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Buy Locally from Sustainable Farmers

Posted on December 9th, 2021

As we approach the holiday, it’s a good time to think about where that turkey, pork, or beef comes from that will round out your celebratory meals. We are fortunate to live in North Carolina, where good soils, climate, and plentiful water have allowed livestock farmers to thrive for hundreds of years. Farming is tradition here, but has continued to change with our food systems and markets.

Currently in the U.S., over 95% of our meat comes from factory farms. It hasn’t always been this way. Small family farms of the past were much more diverse, often growing their own vegetables as well as raising cows, pigs, and chickens for their own needs and to supply the local markets. The money earned by local farmers stays in the local economy. They are involved in and invest in the local communities.

These farmers also know that taking care of the land and water will ensure the survival of their farms. They use best management practices like fencing livestock out of streams, maintaining vegetative buffers, rotational grazing, and following a waste management plan to manage, recycle and utilize manure and nutrients effectively. These practices make happier, healthier animals, and protect our environment. As one local farmer, Colfax Creek Farm, puts it, “The goals of creating a better food system, regenerating the land and soils that we farm, and reviving rural communities around us all drive us to always become better farmers and stewards of our lands and animals.”

We are seeing a revival of small sustainable farms, and these farms deserve our support. Most local grocery stores do not carry local meat products, unfortunately. Luckily, we have farmers markets, and often the farmers sell directly from the farms. It is a great opportunity to visit a farm and get to know the people who feed us.