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Pride of the Prairie
2007-11-04
Food in the United States travels an average of 2,000 miles from the field to the plate and this process requires an input of over nine calories of food consumed. While it might make sense to ship lemons thousands of miles to northern climates where they cannot be grown—it makes little sense to ship tomatoes and carrots to Minnesota in the middle of summer.
A collaborative effort of farmers, organizations and food buyers in western Minnesota decided it was time for a change. They began the Pride of the Prairie initiative to promote the production and use of locally grown food.
By organizing producers and food buyers, and by raising public awareness, they are confident that they can develop a regional food system that provides fresh, wholesome food to their communities and nurtures a healthy economic environment for area entrepreneurs.
Pride of the Prairie’s goal is to keep the wealth of what the rich farmlands of the Upper Minnesota River Valley produces within the community while continuing to shape a healthy and beautiful landscape. http://www.prideoftheprairie.org
