Why Source Your Food Locally?

Eating local means more for the local economy.

Use your purchasing power to create local jobs and pay taxes that benefit your community. Sustainably- raised foods sometimes costs more to purchase, but their long term costs to the environment and society are far less.

Support your farming neighbors.

By buying locally, we can increase the number of farmers in the Piedmont Region. Whenever you buy food, use your food dollars to purchase local farm produce and help grow resilient communities and prosperous economies.

Maintain and build local food systems so we can feed ourselves in the future.

As fossil fuels continues to cost more, shipping food long distances will become increasingly expensive. Developing local food systems gives us  the ability to process and distribute food within our region.

Sustain rural heritage and lifestyles.

Farming has ling been a way of life in this area, and farms have been passed down through generations. Family farmers are a central part of our communities.

Locally grown produce is fresher.

Produce that you purchase at your local farmer’s market has often been picked within 24 hours of your purchase, while produce that is purchased in the supermarket or a big-box store has been in transit or cold-stored for days or weeks. This freshness not only affects the taste of your food, but the nutritional value as well.

Buying local food keeps us in touch with the seasons.

By eating with the seasons, we are eating foods when they are at their peak taste, are the most abundant, and the least expensive.

Local food translates to more variety.

If you eat locally, you will get to try all the foods that the Piedmont has to offer. All year long there is a diversity of fruits and vegetables grown for freshness and flavor, with family farmers you get to experience the cultivation of varieties that are unique to where we live.

Encourage sustainable farming practices.

Family farmers value their water and land because they must maintain these resources to continue farming. Family farms often use less fossil fuel and fewer chemicals than industrial farms. Family farmers are also more accountable though farm tours and events where consumers can observe their productions methods.

Supporting local providers supports responsible land development.

When you buy local, you give those with local open space – farms and pastures – an economic reason to stay open and undeveloped.