May 16, 2001

The food choices we make affect more than just our personal health. They also affect the health of our community and the health of our planet. Because of our agrarian roots, we who live in the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts understand this better than the average consumer. But most Americans have little or no understanding of where the food they eat every day comes from. Consider this: when you buy vegetables and fruit out of season, your food travels an average of 1300 miles before landing on your plate. This is much different than in our grandparent's or great-grandparent's day, when most food was grown in close proximity to the table on which it was enjoyed. Transporting food great distances means more fossil fuel consumption, which in turn means more climate change (even though our President feels that global warming "needs more study," it's still a major threat to our future). There's also the threat to the land. The large farms that produce much of this transported produce use chemical fertilizers and herbicides that kill the soil for future generations. And that's not to mention what daily exposure to these chemicals does to the poorly paid farm workers who till the soil and harvest the crops. It's something to think about the next time you shop.

And consider this: Each dollar spent on local products recirculates around the community up to six times. If you eat at a fast food chain, 86 cents of that dollar has left the community within 24 hours.

The Pioneer Valley is blessed with a farming community with deep roots and farmland that is truly exceptional. But family farms cannot survive unless farming becomes a profitable and sustainable way of life. So what can we do to promote sustainable agriculture and keep our farms, our farmers and our communities thriving? A good first step is to choose local options whenever possible.

Through its Local Hero campaign, Amherst's CISA (Communities Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) has published the 2001 Farm Products Guide, which lists 127 farms, farmers markets, agricultural events and CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture farms) in our region. You can find the guide at these locations:

Amherst Chamber of Commerce
Amherst Visitor Information Booth
Jones Library, Amherst
Northampton Chamber of Commerce
Forbes Library, Northampton
Sugarloaf Shoppes Visitor Information Center, South Deerfield
People's Pint, Greenfield
Green Fields Market, Greenfield
Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, Greenfield
Greenfield Visitor Information Center
Greenfield Public Library
Cowls Lumber
WRSI — The River

or get the information online at CISA's website www.buylocalfood.com.

CSA's are a great way to support our local agricultural economy. Here's how they work: You sign up with a local farm to receive produce on a weekly basis for a growing season, paying for your ‘share’ of the yield up front or in a series of installments. Then, throughout the growing season, usually once a week, you pick up your share of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit. Many people believe that CSA's can be the solution to the current farming crisis in the United States. While more than 20,000 small farms go bankrupt in the United States every year, CSA farms have increased from less than 60 in 1990 to over 1,000 today. Unlike selling to supermarkets, CSAs allow farmers to make a living. For every dollar you spend at the supermarket, New England farmers receive only 21 cents. When you participate in a CSA, however, you get chemical-free, fresh food directly from the people who grew it—often on the day they picked it. And the food doesn't travel half way across the country to reach your plate. You benefit, the environment benefits, and our community benefits.

There is a growing list of CSA Farms in the Pioneer Valley.* And many are still accepting shares for the 2001 season:

Brook Hollow Farm 413-628-4694. 785 Plainfield Road, Ashfield. Julia & Warren Meservey.

Commonwealth CSA 413-774-3615. P.O. Box 1263, Greenfield. Susan Carlson.

Coppinger Farms 413-367-9505. 111 E. Chestnut Hill Road, Montague. Tim Coppinger.

Natural Roots CSA 413-369-4269. 888 Shelburne Falls Road, Conway. NEW organic CSA featuring all kinds of organic vegetables, flowers and herbs. Opportunity to purchase grass-fed organic lamb and beef, and pork. $425 full share, $225 half share. On-farm pickup Tuesdays 3:30 – 7:30 p.m. Early June – mid November.

Riverland Farm 413-665-2041. 197 River Road, Sunderland. Scott Reed.

Wilder Brook Farm 413-625-6967. West Oxbow Road, Shelburne Falls. John Hoffman & Clara Pearson

B & B Ranch 413-525-2245. 241 Hampden Road, East Longmeadow. Richard Bean.

Brookfield Farm 413-253-7991. 24 Hulst Road, Amherst. Dan Kaplan.

The Food Bank Farm 413 582-0013. 121 Bay Road, Hadley.

Full Bloom Farm 413-549-7327. 500 Sunderland Road, Amherst. Dewitt Thompson.

The Garden at Holiday Farm 413-634-5398. 100 Dodwells Road, Cummington. John Bye & Peg Cowen.

Hampshire College Farm Center CSA 413-559-5599. 731 West Street, Amherst. Nancy Hanson & Leslie Cox.

Lampson Brook Farm Partners 413-323-9608. 265 Jackson Street, Belchertown. Jeremy Barker-Plotkin & Matt Rulevich. jbp@the-spa.com.

Ol’ Turtle Farm 413-527-9122. 385 East Street, Easthampton. Eileen Droescher.

Red Fire Farm (formerly Old Depot Gardens) 413-467-SOIL. 7 Carver Street, Granby. Ryan Voiland.

Smith School Farms CSA 413-585-9311. 80 Locust Street, Northampton. Bentley Chappell.

Another way to help sustainable agriculture in the Valley is to shop at or join a local food co-op. Over 100 million people are members of 47,000 producer-owned, worker-owned or consumer-owned cooperatives nationwide. Cooperatives are locally owned by people within a community. These member-owners share equally in the control of their cooperative — they meet at regular intervals, review detailed reports and elect directors from among themselves. The directors in turn hire management to manage the day-to-day affairs of the cooperative in a way that serves the members' interests. Members invest in shares in the business to provide capital for a strong and efficient operation. All net savings left after bills are paid and money is set aside for operations and improvements, are returned to co-op members. When these dollars are recirculated within the community, everyone benefits.

You'll find food co-ops throughout the Pioneer Valley, like Green Fields Market in Greenfield, the Leverett Village Co-op, River Valley Market in Northampton, the People's Market at UMass Amherst, and Mixed Nuts at Hampshire College. To find a food co-op in your area, follow this link: www.cooplife.com/coopzip.htm and use the scroll-down menu to select "consumer food co-op." Then click the map on the area closest to where you live.

You can also keep dollars local by looking for products made in our area, such as Our Family Farms milk, Bart's Homemade ice cream, lamb from Bramble Hill Farm (www.bramblehillfarm.com) or emu meat from Songline Bird Farm in Gill (www.allaboutemu.com– try it you'll like it!). Or choose national brands made by New England companies, like Cabot cheese and butter (Vermont), King Arthur Flour (Vermont), Ben & Jerry's (Vermont), Ocean Spray and Veryfine juices (Massachusetts).

Starting this summer, make a pledge to yourself to buy more local food. Visit a farmer's market. Stop at a local farm stand on your way home. Join a CSA or a food co-op. You'll get fresh, local food you and your family can feel good about. And you'll be doing good for your local community.

* Reprinted from the Directory of Massachusetts Community Supported Agriculture Farms, compiled by Anneli Johnson of the Massachusetts Department of Food and Agriculture, 251 Causeway Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02114. 617-626-1700 or toll-free 1-877-massgrown. Visit www.massgrown.org.

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