Why Buy Local

By 9AM on a recent Saturday morning, Jeremy Barker-Plotkin’s tent is over-crowded at the Amherst Farmers’ Market, set on a parking lot in Amherst Common. On this particularly chilly autumn morning, all kind of vendors are setting up shop in the slowly rising fall sun. The air smells like drying leaves and fresh dirt caked all over the day’s crop. Quiet chatter fills the air as customers wake-up in the chill and barter with farmers over the price of potatoes if you buy six at a time instead of four.

Some bring their own baskets to fill with fresh tomatoes, onions, potatoes or peppers. Others stop buy just to grab an apple to munch on with their morning pick-me-up. Regardless of whether they’re here to fill their bags or their stomachs, these people are buying local.

All across Massachusetts, farmers’ markets are becoming a more popular way for residents to get their groceries. The number of farmers’ markets selling vegetables and fruit has risen from Barnstable to Worcester County. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture conducted by the United States Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Statistics Services, profits have also risen since 2002.

“Massachusetts now ranks second in direct sales. That means farmers here are second in the nation selling directly to consumers. The buy local movement has really blossomed through farmers markets,” said Mary Jordan, director of agricultural development for the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.“

Barker-Plotkin is the owner of Simple Gifts Farm in Amherst, Mass.

"There are a lot of reasons to buy local,” said Barker-Plotkin. “It helps support the local economy, keeps farmland open and viable so they still exist, the freshness and nutrition of the product, the higher quality and the environmental impact.”

This usually amounts to $25,356 per farm according to the MDAR.

The number of Massachusetts farms has increased from 6,075 in 2002 to 7,691 in 2007, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. Because of this increase, direct sales from local farms have increased too, from $31 million to $42 million. Farmers’ Markets have played a large role in helping farmers sell their produce and get their name out to the public.

Simple Gifts Farm is one of the 10 vendors at the market this morning. Because the farm is also located in Amherst, the product is always fresh.

“We don’t have to ship our produce so we can pick something like tomatoes at a riper stage,” Barker-Plotkin said. And people who frequent the farmers’ market appreciate the freshness.

“The food tastes better. I like to eat food that comes from where I’m from,” said Wendy Woodson of Amherst, who shops here every week.

Farmers’ Markets are getting a lot of local support. The Deerfield-based, Community Involved in Sustaining Local Agriculture, CISA, promotes the buy-local movement by making it more consumer-friendly.

CISA’s program “Local Hero” helps consumers identify the businesses that sell local produce. The program, which started in 1995, strives to make buying local more comprehensive for communities. This year, 185 farms, 35 restaurants, 30 grocery stores, six landscaping/garden centers, six specialty producers and 11 institutions are participating in the program.

“There are many answers to why people should buy local; it’s different for different people. But mainly if we want to keep farms surviving and thriving, ensure food safety and keep sustenance in the area, you have to buy local,” said CISA Executive Director Philip Korman.

CISA’s 2006 Research Report found that 44 percent of consumers studied recognized the program’s slogan “Be A Local Hero, Buy Locally Grown.”
As customers walk in and out of the booths in the farmers’ market, they’re supporting local farm land and putting their money into the local economy. Buyers and growers work together to sustain their community.

Buying Local Helps Preserve Country Life, Local Business Says

At Maple Farm Foods in Hadley, Mass., people from Amherst come to pick up apples for their pies. Families drive from Holyoke to grab pumpkins for their front yards. The commotion spills over from the parking lot with people shutting their car doors, to the inside of the store where employees assist customers and cash registers clank.

“Someone asked me the other day if I noticed that people were always smiling when they pulled into our parking lot, it seems like we always give them something to laugh about,” said Maple Farm Foods owner Steve Ozcelik. He believes that something about his store makes people happy. He believes it could have something to do with the big white sign on the corner or the fresh pumpkins lining the parking lot.

Maple Farm Foods is one of many businesses in western Mass. benefiting from the buy local movement.

Recently, the organic movement in Massachusetts has grown. According to a United States Department of Agriculture report, organic sales were up $9.7 million dollars in 2007 compared to 2002. More organic sales mean more money for farmers and more farms mean more money for local markets like Maple Farm Foods.

Maple Farm Foods "co-grows" some produce like green beans, squash and cucumbers with other farmers, but they also buy local produce from them to sell in their store. The produce section is filled with fruits like apples, peaches, and pears and vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce and broccoli. They also have a deli counter and sell some packaged products like pasta.

At Maple Farm Foods, the many products are cheaper than at a major super market. This is because they buy direct from local farmers. There is no extra charge for transportation.

Bananas are 59 cents a pound, iceberg lettuce heads are $1.49 each, native apples are $1.29 a pound and lemons are two for $1. At a local super market like Stop&Shop, Bananas are 69 cents a pound, iceberg heads are $1.79 each, apples are $1.49 a pound and lemons are 4 for $3.

Buying local does not just help the economy during harvest time.

“There is a higher total percent of sales which can extend year round, not just seasonal,” said Jay Healy, former Sate Agriculture Commissioner and current State Director of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development.

Healy says the number of farmers’ markets has doubled within the past few years.

“When people buy locally, it’s not just about the monetary value. The money circulates within the local economy five to six times, it brings in more tourism, increases the quality of life, and keeps the landscape working,” Healy said.

Local businesses see many loyal customers from the immediate area. Customers of Simple Gifts Farm in Amherst come mostly from Pelham, Leverett and Amherst.

“The buylocal movement has been a longterm thing that has been very strong but over the last couple of years, it has gotten stronger," said Simple Gifts Farm owner Jeremy Barker-Plotkin. "People have already committed to buying more and buying a larger proportion of what they need.”

Simple Gifts Farm has a farm stand at its farm, one in the Amherst Farmers’ Market, and it also participates in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA). CSA is a program where farmers offer a ‘share’ of their farm which usually consists of a box of vegetables. People can purchase a share and collect on it every week throughout the farming season.

“Two-thirds of our business is through the CSA program, it provides us with long term customers,” Barker-Plotkin said.

Many of the products Maple Farm Foods sells, comes from people Ozcelik knows.

“We know it’s all natural, we trust them, we’re friendly. It’s just better for people. It’s decent good stuff that they deserve. We try to give people what they want and need.”

UMass As A Local Hero

Every day, Alicia LaRosa fills her plate with food in the Franklin Dining Common at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. As she passes by the pasta, veggie medley and pizza, she hardly notices the “Be A Local Hero: Buy Locally Grown” stickers stuck to the glass around the rows of food. She meticulously piles sautéed carrots and broccoli onto her plate, trying to fit them in between the mashed potatoes and the grilled chicken. Before she leaves, she’ll sort through fresh fruit like apples and pears and grab a banana to bring back to her room for later.

"I always eat some type of fruit or vegetable when I eat at the dining commons. They're always fresh and served really well," she said.

That sticker means that her mashed potatoes were grown off of Route 116 in Sunderland; her green beans were co-grown in Hadley; the apples in her apple pie were picked in Belchertown.

But that little sticker also represents a commitment the university made to its community. Because of that sticker, the school commits a portion of its food budget to local farms, helping their survival and the local economy.

According the Ken Toong, the Director of UMass Dining Services, UMass bought 25 percent of its produce locally. UMass’ goal for this year is 27 percent, up seven percent in the last five years.

“We buy a lot more in September and October because it’s the time of year that they harvest but as the year goes on we can buy less and less. But during the winter we adjust our menu to get food like winter squash,” Toong said.

A majority of the produce comes from a 15 mile radius around the school but they also buy from other places in Mass. The effort has increased over the last five years. This year alone, UMass will inject $300,000 into the local economy.

Because UMass buys from places so close, they can always get an up-to-date list of what is fresh and when to buy it.

“Once a week the farmers give us a list of what’s available. That way we get an idea of what we can get now before it turns bad. We can also get a feeling of when the frost is coming,” Toong said.

Two of the obstacles UMass faces when it comes to buying local are price and consistency.

“It’s a challenge sometimes," Toong said. "We want to use as much as possible but the growing season out here is short. Students want more variety so we need to find a happy balance between seasonal and off-season foods."

Students who frequent the dining commons appreciate the variety and freshness.

“I love when they have fresh fruit,” UMass student Tressa Gamache said. “You can tell that it’s local by how fresh it is.”

UMass is also on the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources list of schools purchasing local foods. The MDAR started the Farm-to-School Project aimed at increasing the interest for schools to serve local produce in their cafeterias. They do so by matching schools with the right farmers for the food that they need.

According to Toong, UMass works closely with Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and Amherst College to get the buy local movement going in the Five College area. But he believes UMass has a special role because of its size.

“We’re more aggressive," he said. "We need to have more of a leadership role. We’re a big university.”

UMass' major role in the buy local movement is important to farmers. With more than14,000 students with meal plans who attend the Dining Commons everyday, the food grown on local soil rarely goes to waste. Because UMass is such a major part of the area, Toong believes that it is important for them to set an example for other schools.

“It’s the right thing to do to support farmers, they appreciate what we do. Our mission is to support the local community.”