By Joni Garcia
It seems that everywhere you go people are placing special emphasis on shopping local. But what does that all mean?
What is Local?
There is no one set definition for shopping local. It’s really up to the market, store, etc. to define what local means for them. The Yardley Farmers Market (YFM) defines local as about 60 miles from the market. But other markets or grocery stores may use a different definition.
Why is Shopping Local a Good Thing to Do?
There are lots of benefits to shopping local, but one of the main benefits is to help support the local economy. When you shop local, your money stays in the community, which helps to keep the local businesses running. But it means SO much more than that to the businesses that are involved.
What Does Participating at the Farmers’ Market Mean to Farmers?
To get a better understanding of what shopping local means to local businesses, I chatted with the vendors at the YFM to see how participating in the market helps them financially. Nathan from Hersberger Heritage Farm emphasized that the farmers’ market is the main way they are able to reach the community and get their products out there. “The farmers’ market provides an outlet to the community and it’s harder to reach the customers without the farmers’ market.”
“The farmers’ market is how we spread our products to new areas and widen our network,” says Mike at Solly Brothers Farm.
Victoria at Snipes Farm agrees with this and also emphasized that the farmers’ market is one of their main sources of income during the winter months, so it’s important for them to participate in the winter market and make those sales during that time of the year.
Bottom Line
Shopping at the farmers’ market helps to support the local farmers so they can continue to farm and bring us the highest quality goods.
What are you going to pick up at YFM this week?
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