OTTUMWA, Iowa (KYOU) – A group of farmers and food distributors in Southeast Iowa say that more than 2,000 miles separate the food grown in Iowa from its final use.
Ranall Gimm from K-Y-O-U met with this group on Wednesday to learn about their plans to keep food grown in Iowa in Iowa.
The Iowa Farm Bureau says Iowa mostly grows corn and soybeans, which are sent around the world.
Bob Ferguson made the Southeast Iowa Food Web to get farmers interested in growing food for their own communities.
He said, “On one Iowa county, you could grow enough fruits and vegetables for all of Iowa and the eight states next to it.”
Ferguson says that we didn’t need to bring things into and out of the country years ago. He told us that we had everything we needed close by.
Now, he wants farms to grow more than one thing. For example, they could use some of their land to grow food to sell in their own communities.
People in the room were pushed to work together locally by speakers from a local produce distributor. “The interest in Local has grown, and you know what? You need partners, and that’s what we’re looking for too,” they said.
This group wants to keep more than just food local… Steve Imhoff from Triple Creek Farms takes care of animals. Which he and his wife only sell in their own town.
Imhoff said, “I like knowing where my food is going and giving something back to the people in the area.” That is healthy and good for them because they know where their food comes from.
Iowa grows a lot of corn and crops that are sent all over the world, but Imhoff thinks that this should be built upon.
He said, “To have that global market is really important for the Iowa economy.” We also need to be able to keep up with that local business.
Because of this, Ferguson and Imhoff think that we should be more aware of what we buy.
Ferguson said, “71% of the food people eat in the U.S. is now ultra-processed food.” Food that has been treated a lot is bad for our health.
Ferguson wants to get farmers to grow things that people in the area need. We also want to encourage people to buy local and pay attention to what they eat.