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  • From: "Shelly Elliott" <shelly AT idlethyme.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] now,how far away is local?
  • Date: Mon, 1 May 2006 07:30:31 -0600

I had that same debate with myself this year. I ended up dropping my second weekly market (87mi. each way) because it is not sustainable. Too much gas wastes. It was my better market but if I put my efforts into my local market (20 miles) then perhaps it will be a better market for me. I had some very disappointed CSA members in that distant town, but they have a local grower developing a CSA and I encouraged them to support her. It just makes better sense all around.
Shelly Elliott
Idle Thyme Farm
----- Original Message ----- From: "Leigh Hauter" <lhh AT hughes.net>
To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, April 30, 2006 10:18 PM
Subject: [Market-farming] was Michael Pollan article/ now,how far away is local?


>I would hope that a city the size of Charlottesville could
support a farm the size of Polyface. Not so, apparently.

-Allan


fyi

While C'ville does support a nice market there isn't anywhere near
the population base of DC.
(all population numbers are 2000 and distance time from Swoope is
very approximate
C'ville 45,000 70 min
Harrisonburg 40,500 40 min
Stuanton 24,000 20 min
Waynesboro 19,500 30 min
Winchester 23,500 2 hr
Roanoke 95,000 1.5 hr
greater Washington DC what, 5 million 3 hr

The trip from Staunton to DC is about 150 miles.

This article does obliquely touch on the issue of sustainable farming
as in, getting your produce to market.

Obviously for many of us farming in the northern part of Virginia, DC
is our market. What does, exactly, the term local mean? Is local the
40 miles my farm is from the city and everything farther is not
local? Or is it the, what, 60 miles from Shepardstown to DC? or is
it the couple hours the delivery truck spends on the road coming down
from PA?

Obviously, with gas prices going over $3 a gallon we need to
re-consider markets, as I'm sure the multinationals that are right
now shipping fall vegetables to DC from Chile are. Local and
sustainable are relative terms that are apparently just about to make
a big change in meaning.

Back before the petrol economy, at least around here, local meant 2
or 3 miles. Even up until the 30's the grocery store was the country
market several miles down the road. This was before good roads and
relatively fast transportation. It was only with the completion of
the interstate highway that DC was 'local' and a place someone this
far out would consider as a market for their produce.

By complaint is not the 150 miles to market from Swoope to DC (I
once taught hs over that way and commuted from C'ville), instead
saying the customer should drive that distance rather than the farmer
working out an efficient, relatively fuel saving system of Fed Ex ing
the produce.

How many chickens will you have to sell, at what price to make it
profitable to drive that 150 miles?
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