There are lots of reasons why buying locally is a great idea. For starters, the local business owner is essentially your neighbor, and it is always a positive thing to support the people in your community. Additionally, buying local means you know where the product you purchased is coming from – this is especially true of food. Buying locally raised or grown foods means that you know exactly where the food was produced, and you may even have the opportunity to get to know the farmer. While that is important on a personal level for many people, buying local produce also has far-reaching positive impacts.
Local Produce Doesn’t Travel As Much
When food has to travel to get to your store and then your plate, it has a huge carbon footprint. There is energy required to package, ship, and store the produce as it travels from farm to table, and when the farm is hundreds or thousands of miles away, that energy use is much greater than if the farm is in the community.
Local Produce Is Fresher
Produce that has to travel a long way often has to be picked before it is fully ripe and stored in wasteful packaging so that it isn’t rotten by the time it gets to the store and then to your table. Even with these measures, many things go bad before being bought and are wasted. Locally sourced produce doesn’t have to travel as far, so it is safe to let it ripen naturally and then simply take it directly to the store or market. This way, you get the freshest, most nutrient-rich produce possible, and there is less wasted food.
The Farmer And Workforce Benefit
Buying from local farms helps keep those farms in business, and it isn’t just the farmer who benefits. There is a large economy around local farms, including anyone who works on the farm, any mechanics who service the equipment, local stores or restaurants who stock the products, the team that organizes and sets up the local farmers’ market, and more. Supporting the local farm by buying local produce has far-reaching impacts.
Land And Wildlife Thrive
Supporting the local farmer isn’t just about the people and the economy. If the farms go out of business, it won’t be long until they become strip malls or parking lots. When farms close and become urban centers instead, it is bad for the local plant and wildlife – supporting the farm means that the farm can help shelter and sustain the local insects and animals that are vital to the ecosystem.
BAYWATER FARMS HAS THE RIGHT PRODUCE FOR YOU
Baywater Farms is a family-owned and operated farm servicing Baltimore, Washington D.C., Maryland, Delaware beaches, and the Eastern Shore. We are capable of meeting the demands of your produce distributor, restaurant produce supplier, CSA produce supplier, or wholesale produce supplier while maintaining the integrity and character of a small farm. When you work with Baywater Farms, you work with an experienced, ethical, and local farm dedicated to providing the highest-quality heirloom produce.