by Kristine Jonas

What we do with local food and sustainable agriculture in our regions across this state is so important for the health and wellbeing of our communities. We are building a foundation that was once there, but dwindled.

If we want a stable healthy region, we need to grow our own food and support our own farmers and aggregators.

It’s challenging work, often people give up. There is so much independence up here that it can tend to work against us, when we don’t collaborate and work together for the good of all our farmers. This goes beyond political ideologies, belief systems, this is about all our people, our health, our food, our farms, gardens, environment.

We need to move past that, the black and white thinking and actually deeply care about each other and remember part of that is taking care of ourselves as well.

If you don’t like how things are then be a part of the change by supporting our neighbors. Instead of complaining about the systems/world, perhaps you can do something that will make a positive impact in our/your communities.

I challenge you to do one small good thing. Buy from a farmer, support your local grocery store, and local (not chain) restaurants. Be their friend, love them.

We can buy from folks who support and purchase from farmers and local aggregators like our food hubs. We gather food from producers in our regions and bring it together to support our farmers, so they can buy feed for their animals or seeds to plant.It starts small, with setting a foundation. Then we keep working and pressing through each challenge as it arises, and boy do they.

We hubs keep working and cooperating with eachother. Together we problem solve and plan better ways to actually help, throughout the state. Then we gather local food, and sell it to local schools, or help write grants, so local folks get healthy local food (often for free), yet, farmers get paid their prices.

So, instead of shipping food from far off states or other countries, the food is grown and sold right here. Right here! It’s pretty cool.  We learn things about seasonal storage and eating within the season. There is more nutrition in fresher food that isn’t shipped so far. Think of the footprint that leaves.

You want to be an activist for your community and world? Buy from your neighbor, love them. We can do things to change this world that go way beyond politics. It’s so simple, yet it’s easier to divide and make it complex.  Love your neighbor as yourself, and love yourself by eating better. Buy the eggs, the meat from the farm down the road, the veggies at the farmers market, or in the local co-op. Buy the bread, the cup, the art, the cutting board, table, etc. too, while you’re at it. You are part of that change.  You.

When you buy locally, we are changing the world
one bite at a time.

When you buy locally, we are changing the world one bite at a time. If each of us does this in all our regions across the state, just imagine the power, and healing ‘we’ have created. That my dear friends is a revolution that I’m a part of and so are you each day.

I do it because I love you and care about you and your children, your families, your parents, and grandparents, aunties, and uncles. Your tribes, your traditions are important to me. So, I do this work for you and me, for all of us, in Tower-Soudan, Embarrass, Virginia, Gilbert, Eveleth, Cook, Aurora, Cherry, etc, St.Louis, Cook, Lake Counties, the Northwoods, and on and on, our state our nation.If you want to make a difference, please think of our growers, farmers, of us.  Our farms and farmers are so important, food aggregation is challenging, farming even more so.

So I challenge you to be the change, put the junk online aside. Let’s focus on the positive impact we can be together instead.

Love you,
Kristine

Kristine Jonas Virginia Farmers Market Hub Online and Aggregation Manager serving Northeastern Minnesota, primarily the Iron Range region. It is one of ten hubs throughout the state that works to support local agriculture, by working with small farms, and growers in wholesale, and retail online sales. We are advocates working to connect farmers with wholesale buyers and we help connect them to resources such as online and in person farm food safety education and training.

Here is the link to the Minnesota Farmers Market Hubs throughout our state:
https://www.farmersmarkethub.org/