A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit Terra Tonics Farm as part of a pilot project we are facilitating at the Market (more on that later). One thing that really stood out to me - though there was a lot - was their excitement over a new piece of farm equipment.
During our visit they were raving about their new paperpot transplanter and how it turned one full day of work into a couple of hours of work for them - a huge impact on their operation!
I didn't take a photo of the equipment, but I did take this photo of my daughter, Nora, playing in the greenhouse - pure happiness!
Even small investments in farm equipment and infrastructure can have a huge impact for farmers. But why am I telling you this?
Because, it's your investment in local that allows small scale farmers to level up their farming game by investing in their operation, which in turn means more local for you!
Take for example Seven Acres Farm & Ferments. Over the last year they have invested heavily in new infrastructure pieces, such as their new commercial kitchen on their farm. This allows them to create more fermented products for us to enjoy, but it was through support of their customers that they were able to do this.
Even the hoophouse tunnel at Seven Acres Farm has a huge impact on their operation. Last week Jocelyn shared a photo of tulips growing inside their tunnel and those growing outside, and the difference was amazing!
Another example - Emily and Lloyd over at Medford Farms posted their excitement over a brand new piece of equipment - a bigger and better propagation greenhouse! Emily has been growing her own transplants since 2012, but this piece of equipment will provide them with a heated area to start her crops for the first time ever.
"This will allow us to have plants ready for the field a lot earlier which will be a game changer for having earlier crops to market. I’m happy!!"
Scrolling through instagram once again, I saw James' (What On Earth Farms) smiling face over his new piece of equipment.
When you spend your dollars locally, it has a direct impact on their business, which in turn has a direct impact on the amount of local food available to us and when it's available to us.
Seeing your dollars have a direct impact on our farms is absolutely amazing!
So, if you are ever wondering if you are making an impact when shopping locally, just remember these smiling faces!
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