FRESH AND NUTRITIOUS

There are many benefits to supporting local agriculture. A big one is taste and nutrition. Food needing only to travel short distances tends to be fresher with more vital nutrients kept in tact. A local grower with close markets is able to provide a broad range of products chosen for flavor, not just transportability or shelf-life.

SUPPORTS YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

When local goods are purchased, we all benefit by keeping dollars circulating within our community. That translates to jobs. And when those dollars are going to locally owned farms and ranches, we help provide owners with the resources they need to carry on revered farming traditions and expand their ability to provide a sustainable food supply.

PROMOTES MORE FOOD AND FIBER CHOICES

In the industrial agricultural system, many unique and heirloom varieties of crops have been avoided because they are difficult to grow, store or ship. This has resulted in a narrowing of genetic diversity and consumer choice. Some local farmers are helping to preserve age-old varieties not well suited to far-off distribution.

PRESERVES OPEN SPACES AND THE ENVIRONMENT

When you buy locally grown food, you are doing something proactive about preserving the agricultural landscape. Loss of farmland to development is less likely when farms are profitable. A well-managed family farm is a place where the resources of fertile soil and clean water are valued, and provides important habitat for many wildlife species.

KEEPS AGRICULTURE VIABLE

The Central Coast is still a highly agricultural region. One of the best ways to help it retain its rural character is to keep local farmers in production. To remain economically viable, local growers need to have local markets for their food and fibers. By being able to identify which products are grown in the local area, consumers are given more freedom to support the local agricultural economy.

 Make your food, fiber and flower choices with purpose -