Food For Thought

Trends come and go, some I notice, and some I don’t. This one to my astonishment I could not miss. The whole universe has gone gaga about healthy food! I believe in a balanced meal myself. Meat, potatoes, gravy, and pie. You can’t ignore the lingo that’s in play about food. Natural, Organic, Sustainable, Free range, Grass fed, and vegetarian. Now doesn’t that sound healthy and nutritious? I was at a convenience store a few days ago, and the person in front of me in the checkout line was purchasing a 5-hour power drink. I was standing there with two donuts and a cola. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the whole health food trend. Are we farming wrong? Am I not producing the kind of food the world needs? I don’t believe the consumer understands the benefits of GMO. GMO crops reduce tillage, therefore stops topsoil erosion, and less tillage means less fossil fuel used, and still increases harvest per acre. I’m not trying to pass the buck, but is it the way I farm or how my product is processed and preserved before it reaches the grocery store. The way I farm is OK. Marketing and hype of a product to make it the best. I never thought we would be the heel of somebody else’s marketing logic. Is store brand cereal better than nationally advertised brands? Generic or brand name? So, what should farmers do? Nothing Different! Keep focusing on running a profitable business. People will eat what they want. Just like the store that sells both kinds of cereal. You can laugh all the way to the bank because you made the sale to both customers!