How much of your food budget goes to local farmers?

'We all grow local' starts with doing the math - shamed, I pledged to do better

For four years in the early 80s, I got the opportunity to work as a farm laborer. At the Phelps Farm, on Phelps Road in Pembroke, I hoed weeds, picked whatever needed picking, and rubber-banded cauliflower leaves to keep the head white.

I learned about sunstroke, how to identify ripe sweet corn ears in the dark, and how hard farmers have to work to wring a dollar from the soil. Over 15 years, I’ve worked to help Western New Yorkers learn about ways they can support local farmers.

Because fresh vegetables and pasture-raised meat taste better. Because farmers get more money from direct-to-customer sales. Because if we do not support them, in dollars and other ways, they will stop. 

Because the work farm families do makes Western New York a better place to live.

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So when I was asked to help with a marketing campaign aimed at getting more farmers more money, I said yes. The Eat Local WNY initiative, at eatlocalwny.org, is supported by FreshFix and UB School of Public Health and Health Professions, through funding by the US Department of Agriculture.

From farmer to eater, here’s why supporting local agriculture matters.

“We all grow local” is an aspirational slogan. Getting everyone to spend more of their food budget with local producers is the goal. Towards that end, the campaign asks you to pledge to spend 10 percent of your food budget locally.

Ten percent doesn’t sound like much in the abstract. But the campaign form asks you to estimate how much money you put in local growers’ hands each week. Then estimate how much you spend on food altogether.

Looking at the numbers I put down made me realize I don’t come near 10 percent. Me, the guy who’s been preaching buy local all these years.

So I took the pledge and signed up. That means I’m going to get weekly emails asking me to report my spending levels on local and non-local food spending that week. 

It’s partly data collection, part nudge. 

Can I put my money where my mouth is? We’ll see. 

If you could use some help making good on your buy local intentions, sign up at eatlocalwny.org.

Editor’s note: In the interest of transparency, I would note that I’m getting paid a low, as in lowest-of-the-low, four-figure sum to help promote the campaign, and share it with my audience. Whenever Four Bites content has outside financial support, it will be so noted.

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