It would be fair to say that those who work the land in Decatur County could possibly touch every corner of the world—either through the cotton that’s ginned here and then sewn in Thailand or Bangladesh, or the peanuts grown, picked and packaged here so passengers aboard a Delta Airlines flight could have something to munch on.

Decatur County farmers definitely have a far-reaching impact. The products produced here are special, and their origins should be proudly labeled as such.

As detailed in The Down on the Farm issue inserted in this edition, look at the amount of tomatoes Decatur County farmers produced—it’s 48.4 percent of the entire state’s crop with a 2007 farm gate value of more than $24 million.

Following the debacle generated by U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s handling of contaminated Mexican peppers, there is a call for a quick, accurate method of tracking produce and the importance of implementing “Country of Origin Labeling” (COOL).

Before another debacle by our government, it should take steps now to implement a tracking and COOL system.