The Giants Go Tumbling
I raise chickens and ducks. I go to great lengths to ensure their well-being and comfort. It is important to me that my flocks are able to free-range for grubs and bugs, that they get rich organic scraps and that each bird that resides on our farm has a quality of life. That is why we’ve purchased fencing to create paddocks. I respect the fact that they are living creatures and I am happy to share my space with them. I know that is not the reality for all birds. It’s an individual choice, this is my individual choice. I am always looking for natural ways to help them. I quickly learned that hemp bedding is more absorbent than conventional bedding, has natural repellents in it that fight against chicken mites and lice and provides a ton of comfort as it is very soft bedding. As a small local business, it’s important to me to support other small local businesses. I was more than excited to find a small relatively local company to purchase hemp bedding from, Tiger Fiber. We purchased a pallet of hemp bedding and are hoping it will get us through this year. We look to do business with this small business owner in the future.
How does supporting small business help us all? When you support small local businesses there are a ton of benefits for both the small business owners and the community. In an ideal world, the community would work together to provide for the needs of the community. We are a small local grower. Ideally, we would work with other small local growers and bring a huge variety of fresh heirloom fruits, vegetables, grains, dairy and meat products to our local communities. We would not be competing with other growers but instead view other growers as a source to support the community right along with our initiative. It is no secret that shopping within your communities keeps money circulating within those communities. When you buy food that is grown in your community, you also choose a greener option. This means that food is not shipped in and is therefore a “greener” choice. Finally, by buying from small growers, you get to know the grower and the practices of the grower. You know exactly where your food comes from.
THE SCIENTIFIC JARGON:
Dan Flynn from Food Safety News states the following:
"Not every shipment of fruits and vegetables get a pesticide bath at the border. The IG said if no issues are detected, imported fruits and vegetables are released. If pests or disease are found in a shipment — organic or otherwise — it’s sent to quarantine. Those shipments often get pesticide showers before they are released.”
While many articles will tell you that your organic foods are not fumigated, that is not entirely true. In additions, many companies may tout that they don’t spray their products or pump hormones into their animals but the truth is that even if that is true, that does not account for genetically modified organisms (seed, feed, etc).
The National Sanitation Foundation had this to say about genetically modified foods:
“Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are created by deliberately changing the genetic makeup of a plant or animal in ways that could never occur naturally. The majority of GMO crops currently on the market have been genetically engineered to produce their own pesticides and/or withstand herbicides that normally would kill them. Farmers use the herbicides to control weeds. Non-GMO certified products have been verified to have been grown and processed without genetic modification.”
When you buy from your local growers, you know what their practices are, you know their foods are fresh (and therefore hold more nutrient value), you are supporting your community, you are supporting good practices and as a consumer, you are often able to find unique varieties of produce.
FIGHTING THE GIANTS:
Finally, when you buy local, you are fighting big corporations. The small business owner has to fight the big corporations everyday. Small businesses have to pay for permits, licenses, materials with a lot less expendable income. The giant corporations can buy mass quantities of items and push them out at a fraction of the price. But the hard reality is that buying from the giants comes with a cost. How were the items sourced, where were they sourced, how were they regulated and how will the corporations money be used to benefit you and your community? Does the big giant corporation consider you as an individual consumer or are you just a “number” to them? When we really reflect upon these questions, the answers to that reality are less than settling. I hear you. I too support the giants way too often out of time and money constraints. The reality is by my decision, I continue that cycle because the giants will not tumble until I start to make some hard decisions. Homesteading and supporting local businesses is part of that mission. The more we support our local communities, the stronger we become, the more we open up options, the more say we have in the decisions made around the products we purchase and the louder our voices become! Embark on a journey with me to support other local businesses. No small local business is a threat to mine even when they sell the same items I do because the consumers are people in my community. When my community wins, so do 1! When consumers support local options, the “Giants Go Tumbling Down!”
Other Local Businesses I Support and Have Supported Me Are (and looking forward to adding to that list):
Ametrine Apothecary in Davenport, IA
Andrew Dutton in Milan, IL
BP Honey in Le Claire, IA
Hilltop Mini Buildings in Viola, IL
Kneaded Kindness in Le Claire, IA
MVGA Farmer’s Market (All of the vendors)
Ravin Raven in Muscatine, IA
Rescued in Silvis, IL
Sam Benson in Le Claire, IA
Tiger Fiber in Clayton, MO
Twisted Crown in Davenport, IA
Flynn, Dan. “Inspector General Again Finds Weaknesses in Organic Imports.” Food Safety News, 20 Sept. 2017, www.foodsafetynews.com/2017/09/inspector-general-again-finds-weaknesses-in-organic-imports/.
www.nsf.org/blog/consumer/clearing-confusion-organic-non-gmo-labels.