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At a time when grocery shopping may seem daunting, supporting your local farmers by buying directly from their farms, or shopping at farmers markets, can be less stressful. Buying from local, sustainable farms during this challenging time is also a way to support families and businesses that prioritize protecting our waterways through their farming practices. 

Small family farmers throughout North Carolina are striving to provide healthy food while protecting their local communities and waterways. Many of these farms have lost business due to the COVID-19 outbreak, particularly due to restaurant closings. Buying from these farms now is a way to not only feed your family, but to protect our fragile environment; large-scale, industrialized meat operations in North Carolina are one of the leading contributors to water pollution in the state. 

Your Riverkeepers compiled a list of local farms in the Neuse and Tar-Pamlico watersheds that produce meat without threatening our rivers, lakes, and streams. The inventory at these farms varies, but they all have one thing in common: they’re trying to do things the right way. We encourage you to buy from one of the farms on this list of farms within the Tar-Pamlico and Neuse River Basins.

We know there are many more farms out there that should be on this list. Please nominate the farm by sending a message to: info@soundrivers.org or via facebook @soundriversnc

Many farmers are still happy to have people come out to their farms. Make sure to check their websites or Facebook pages before heading out; these small farms may request that you order over the phone or online before picking up. If you aren’t able to buy directly from a farmer, be sure to look for their products at farmers markets and grocery stores in your neighborhood, as many supply to local distributors.  This is also a great time to buy a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share; farms offer regular delivery of everything from produce, to dairy, to meat.

Community recommendations for farms that aren’t featured on the above link: