Each of the last two weekends, I’ve had the good fortune to have been treated to meals that are completely locally produced—lettuce, kale, rutabaga, steak (grass-fed), and peach pie washed down with raw milk. (Okay, the peaches in the pie weren’t local, but my raw milk supplier made the pie and, who knows, maybe the next one will have locally grown peaches, since they’re just starting to appear at some farm stands in the Northeast.)

I say I’ve had the good fortune, because I know there are many places where it’s very difficult, and very expensive, to make that happen. I was reading a blog by a woman in Texas who is trying to eat more healthy and locally-produced foods (look for "Raw Milk Update"). She laments the difficulties of finding raw milk and grass-fed beef, though by the end of her journal, there seemed to be some hope that her intensive search had paid off. But that is part of the point: in order to gain access to locally-produced milk and beef, she had to work hard, really hard, until she finally made the right connections.

I can’t help but feel that this satisfaction in consuming locally-produced food from small farms and dairies is not only about eating healthy food, but also has something to do with getting back to our roots as a country…roots we’ve strayed so far from it’s hard to know which way is up. I think that is the point Dave Milano was making in his decidedly downbeat comments on my previous post.

I made the mistake of reading his comments after watching the movie “Bobby” last night, about Bobby Kennedy’s assassination. It’s an intriguing movie. While it has its Hollywoodish weaknesses, one of the good things it does is play long chunks of RFK speeches and talks. Listening to him, it’s hard to imagine that someone so close to the power structure could say the things he said (which, I understand, is part of the reason he was murdered).

I think part of the connection he made with so many people was based on his desire to at long last let his instincts determine his positions, and move him so far from the pragmatic politician he once was. So he expressed a strong desire for America to seek salvation in its roots—the basic decency and compassion of people and their desire for community, no matter how different they might be in ethnicity or income or background. In doing so, he probably connected to people on a deeper level than any politician I’ve ever seen before (regardless of what one thinks of the Kennedy clan).

Anyway, while I understand Dave’s concerns about the evils of concentrated power, I don’t think such power is beyond reversal, nor do I feel it’s an “all-or-nothing” proposition. Individuals can make a difference, and the more individuals who become concerned, the greater the difference.

There actually are some encouraging things going on. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is catching on. As just one example, the number of organic farms in Vermont has increased from less than 100 ten years ago to nearly 600 now. Farmers Markets keep growing in popularity. I’ve noticed at a Vermont farmers market there are now sometimes half a dozen farmers selling organic chicken, beef, and other meats. So there’s actually now some choice and competition, at least out in the hinderlands.

I have made a conscious effort to reduce my shopping at Whole Foods and, whenever possible, purchase directly from local farms or farmers markets or farm stands. If the drop in Whole Foods stock price is an indication, others may be making similar adjustments.

Business is in a constant state of flux, and in any number of areas smaller enterprises thrive. As more people learn about the risks associated with consuming factory-farmed food, demand for alternatives will expand. And possibly a yearning for more.