Howdy Folks,
The folks at Harvie claim the mileage traveled between local and national produce is very different. 31 miles on average traveled local produce from farm to your table. 1500 miles on average traveled national produce from farm to your table. Isn't that number staggering? I think the mileage traveled from local farms is probably greater than that, but not by much. I would think 90 miles would probably be more realistic for farms that are really producing lots of food for lots of people simply b/c land outside of cities is cheaper usually the farther you get out.
We always think about the resources we use and do our best to reduce and reuse on the farm. Or even as a household, we insulate, recycle, turn off the lights in rooms we're not using at the time and try not to be excessive with water usage. I think most people do their best to conserve particularly when you have to pay for the excesses. It makes a lot of sense that we'd clearly shy away from such excesses as shipping produce across an entire country even if its cheap...especially when it can look so bad!
I, also, think about the positive aspects of keeping dollars local. In Pittsburgh, seeing lots of small businesses owned by people who might live in your neighborhood really turns up the color in life. I mean, I love seeing diversity in business. It makes me happy. I enjoy trying something different and I really enjoy the relationships built by frequenting such businesses.
I suppose my point is that besides the obvious perks to reducing resources consumed, the short term effects of keeping dollars local is that it just makes life better for people. You, too, of course. You're local!
Its interesting and obvious to see the chain of events. We invest thousands of dollars every year in local businesses that help us do what we do. Here's the domino effect. We have a farm. People buy our food. We earn money and give most of it to businesses from which we purchase supplies. If we do a good job, more people buy our food. We earn more money and give most of it to businesses from which we purchase supplies. Those businesses in return step up their game, too, to keep our business year after year. Hopefully, we, then, have more capital with which to attempt to grow more food, extending the seasons etc needing more infrastructure...back to buying more stuff...
Needless to say thank You for your support!
Cheers!
Your Farmers,
Aeros, Chris and The Who Gang
