The Kansas City CSA Coalition

This has made the rounds of the eco-blogosphere, so perhaps you’ve seen it, but I wanted to post it here because it’s so very relevant to the work we’re doing here in the KC metro.

The factory farm system helps nobody but those at the very top of the money-making pyramid: farmers are trapped into contracts that barely keep them above the poverty level and forced into getting operating loans at the beginning of each growing cycle; it’s abhorrent with regard to its neglect of environmental stewardship, animal welfare, health of workers, and laserlike focus on the bottom dollar.  We must invest our attention, time, money, and energy into rebuilding local food systems, supporting local farmers with living wages who are then able to support us eaters with sustainably-grown and -produced foodstuffs, maintaining responsible environmental and ethical standards, and keeping money flowing through our local economies.  This is the only way we as a country, as a region, and as individuals/families will survive the oncoming crises created by Peak Oil and the resulting economic shockwaves.

I encourage you to read the below article, muse over the map, and think about how you can fit more local food into your lifestyle — whether through a CSA subscription, visiting farmers’ markets, a co-op membership, or other methods.

Best,
Season

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Food & Water Watch Analysis Finds Livestock on Factory Farms Grew by 20 Percent in 5 Years

Washington, D.C. – Food & Water Watch recently unveiled the newest version of its pioneering Factory Farm Map (www.factoryfarmmap.org) that charts the concentration of factory farms across the country and the impacts these massive operations have on human health, communities, and the environment. The interactive map illustrates the geographic shift in where and how food is raised in the U.S. and allows anyone to quickly search for the highest concentration of animals by region, state and county.

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