By Allysa Rader
Farmer’s Market season is officially in full swing. Weekly markets held across the Mohawk Valley bring together local farmers offering their products for sale. Tables are lined with colorful vegetables and fruits, produce that is in season and fresh. This is also the time of year that roadside stands are open along country roads, offering the opportunity for those driving by to stop at their convenience and purchase fresh food from a local grower.
Cameron Burke, Nutrition Program Leader and Local Foods Advocate with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Herkimer County explains that eating local is not only healthier for you, it contributes to the health of our local economy and the environment.
“You get more bang for your buck buying local,” says Cameron.
Most produce available at large grocery stores traveled a great distance before reaching the shelves, making it vitamin depleted and lower in nutritional value compared to fresher foods.
Cameron explained, “Vitamin C content is the most important nutrient depleted. From the moment a fruit is cleaved from the vine, it starts losing Vitamin C. There are many diseases associated with a deficit of vitamin C. This vitamin is critical for tissue health, fighting disease, and it is a critical nutrient in combating the effects of lead poisoning, which causes neurological and organ damage. Lead poisoning is a pervasive issue in Herkimer County, just as it is in other post-industrial communities.”
There is also an environmental impact from our current food system.
“Food travels an average of 1800 miles before it gets to your plate. Food transportation increases emissions. And, the massive infrastructural overhead that comes with large agricultural intensive farming, like what you see out west, is ecologically devastating.” explained Cameron.
Further, our local farmers know which plant species are acclimated to this area and, therefore, naturally more resistant to our local pests and climate, reducing the need for agricultural intervention.
Eating locally-grown food also benefits our local economy. Supporting our farms keeps food dollars local, creates agricultural jobs, and helps our farming families thrive. If local farms are prospering, Mohawk Valley farmland is kept open and productive.
Another consideration is the cultural relevance of supporting local farms. The Mohawk Valley is home to farms that are growing crops handed down for generations, including Heirloom varieties. Supporting these farms helps to maintain the farming tradition of the Mohawk Valley and preserves our unique heritage.
Societally we are trying to rebuild a system that was here 75-100 years ago but went away due to the centralization of our economy. The local economic ecosystem has gone away with the giants.
“It is possible, through the resiliency of our communities, to rejuvenate local food economies and all the culture and community that comes along with that,” Cameron said with optimism.
Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) of Herkimer County assists with the local food supply by supporting local farmers and farmer’s markets and connecting the community with access to local food, including education on how to buy and prepare fresh produce.
Cameron detailed the work CCE is doing in our community to influence the local food movement: “We educate health providers to better serve farmers as the farming community has unique risk factors influencing health outcomes. We provide workshops that build skills within the farming community, such as marketing workshops during the off-season. Our Field Crop, Dairy, and Livestock Ag Team is out in the field helping farmers thrive. We provide education at Farmer’s Markets through the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. We provide support to Farmer’s Markets as needed. And we also teach about gardening so more families can enjoy the benefits of food security in their back yard!”
For more information on eating local in Herkimer County, visit cultivateherkimer.org. According to the website, Cultivate Herkimer is a guide to local farms, agricultural businesses, and eating well in the Mohawk Valley. Here you can also find a spotlight on local farms and farmer’s markets, a farm resource directory, and a cultivator blog. The section titled “Why Eat Local” sums up the benefits of choosing locally grown produce from our area farmers: Tradition, Nutrition, Taste, and Economics.
Allysa Rader
Allysa was born and raised in the Mohawk Valley and returned after graduating from SUNY Fredonia in 2013.
Allysa spent ten years working full-time in the Human Services field, including domestic violence victim advocacy, social services, and a health homes organization. Allysa is now focusing on homeschooling her daughter and starting a small farm on the property she and her husband, Dusten, own outside Little Falls.
Allysa enjoys gardening, hiking, reading, and creating art.
She strives to write articles that give practical information on self-sufficiency and homesteading and pieces that focus on local farms, homeschooling, and family events in the area.