Local Farms
Food for thought...
Chicken is on sale for 99 cents a pound at the local supermarket. While you're there you can get eggs for $2 a dozen. So why drive to a farm or farm stand/market and buy local, which is more expensive?
First, your body needs real food. Even watered-down USDA standards for organic does not guarantee you healthy, chemincal-free food. Second, freshness and taste. Fresh and natural just tastes better. Third, cost. While it may seem more expnesive up front, think about behind the scenes. Where did that 99 cent chicken and $2 eggs come from? Where they shipped from another state or country? How much did that cost in fossil fuels and environmental damage? How healthy are they? If they are chemical, hormone or antibiotic laden, will they provide nutrition or potential disease? How long did that food sit and how was it preserved? Fourth, we need to go back to supporting local economies. Urban areas are growing at a pace we cannot support because rural areas have lost their economical base. Keep your money circulating locally, and it will support you in the long-run. Fifth, we need small local farms that provide a variety of food products. Farm land is fast disappearing all around the globe. Where will our food come from if farmers go bankrupt and the land is developed? Where will our nutrition come from if only a few large industrial farms exist producing just one or two types of food?
So get to know your local farmers. See what they grow and raise and how they do it. Eat locally and seasonally. Eat a variety of healthy, local foods, and make a politcal statement as easily as that!
Chicken is on sale for 99 cents a pound at the local supermarket. While you're there you can get eggs for $2 a dozen. So why drive to a farm or farm stand/market and buy local, which is more expensive?
First, your body needs real food. Even watered-down USDA standards for organic does not guarantee you healthy, chemincal-free food. Second, freshness and taste. Fresh and natural just tastes better. Third, cost. While it may seem more expnesive up front, think about behind the scenes. Where did that 99 cent chicken and $2 eggs come from? Where they shipped from another state or country? How much did that cost in fossil fuels and environmental damage? How healthy are they? If they are chemical, hormone or antibiotic laden, will they provide nutrition or potential disease? How long did that food sit and how was it preserved? Fourth, we need to go back to supporting local economies. Urban areas are growing at a pace we cannot support because rural areas have lost their economical base. Keep your money circulating locally, and it will support you in the long-run. Fifth, we need small local farms that provide a variety of food products. Farm land is fast disappearing all around the globe. Where will our food come from if farmers go bankrupt and the land is developed? Where will our nutrition come from if only a few large industrial farms exist producing just one or two types of food?
So get to know your local farmers. See what they grow and raise and how they do it. Eat locally and seasonally. Eat a variety of healthy, local foods, and make a politcal statement as easily as that!
I agree with article on supporting local farmer/producer, however how can we sell our products without huge investments and advert.? I currently feed most of my eggs to my dogs. We also give quite a few dozens to family & friends who are glad to receive free eggs, but when I sell them at discount even, no one buys. They just conveniently pick them up at store.I have dark brown, clean eggs from well fed hens.I even launched a sell campaign in my rural neighborhood. Delivered free dozen eggs with my phone# and promise of delivery for a whopping price of $1.00 a dozen just to get started....wow, one person took me up on offer and then moved away shortly thereafter. I am really shy about approching people to buy my produce and that took so much out of me and was discouraging. But, I love my chickens and just raise them for our family and use excess as best as I can.Same with wool yarn and etc.,I am not giving any more away and fast stockpiling stuff people say they like, they display what I have given them and would take all I GIVE but buy....well, I have sold a few items and done well with them, but not locally. There again is the prob. It costs a bit to advertise and get produce out.So will just use it here...same with herbs and produce and our honey. We keep bees and usually honey is given as gifts because although people ask if they can buy it, they never really do! There is a lot to be said for the convenience of one stop shopping at the supermarket!
K. Burnson
I still do not intend to quit producing, just getting a little stingy with the freebies!
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Hi K.,
We do very little advertising that costs money (actually, just our website) and we sell everything we've got. Craigslist is free advertising and it gets lots of customers. I also just send out emails to friends and co-workers and say this is what we have right now, let me know if you want anything and feel free to pass it on and it always goes round! We can't keep up with the demand for fresh eggs, and we have 40-50 layers at any given time. We are quite close to Seattle though, and are still considered "metro area," I'm not sure how rural you are. Another free way we've advistised livestock is to post at the local feed store and/or on a relevant yahoo lists. We sell a lot of show and breeding animals that way. And for the higher ticket show animals our most successful sales method is our animals themselves...fellow breeders recommend us and refer to us, and the highest compliment is repeat customers
Good luck,
Jolynn
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