Driving through Oklahoma yesterday on our way to Longview, Texas for a couple of talks, I was reminded several times by billboards that local is good in Oklahoma.

It’s the same in Arkansas, Texas, and pretty much every other state and province in North America.

What happens to the local food supply when there is torrential rainfalls and tornadoes. Seriously. For 10 of the 11 hours we spent on the road yesterday, it was pouring. Much of Texas got at least 6 inches of rain. Texas flood (right). And shortly after we arrived in Longview last night, the tornado warning sirens went off and we all congregated in the laundry room. The storm also knocked out most Internet connections, so news and blogging are delayed.

But back to the local is good. Bob Woldrop, president of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative, told NewsOK.com,

"I think local foods are better and safer. Local foods are processed in smaller facilities. When I buy beef through the Oklahoma Food Co-op, I buy it from a particular farmer, and it all comes from one animal."

Samantha Snyder, horticulture educator at the Oklahoma County Extension Center, said,

"Some people really prefer the organic, and some people say it is safer because they know where it’s coming from and how it’s been treated."

Snyder also urges people to plant their own vegetable gardens as a step in ensuring safety and freshness of their food.

Freshness maybe. But safety depends on the grower taking steps to manage and mitigate microbial contamination. Floods make that difficult, no matter the size or location of the farm.