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  • Laurie Davis is an educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Essex County and is the coordinator for Adirondack Harvest. Call her at 962-4810, Ext. 404. E-mail her at: lsd22@cornell.edu.

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January 9, 2012

Buying local a good New Year's resolution

LAURIE DAVIS, Cornell Co-op Extension Press-Republican

Here we are again, facing a new year. I, myself, try not to make New Year's resolutions because I just end up breaking them.

Instead, I try to make small changes, hopefully for the better, throughout the year.

I have a suggestion for your resolution list: Buy local whenever possible. There are many reasons to seek out, purchase and consume locally grown food, but with the North Country economy struggling, there are also some very practical reasons to support your local farmer.

Let's start with some of the benefits to your senses and health. First, locally grown food tends to taste crisp and sweet, and is loaded with flavor because it was probably picked within the past day or two. The average distance supermarket food travels is about 1,500 miles. In the delay from harvest to dinner table, plant sugars degrade (goodbye sweetness), plant cells shrink and produce loses its vitality. And speaking of taste, most local farmers choose their varieties based on good flavor instead of hardy shipping characteristics. Plus, heirloom foods preserve the genetic diversity that may be needed to support agriculture in a changing climate.

Local produce may also be healthier for you. Post-harvest, produce can lose nutrients quickly, but locally grown food that is purchased soon after harvest retains them. Food that is frozen or canned soon after harvest is actually more nutritious than some "fresh" produce that has been on the truck or supermarket shelf for a week. If you're concerned about hormones, antibiotics or other adulterants to your meats and dairy, a local farm can often offer alternatives, in addition to the opportunity to learn from the actual farmer about his or her animal husbandry practices. Peace of mind — another health benefit.

Beyond all this is the great opportunity to build communities and beef up the economy in our region. With fewer than 1 million Americans now claiming farming as their primary occupation, farmers are an increasingly rare breed and pocket less than 10 cents of the retail food dollar. Local farmers who sell directly to consumers cut out the middleman and get full retail price for their food, which helps farm families stay in the business, doing the work they love. Still, to merely maintain a modest lifestyle and get health insurance, most American farmers work a second off-farm job.

A 2002 economic-impact study in Maine showed that if the state's consumers shifted to purchasing a modest 1 percent of their food directly from local farmers, it would result in an increase of 5 percent to each farm's income. Imagine the benefits to our farmers and economy if we all managed to purchase even more than that. How about 10 percent purchased locally? I realize it's a tall order to try to attain 100-percent locavore status (I love my chocolate and bananas as much as the next person), but small steps can accomplish great things. Don't try to change your eating habits all at once.

Maybe you could pick one item to find locally each month. Even during the winter months, you can locate apples, root crops, cheese, meats, preserves, honey and more. Many small North Country farmers shop locally for supplies, thereby keeping the food dollars circulating within the community, building a stronger economy.

Before you know it, you'll have built a convenient network of farmers and food, leading to healthier families and economically strong communities.

Laurie Davis is an educator with Cornell Cooperative Extension in Essex County and is the coordinator for Adirondack Harvest. Reach her at 962-4810, Ext. 404, or by email: lsd22@cornell.edu.

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