close

Locally sourced foods cropping up with Farm to Table

By Joyce Koballa jkoballa@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read

Locally sourced food is cropping up on dinner tables, in restaurants and at grocery stores across the nation as small businesses and large retailers alike embrace the trend of Farm to Table, including those in southwestern Pennsylvania.

From fresh, produce such as fruits and vegetables to meats, jams and jellies and cheese, a growing number of consumers are buying local and seeking healthier and more environmentally friendly alternatives to processed foods.

With Farm to Table, the distance that food travels from where it is grown to where it is ultimately purchased or consumed is minimized.

More consumers want to know where their food comes from and how it is processed, according to Bob Junk, sales and marketing director at Republic Food Enterprise Center (RFEC) headed by Community Action, and former Buy Local program director at Fay-Penn Economic Development Council.

“Food is a cornerstone to large manufacturers in any community. It’s an economic engine,” said Junk.

The food enterprise center is a non-profit organization that utilizes a food hub in Fayette County to source local produce from multiple farms in Western Pennsylvania, which increases agricultural production and a return on investment for farmers.

The Center strives to educate the public on the importance of buying local through social media and the talk show “Locally Yours” hosted by Junk that airs from 11:15 a.m. to noon each Friday on WMBS in Uniontown.

Junk noted that a lot of consumers want to support their local farmers and have no problem spending a little extra to know where their food comes from. “They have that personal connection,” he said.

One example, said Junk, is Jackson Farms Dairy in New Salem, which produces its own milk and ice cream and sells it directly to consumers.

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), states that local and regional food sales totaled an estimated $6.1 billion in 2012, and the movement has become a funding priority for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In 2014 alone, SARE noted the Secretary of Agriculture announced that hundreds of millions of dollars was given to economic development in rural areas, small businesses, value-added market growth, food hubs and more.

“For every dollar invested at a local road side market or farmers market, 80 percent of that dollar stays right here in the county,” said Junk.

The concept of buying locally sourced food is also making an impact in Pittsburgh’s Farm to Table initiative, according to Mary Hagan, marketing coordinator at American Health Care Group, a division of the Farm to Table Pathways to SmartCare Wellness Program.

“It’s part of supporting local businesses, and Pennsylvania has the highest number of farmers markets per capita in the U.S.,” Hagen said.

Aside from educating consumers on the nutritional value of eating and sourcing local food products, Junk said RFEC is working with local entrepreneurs to develop value added products like salad dressings and tomato sauce in Fayette and other neighboring counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, including the northern panhandle of West Virginia.

To make local foods even more accessible, Junk said RFEC is planning to operate a mobile farmer’s market later this summer. The mobile unit will travel each week to underserved areas in Fayette County to provide people with fresh, local grown produce.

“Farmers markets and farm stands throughout the commonwealth provide direct access for consumers to enjoy the bounty of Pennsylvania’s diverse agriculture industry,” said acting Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding. “

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) reports that Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a way for people to link directly with a local farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce.

By making a financial commitment to a farm, NRDC said people are considered as members shareholders, or subscribers of the CSA.

In return for their investment, CSA members receive a bag of fresh, locally grown, produce, flowers, fruits, eggs, milk, or any sort of different farm products usually once a week during the growing season.

A similar program is offered through RFEC’s Local Eats, Local Treats program that started May 28 and runs to Nov. 6.

Junk said customers sign up for shares of seven to 10 different varieties of locally grown produce that are distributed weekly or bi-weekly to designated pick-up locations.

Crops rotate throughout the season and vary by size and types of produce that reflect local growing seasons and conditions.

“That’s what is great about this movement,” said Junk. “The grass roots is coming from consumers.”

Those interested in joining the Be Local Network can contact Clint Rhodes at 724-439-7518 or by email at crhodes@heraldstandard.com. Discount cards are available at the Herald-Standard, 8 East Church St., Uniontown, and at the Greene County Messenger, 82 West High St., Waynesburg.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today