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.”