What are you best tips on finding locally-grown food (supporting local farmers)?

[Halftime Hope]

I'm interested mostly in finding locally and wholesomely produced meat, and to a lesser extent, produce. (I garden to the best of my ability. 😉 )

[KungFuPanda]

Our farmer’s market has people who sell meat. Can you look up a local farmers’ market directory and contact the meat producers directly. Your local 4-H may also have the answers. If you have a local butcher you can ask where they get their meat. 

[Faith-manor]

Farmer's markets, local farm newspapers and journals, your nearest family farm and feed stores area veterinarians. All of these will know the local folks in agriculture. But also, and this may be your most robust source of information, is your county Extension Office. The Extension office is the outpost for the Big AG university for your state. They provide huge support for family farms and offer soil testing, water testing, horticulture expertise, local climate and ecology information. Most everyone in your county who is raising food for humans will be well acquainted with the extension. In addition, if you are inspired to support budding farmers with 4H and FFA, they will know all the kids involved in this because those kids report to their agricultural committees for accountability for health codes, market practices, etc. You can tell them the parameters of what you are seeking, and they can tell you who is providing that service. Certified organic, Conventional, GMO, no GMO, conventional but with some organic practices (getting organic certification is bizarrely expensive and many growers will not pursue it but are also not using herbicides and insecticides or feed with growth hormones, and such), hydroponic, greenhouse, ...they have the skinny. Well, at least mine does and that is typical in Michigan because AG is big here and Michigan State University is very robust in their support of their outpost offices. I suppose some states may not be as good.

[rebcoola]

Our best resource is a Facebook group it's just Area name farm to table.  People post what they want or what they have. We have bought a 1/4 cow and 1/2 a pig each year since 2020.

[ScoutTN]

Yes to all of the above.

Also google “community supported agriculture” for your area. CSA’s can be a sweet deal and also provide relationship with a particular farm. Our veggies CSA farmer hosts us to the farm at least once a year. He also farms some animals and sells eggs as he has them. Makes the best tomato cocktail ever! Many farms here that do CSAs also just have regular ordering. I often order online from 1-3 farms, choosing sale items, and pick up at the Farmers’ Market. Meat vendors sell year round, of course.

Another source is farm-to-table restaurants (or food trucks!). They usually communicate quite clearly about their sources and are happy to send business to those farms.

Farmers’ markets vary widely. The City one here has a lot of conventional farms and some larger regional ones. The one I go to, Small Nearby Town, requires that food is produced within 100 miles from there and that methods are clearly stated. Most Amish and Old Order Mennonites also farm conventionally, though many around here are organic and beyond-organic and are often a good source for raw dairy products (which cannot be sold in stores here). 
 

❤️ our Ag extension! Great resource for backyard gardeners too. Ours is about 1 mile from my house and has a huge park-like campus with a co-op farm, walking trails, and a big creek to play in. 

Edited January 8, 2023 by ScoutTN

[catz]

Local farmer's market for sure.  We get a CSA box (community supported agriculture) in the summer.  The one we do is local, but it is through a non-profit food co-op so they actually take produce from a small number of local providers and box it together.  They also have fruit, meat, cheese, flower, egg, etc shares available.  

Getting a CSA has kind of transformed how I cook.  I am much better at using up stuff we have and freelancing than I used to be.  

There are data bases online to help you find local providers.  We have one for our state that is particularly well maintained, so it may pay to google around on that.

https://www.localharvest.org/

Edited January 9, 2023 by catz

[GoVanGogh]

Do you have any health food stores in your area? Either larger chain ones or small independent ones? If so, go and see if they have any free regional magazines, normally in an outer area or near a community bulletin board. In my area, we have one called Edible (large town’s name).” I love to read through the articles, but I also love looking at the ads, as they are often small farms, CSA’s, farmer’s markets, etc. 

[gardenmom5]

do you have farmer's markets in your area?  Does your area have a favorite "bulletin board, neighborhood group pages, etc?    something like that would probably do more good in finding something local for you.

[plansrme]

Your state's department of agriculture may have a list of producers. Georgia, for instance, has Georgia Grown. Alabama has something similar.

[Carrie12345]

For beef, we literally just googled and then visited their individual websites. It gave us an assortment of places; grass fed, some grass finished, pre-orders only or year-round fulfillment, different cut lists or fully custom, large and small operations, you name it.

I haven’t had to search for produce with a somewhat conventional family farm in one direction and an organic farm in the other, plus multiple farmers markets in the area.

 

[Clarita]

A CSA for veggies. A nearby (1.5 hours away) farm delivers food to a house in my city and I drive over and pick up my week of produce. The supply does fluctuate so some months I get loads of produce and other months I have to supplement and I'm OK with that. A bonus is there are a few times every year that we can go up and visit the farm and the people who work at the farm which is super fun. The same farm can supply chicken and eggs as well. For the chickens they work with another nearby chicken farm.

For meat I just did a google search for meat producers in my local area. I just picked the rancher who delivered near my area. For this you usually have to buy a half or a whole steer (although a few will let you buy a quarter). Depending on your rancher you may pay the rancher and the butcher separately or you just pay the rancher and he handles paying the butcher. At some point the butcher will call you or you have to call them to tell them how you want your meat cut and also if you want any of the non-traditional or the offal parts of the steer (liver, ox tail, flap, tongue, etc. you may have to share or negotiate if you are getting a half or a quarter steer). It comes to you frozen all packaged up like a butcher shop would (not vacuum sealed or in a neat Styrofoam tray like Costco or Safeway).  

[Pawz4me]

Our community FB page is the go-to source for information like that. But we're suburban edging into rural, so there are lots of farmers on our community page. I don't know if it would work so well if you're more urban.

[73349]

Great resources are listed above. I'll add that if you're in an area other WTMers may be in, you could mention your county or metro area and someone could be able to refer you to a specific seller.

 

[Clemsondana]

One local meat producer posts in local community facebook groups.  There are lots of 'I love regionoftown' groups here that update on food trucks, road closures, local school sports scores, etc, and the vendor posts when they'll be in the area.  We also get information word-of-mouth, which isn't very helpful if you don't know anybody to get you started.  You might check with local butchers or meat processors if you can find those. 

[Halftime Hope]

Thank you so much! Great info here. 

Our suburb's farmer's market is laughable, but cute. Oh,well.

I'll try your wonderful suggestions.