RUSHVILLE —

When my wife posted something on Facebook this week about the concept of “buying local” it got me thinking. How hard do we really try to do that? Do we really care? First things first. Here’s the short story she sent out from Inside Indiana Business. An Anderson entrepreneur is calling for a more focused effort to highlight Indiana-made products. Zinszer Bakery owner Judy Zinszer says her business is one example of an enterprise with a small profile in the Hoosier state, despite interest from customers throughout the world. She is suggesting an organized approach to encourage state residents to "buy Indiana," including a possible Web site that lists companies and their products that may be more popular elsewhere. Zinszer says several companies in the state are often overlooked because there is a perception that if a product is from Indiana it can't be as good as an item from somewhere else. I couldn’t agree more, but why do we have that kind of reputation? Shannon and I try to buy as much locally produced food as we can. We’re usually stopping by Souder’s Farm Market on 900 North at least twice a week to satisfy our craving of only the freshest sweet corn. Just down the road, the Krills are our supplier of farm fresh eggs. (Once our chickens start laying, we might have our own supply.) We’re also part of a consumer-supported agriculture (C.S.A.) program at Boondocks Farms north of Knightstown. Participants buy shares of the farm and are able to pick up a variety of fresh produce weekly. This year 55 individuals have shares and the food has been top-notch. The key word for that is fresh. Not only does it taste better, it’s better for us. Studies have shown that the inability of inner-city people to find good fresh produce because of transportation issues complicated by fewer available grocery stores has led to obesity and other health issues. It’s hard to find a balanced meal at the corner convenience store. But it’s more than just a health issue, it’s an economic issue. What better way to keep jobs and money here by working harder to buy it here? Indiana government is trying. The following is from the state of Indiana’s Web site: One of Governor Daniels' first priorities was introduction of the Buy Indiana initiative. In Executive Order 05-05, he established a goal for state agencies to procure 90 cents of each dollar from Indiana businesses. In addition, he established the criteria for defining an Indiana business. The order established five (5) guidelines under which a company may qualify as an Indiana business. The order also instructed the Indiana Department of Administration (IDOA) to develop policies and procedures around the Buy Indiana preference. The guidelines compare businesses that have their principal operations and the majority of their payroll here in the state. Of course, sometimes consumers vote with their feet. Because of the oil spill, my wife is boycotting BP, but that means where we shop in Knightstown, there’s still an Indiana-based convenience store where she can buy gas. While I try to avoid Walmart just out of principle, I know that sometimes it’s just more cost effective to go there when I need a variety of things that would otherwise mean shopping at multiple locations. I know that Walmart tries to buy American as much as possible and that’s admirable, especially when China is always able to provide us a steady supply of lead-tainted toys. And since the recall this past month of some American flags made overseas, we won’t be confused about when our country was promoted to having 61 United States. Rick Dawson is a Rush County resident, a reporter for WISH-TV Channel 8 and a regular columnist for the Rushville Republican. You can reach him at rdawson@wishtv.com or rdawson@lightbound.com.