By Eric Webster

Figuring out where to buy local produce is so much harder than it should be!!

Is it local?  The question is asked in so many places for so many things.  If you’re visiting the coast you certainly want to know if the fish being served came from the region.  It’s the little side markets you go to to find the truly unique items, not some chain where everything was made somewhere else.

Produce is no different.  You would much rather be roasting red peppers grown in your county. Ones picked yesterday, not some that arrived on a truck a few days ago.  From Texas, or maybe California, which you don’t know by looking at them.  And if there was a label there’s not anymore.  How much time do you have left before it goes bad?  Who knows? 

While farmer’s markets and small, local groceries are nice, they are not something everyone may have access to.  Some communities just don’t have the size or support network for those.

With no one else to sell to, farms in your area are moving their product by dealing with larger distributors.  These distributors then sell the items to the regional and local food hubs and larger grocery chains.

Once it’s all said and done the farmers have sold their produce for less than they would have liked. To a middleman who then sells it again.  All of this before you even get a chance to enter the picture.  By the time you see the product the price on it has been raised by two different buyers on its way to you. And where it came from may no longer be listed by then either.  Some of it may have been frozen.

Speaking of frozen, all of this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Who really knows what’s in our food?

So many things go into what we eat and where it comes from.  At times it can feel like we don’t have any choice in the matter, and it isn’t always possible to even find out all of the details about what we are buying.  How scary to have so little control over our food supply!

If only there were some magic method to solve these issues.  Like maybe an app.  You know, something that could tell you where the farms in your area were.  Maybe one that would have a list of the things you could buy directly from the farmer.  Perhaps a method by which you could communicate directly with the people growing your food. One where you could ask them all the questions about the things you want control over.

How many people would an app like that help?  Fifty?  Fifty thousand?  Hint: the answer is more than whatever number you just thought about.

• There are so many diets and allergies that require knowing exactly what you are putting in your body 

• The owner of the new BBQ place who wants to operate a farm to table establishment needs access to the farms

• Anyone with a strong opinion regarding pesticides or GMO would love to be able to learn more about their food

• And don’t forget Bob.  All Bob really wants is fresh picked blueberries when he can get them, and maybe some eggs on Mondays.  There’s probably a farm Bob can swing by.  They may even deliver

An app like that would help a LOT of people, wouldn’t it?

Let me tell you about Locally Grown

So here’s the part where I tell you that there is, indeed, an app for just these things.

Locally Grown’s goal is to be the lowest barrier to entry platform for farms selling their products online.  Locally Grown exists to bring access to local farms right to your phone.  With one app you can help shift your area closer to a fully community supported agriculture, which benefits everyone around you.

What does using Locally Grown and, by extension, supporting local farms do to support the whole community?

• Allows easy access to all of the options available in the area, some of which fewer people would find otherwise.

• By keeping the commerce local, the number of trucks and delivery vehicles coming and going is reduced.  This not only helps with traffic, but reduces the gallons of diesel and motor oil required by those trucks.

• Allows more money to remain in the local economy.  The farmers don’t lose a percentage to a middle man, leaving them more to spend in town.  Prices stay lower as the extra costs don’t need to be covered.

Locally Grown takes all of the guesswork out of the process. They put you directly in touch with the people who are growing your food.  With this app the question is no longer ‘where to buy local’ but rather ‘which farm are you buying what from’

Something special starts with supporting local farms

The connections made through the Locally Grown app are an important part of the move towards community supported agriculture.  So many of the worries and headaches you’ve been experiencing at the major retailers can be taken away.  Relieving stress begins with removing tension.  Isn’t it time to remove some tension? 

At the same time you’ll be lending a helping hand to your neighbors and soon to be friends.  The community grows strongest when its members support each other.  By supporting the farms of your community you are keeping the local economy healthy and vibrant as well.  

Figuring out where to buy local produce is a download away.  And what we mean by local is growing all the time.  Locally Grown began as an app for the Burlington, NC area in 2023.  Today there are farms from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia available to you with just a couple of taps on your screen.

Who knows where the next farms to join the community will come from?  We don’t know either, but we do know there’s more to come.  So come be a part of something bigger that is seeking to bring better to everyone.

Never ask where to buy local again 

Supporting local farms has never been easier.  Peace of mind and stable food prices are within easy reach.

• Do you want to know if glyphosate was used on your corn?  Ask the farmer

• Do you like your eggs best when they’re only a few hours old?  Schedule a time to pick them up

• Is reducing our footprint important to you?  Local supply means less packaging and fewer gallons of diesel burned

• Are you tired of being surprised by the prices when you go to the store?  They’re better at the source

• Can you see the future of community supported agriculture?  Are you ready to go there?

Head to the App Store or Google Play and download Locally Grown.  You’ll never have to worry about not being in control of your food supply again.  And it’s good for your community as well.  You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.  Why are you still reading this?  Go get the app and start finding all the local farms near you.