Power To the People Rangan and Harris emphasize that the power of consumer spending can shiſt the market. However, Tistlethwaite says, “We cannot just vote with our forks, as many people don’t have that luxury.” She urges change at both personal and political levels, favoring incentive-based approaches with fewer subsidies going to the industrial system. “We need more farmers raising high-quality animals in a hu-
mane, ecologically responsible manner,” says Tistlethwaite. But we also need more small-scale slaughterhouses and meat processors throughout the country to get quality meat to more of our tables. In addition to farmers’ markets, cooperatives and commu-
nity supported agriculture, organizations such as the American Grassfed Association and Local Harvest connect consumers directly to farmers using sustainable practices to help rebuild regional food hubs and networks. “Start with small steps,” suggests Tistlethwaite. “Buy milk
from a local creamery, eggs from a farmer in your community or one-quarter cow to fill your freezer from a local, grass-fed beef producer. Reward the farms and ranches that are doing it right by purchasing from them, promoting them, supporting them.”
Melinda Hemmelgarn is an award-winning registered dietitian, writer and nationally syndicated radio host based in Columbia, MO. Reach her at
FoodSleuth@gmail.com. Tune into Food Sleuth Radio at
kopn.org.
Stop Factory Farms
The COVID-19 health crisis highlights inequali- ties in how we produce and distribute food. A new bill, the Farm System Reform Act (FSRA), will
help to create a more healthy, sustainable and equitable model, by placing a morato- rium on new Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (commonly known as factory farms), cracking down on the monopolistic practices of multinational meat corpora- tions and supporting farmers to transi- tion to healthier, pasture-based models and organic farming. To support the FSRA, the Sierra Club has made it easy to con- tact members of Congress at
Tinyurl.com/ BlockFactoryFarms.
18 Austin Area Edition
AustinAwakenings.com Take Action to
BUY LOCAL Resources for Farmers
and Consumers
AmericanGrassFed.org
Purchasing grass-fed beef from AGA member farms guarantees that animals raised on those farms were treated humanely and grazed re- generatively. The website provides a searchable database of farms for consumers.
EatWellGuide.org
Visitors to the Eat Well Guide website can search over 25,000 hand-picked restaurants, farms, farmers’ markets and other sources of local, sus- tainable food.
EatWILD.com
The eatWILD website features a directory of more than 1,400 farms that produce grass-fed meat, eggs and dairy products that have been certified by eatWILD’s criteria.
FarmAndRanchFreedom.org
The Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance is a na- tional advocacy group for independent family farmers and protects a healthy and productive food supply for American consumers.
GetFreeRange.info
GetFreeRange matches farmers to consumers who want to find pastured, grass-fed, free range, humanely raised, paleo meats, poultry, eggs and dairy. The organization is nationwide, and the website features a searchable database of farm- ers by location.
HealthyFoodSystems.org
The Council for Healthy Food Systems features a resource page for farmers and consumers seek- ing open farmers’ markets during the COVID-19 outbreak. Visit
HealthyFoodSystems.org/resources/ covid-19-resources.
LocalHarvest.org
LocalHarvest uses location data to connect con- sumers with local food producers, community- supported agriculture, farmers’ markets and events in their community.
oxinoxi/
Shutterstock.com
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