The local food network

The production of food in America primarily rest on the shoulders of California and Florida, with other states making their contributions throughout the spring, summer and fall growing seasons. The issue is that food travels 1600 miles on average to its destination, which effects the incrreaased pricing of conventionally and especially organically grown food

Each state has the capability to produce a variety of vegetables and fruit during the spring, summer and fall seasons; during the spring season each state can carry its own weight in production, and depending on weather its a northern, midsouth or southern state will determines the duration of its harvest. The periods in which northern states with a shorter growing season should rely on southern or mid-south states is during the early spring harvest; It would appear that the southern states have the advantage because of their ability to produce year round, but the commercialization of eating many foods when their out of season gave birth to the mass transit of food, such that the southern states, particularly CA - ships summer fruits and vegetables to northern states during the northern spring season.

The southern states are at an disadvantage during the summer harvest when they have to rely on northern states like colorado and northern california for cool weather vegetables such as kale, lettuce and broccoli. The current food system is structured around capitalism rather than the even distribution of food and currency; The primary responsibility of feeding the country should rest on the shoulders of local small to medium farmers, not mega farmers with hundreds and thousands of acres in production, who monopolize certain aspects of what is known as the food industry; and who are financed by Bio-tech, Seed conglomerate and chemical fertilizer industries.

A network of local small to medium farmers must collaborate as collectives, and support each others prosperity. We must control our own seeds, extend referrals to nearby farmers that can handle more production beyond our means; and most of all establish a direct marketing distribution with no wholesalers nor retailers between us and the customer base.

We at Radiant foods have accepted the task of pioneering this local food network into fruition with the collaboration of just a few other local farmers during the initial stages. Our intentions are to commit to extending a portion of our proceeds to other aspiring small farmers and ask that they do the same with an aspiring farmer they become acqainted with.

There are 50 Million people of African decent in America. and of the black farmers that still remain, less than 1% of their production is direct marketed to our people. The mindset of most black farmers is to sell to wholesale markets. The average age of a black farmer is 55 yrs of age and at the current rate they are not being replaced. We use to own over 2.5 million acres of land and now retain less than a million acres; theres a portion that was past down to the following generations who have neglected to pay current and back taxes, as wel as that which a second mortgage was taken out and the following generations defaulted on the payments; so the land is in forclosure.There are many decendants of land who have leased large acreage to commercial chemical farmers; land in the right hands can be Bio-remediated (cleansed of harmful chemical residues) in a matter of 6 months.

The tax delinquint and property in foreclosure proceedings is extremely inexpensive and is very well within our reach; to acquire this land is to keep it within our genealogy to past down to other aspiring farmers

The business aspect of farming made it very unattractive to those who considered becoming a farmer; when you consider that only 30% to 40% of each dollar is collected by the farmer, whereas 30% is collected by the wholesaler and 30% to 40% by the retailer; they have watched their parents struggle for years, and vowed never to be farmers. The wholsale market requires the farmer to purchase boxes for each case of food that cost $4 to $5 each on average; along with the expense of the ice and not to mention the transportation and depreciation of their truck; and lets not forget taxes.The direct marketing model empowers the farmer with a guarenteed market while collecting 100% of each dollar. Direct sales structured around a local food network is the most feasible approach for a farmer of African decent as well as all other small to medium farmers.

The greatest concern at this juncture is poor quality food in many urban areas, which is their only option. The commercial chemical fertilizers, Bio-tech and GMO is responsible for a long list of illnesses and disease; even butterfly's perish after eating the pollen from GMO corn, not to mention atrozine used as a corn herbicide has drifted into channels and creeks and has considerably effeminized wild life lowering their sperm count. The more the populus consumes this degenerative food the more wealthy and powerful the industry becomes and the more ill and disease prone they become.

The poorest quality of food is what is intentionally brought into inner city neighboorhoods; the food looks so lifeless as it is obvious by its appearance that it is chemically sprayed; and that which has become designated as a food desert is common in many urban areas; stores which are void of produce and in its place have stocked piled junk food in the form of various varieties of potatoe chips, popcorn, cornchips etc...containing Msg and other detrimental additives that adversely effect health

The responsibility of us as local farmers is to make available to those in urban and suburban areas, premium quality food at very affordable (conventional food) cost through direct marketing measures. The ideal model to initiate the local food network is a parcel of land at least 10 to 25 acres initially, to train interns into farmers who can branch off to other areas and provide for 30 to 50 families during their initial stages. The understanding of demographics is the determining factor of how many farmers over time should branch off in particular areas within a 2 hour travel radius. Its a matter of knowing which counties have a strong rural population of African decendants from SC to AK as well as the urban areas; this should be the initial territory to establish the network, then it should continue to expand becoming more efficient.

The principle of buying whats in season while acquiring surplus tomatoes, peppers etc to can and preserve for the non-production periods of those foods will be highly emphasized The classes on how to can and preserve will be provided by the collective and elders in rural areas; so that those interested can be most efficient at learning how to preserve foods for later periods that maintain the the highest possible quality.