rooting for all of us!
Talk soon,
Shelby
If you want to read decentralized media, check out Revive the Table. It talks more in-depth about things in this essay, plus it’s physical; you actually own the media.
Or if you want some resources on how to create a more resilient home, check these resources out here.
And thank you for supporting my work by purchasing resources, which helps immensely.
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.