Why Go Local?

Why not?

Fresh, locally grown foods don't just taste delicious — they are better for you, your community and your planet.

Markets Make Sense.

Local food is priced competitively with big box produce. Studies show produced purchased at farmers markets is, in most cases, an equal or better value for your money.

Fresh Taste, Less Waste.

Local food usually arrives in markets within 24 hours of being plucked from the vine or dug from the earth. So, it's unusually fresh and delicious. Fresher foods keep longer — reducing waste in the kitchen, and providing better value for our food dollar.

Delicious and Nutritious Food.

Because locally grown foods are so fresh, they are also more nutritious, containing higher levels of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients that healthy bodies need.

Prosperous Farmers.

91 cents of each dollar spent in conventional food markets goes to suppliers, processors, middlemen and marketers; while only 9 cents goes to the farmer. Farmers who sell direct at local farmers' markets or through CSAs keep 80-90 cents of each dollar. Selling locally, farmers can reduce distribution, packaging and advertising costs and offer us fresher, more affordable food. Prosperous farmers keep farming and operate viable businesses that enhance our communities and strengthen our local food supply.

Variety: The Spice of Life.

Local farmers cultivate mouth-watering varieties of delicious foods like Tigerella tomatoes, Arkansas Black apples, Purple Dragon carrots, Buckeye Chickens, and many other fruits, vegetables, and livestock bred for flavor, nutrients and suitability to our local climate and soils rather than uniformity and endurance to withstand a cross country road trip. Biodiversity never tasted so good!

Thriving Communities.

Buying local, a greater portion of our food dollar stays home supporting farms and businesses that make up our local communities and our regional economy.

Kansans spend over $5.6 billion on food. $520 million of this total is spend on fruits and vegetables. But less than 3% of produce comes form local farms and producers. Localizing just 10% of our fruit and vegetable spending would generate over $52 million for our local economy and communities.

Low Mileage from Farm to Plate.

Most food travels over 1,500 miles from farm to plate while locally grown food typically travels 50 miles or less reducing pollution, our dependence on fossil fuels, and protecting the environment.