Eating Local

Eating Local — page 3 — President Michael Sorrell started the We Over Me Farm at Paul Quinn College that the college didn’t have an agricultural program and no one there really knew anything about farming Many people questioned Sorrell’s vision But Sorrell was determined He eventually secured the necessary funding through a local philanthropist and PepsiCo The We Over Me Farm started in March 2010 Since then the entire 2 0-acre 0 8-hectare football field has been converted into an organic farm that produces more than fifty different kinds of vegetables 6

Eating Local — page 4 — Four beehives a chicken coop a greenhouse and a system for raising tilapia also populate the farm Community volunteers and students in work-study programs cooperate to make the farm a success as well as a community gathering place Paul Quinn College serves farm produce in the school cafeteria and sells its products to local restaurants grocery stores farmers markets and even the Dallas Cowboys stadium for concessions Through donations fundraising and the sale of crops the We Over Me Farm just about breaks even every year But it is not satisfied with stopping there As of 2015 the school had also secured funds to build both a grocery store and a restaurant the first healthy food outlets in the area A Short History of Food in the United States What’s happening at Paul Quinn College is part of a movement gaining force across the United States as more people seek out nutritious fresh and locally grown food People want to know the farm or farmer who grew their produce or raised the cow that was the source for their milk or meat And they want cooking and mindful eating to be reestablished at the center of US culture A mere one hundred years ago everyone in the United States was a locavore meaning they ate food that was produced nearby In addition most meals were cooked at home and meals were eaten together with the family There were no snack foods no frozen foods no commercially canned foods and no national food brands Then beginning in the 1930s road systems in the United States improved creating the opportunity 7

Eating Local — page 5 — In the early 1900s in the United States families joined together to enjoy meals prepared with only local foods to transport food farther and farther from its source Refrigerated trucks allowed food to be transported longer distances without spoiling Farm technology also improved Soon small family farms were replaced by large-scale farms that operated similar to factories and corporations At the same time national and global food supply chains replaced local food supply chains As farm sizes grew many farmers began producing single crops to sell rather than the traditional mix of different crops to sell and to eat themselves This monoculture food production allowed for single crops such as corn and wheat to be grown on a massive scale Food processors also learned how to better preserve food and food was increasingly 8

Eating Local — page 6 — packaged in boxes cans or bags These processed foods were a boon for busy families looking for quick meals or snacks By the 1970s a majority of food production in the United States was industrialized Family dinners were less the norm and fast food restaurants and frozen dinners replaced fresh home-cooked meals The industrialization of food production continued including raising increasingly larger numbers of animals in close quarters To stimulate milk production or growth and to ward off diseases that plague farms where animals are closely confined farmers began to regularly administer antibiotics hormones or other drugs with undetermined health risks to humans Farmers also began planting genetically modified seeds also known as genetically modified organisms GMOs in the 1990s By scientifically modifying organisms scientists have created GMOs that are resistant to herbicides This allows for a greater application of these weed To Your Health Food on the Brain The industrialization of food processing made possible fast food restaurants and junk food These food choices are extremely convenient yet they are frequently high in fat sugar and salt and low in essential nutrients and vitamins They are also addictive Studies have shown that these ingredients stimulate the reward center of the brain in much the same way as many illegal drugs As a result the more fast food people eat the more they crave it Long-term diets based on fast food and junk food can lead to diabetes high blood pressure and high cholesterol as well as obesity 9

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