Buy locally grown vegetables, meat and fruit

    Eleanor Roosevelt helped start the Victory Garden movement in 1943 that ended up making a substantial contribution to feeding the nation during wartime. It was also around this time that President Roosevelt’s Secretary of Agriculture began local farmer-led Soil and Water Conservation Districts in response to the nation’s environmental disaster, the Dust Bowl. Sixty plus years later, in response to the 2009 economic crisis, our nation’s communities are now in need of starting another grass-roots movement to keep our communities economically strong and agriculturally vibrant: the buy-local movement.
    As part of that movement, the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District has developed a Local Foods Brochure for the southern Aroostook region. Purchasing food locally not only increases farmers’ incomes but leads to stronger local economies by providing jobs, supporting local businesses and most importantly, strengthening the community by keeping money in the community.
    The Local Foods Brochure, produced with grant funding from Farm Credit Northeast AgEnhancement and the Harvest Fund at Maine Initiatives, provides a listing of 47 food and fiber farms and a map of where you can buy direct from a farmer.
    Food is something everyone needs, every day. That means that even relatively small changes in the buying habits of a community can have immense effects on local agriculture. Purchasing direct from a farmer means that food consumers actually become ‘co-producers’; by spending your food dollars directly with a farmer, you are taking part in that farm’s success while keeping our rural and agricultural land intact. In addition, when you buy food from local farmers you know where your food comes from and how it is grown or raised.
    Angie Wotton, district manager of the Southern Aroostook Soil & Water Conservation District in Houlton said, “There are several farms offering produce in the southern Aroostook area. It is easy to plan your meals using locally grown food.”
    Wotton sees farmers using more earth friendly products for pest management and soil enrichment. The fresh food is healthier for you and tastes much better than food that has been shipped hundreds of miles from the field.
    There’s never been a more critical time to support your farming neighbors. Local Foods Brochures are available at the District office, 304 North St, Houlton or at various retail establishments in southern Aroostook. For information, phone the District office at 532-2087, ext 3.