If you’re anything like me, you’re pretty skeptical of any move that Wal-Mart makes. When a friend sent me an article recently about the retail giant “going local,” my first reaction was confusion followed quickly by good, old-fashioned fear and a few confusing questions. Is Wal-Mart going to weaken local standards? What will this move mean for small farms in the long run? Should we reward the company with our local food dollars? One of my favorite teachers of all time, Mr. Ivey, taught us that when faced with a decision that causes this much inner turmoil, a PMI is a really helpful tool. Nope, not private mortgage insurance. Mr. Ivey’s PMI stood for Plus, Minus, and Interesting. Basically, he was a fan of divvying up what you know into those three categories, where Interesting facts are ones you don’t really consider a Plus or Minus. Here’s a PMI laying out what I know about Wal-Mart’s local food initiative: Read more of this story »

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Wal-Mart Goes Local – Should We be Scared?