Green Grow the Radishes

In the last two posts, I've successfully skirted the issue of whether it's better to eat locally or organically. Today, I'm going to try to commit to a position. Apparently, I am not the only person who wrestles with the dilemma of local eating vs. organic eating. Time magazine has an excellent article on the subject named "Eating Better Than Organic". Grist has also adapted an essay from Samuel Fromartz' book, Organic, Inc. I think the most balanced article I have found to date came from National Geographic.
There are many reasons to eat local food. First, there is the romanticism involved in buying from a local farmer's market or local farm, and feeling a pseudo-connection to the land from which the produce or meat or dairy product came. Buying local supports local farmers and boosts the local economy. Local food is likely to be fresher than food transported across the country. Since the food you are buying does not have to be transported very far, the environment benefits because less fuel is used resulting in lower CO2 and other pollutant emissions and less fuel is used thus conserving petroleum. As an aside, I should also point out that just because a farm is not certified as organic by the USDA, this does not mean they do not use organic farming practices. For some small farms, the cost and effort involved may be prohibitive. If you are considering buying local and are looking for organic products, please check with the farmer if you have questions.
Eating organic also has a number of benefits. There is the satisfaction of knowing that what you are eating was not sprayed with poisonous pesticides nor was it genetically modified. If it is meat or dairy or eggs, the animals producing the food were most likely treated humanely (look for the animal care certified label). There is the fact that your food has not been injected with harmful hormones or antibiotics and that poisons have not been sprayed on the food you are about to eat. Organic food has also not been genetically modified. These thing are not only good for you, but good for the environment. Overuse of antibiotics causes antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria. The addition of hormones (particularly rBGH) to livestock has been shown to cause
a number of health issues. Pesticide used on crops can pollute groundwater and have a disruptive effect on numerous amphibian and aquatic species. Studies have also shown that organic produce has higher nutritional content than non-organic produce. Much is made over the expansion of organic farms into large organic conglomerates. Many people have criticized Wal-Mart for their plans to introduce more organic products into their stores. To me, this is rather nonsensical. While I hate Wal-Mart as much as the next person, I think it would be fantastic if everyone could buy organic products at prices that everyone could afford. Large organic farms are simply a way to meet the increasing demand for organic food, not some vast conspiracy to put all small organic farmers out of business.
So, my opinion is, eat as organically and as locally as possible. If you can buy organic produce locally, please do so. I would even encourage you to go a little out of your way to look for local organic goods. Take a nice little day trip to a local farm and check out their products. You can also find a list of local farmers markets here. If you cannot purchase organic products from local farmers, you may be able to purchase organic food from a local grocery or discount store.
The important thing is that we begin to get a grasp on where our food comes from and how it is produced and use our food dollars to demand more of what we value, whether it be locally grown produce instead of produce that can be grown locally but is shipped from another country that can grow it cheaper or organic products that are not poisoning us, our children, and the world around us, or, in the best of both worlds, locally produced organic products.