4 Ways to Support Local Farms Year-Round

In February, we hosted a huge pork bundle sale with Just Local Food Co-op to help Deutsch Family Farm prevent potential losses caused by the pandemic. We had a week to meet our goal, and to our surprise, we sold 3,000 pounds of pork in just 31 hours. You—our incredible community—really stepped up and helped us support this local farm in a time of need, and we are all so grateful.

Since the bundles were so popular and they’re such a great opportunity for everyone to support local meat vendors on a bigger scale, we’re exploring ways to make them a permanent offering at both stores. Until then, even just making small changes in your buying habits can really impact not just our meat suppliers but all of our local farmers and producers year-round. Here are a few ways to do so:

1. Purchase a CSA share. Buying a share from a local CSA farm is one of the best ways to support them because it ensures 100% of the dollar goes directly to the farmers. You can find a list of several CSA farms in our area in this post.

2. Shop at local farmers markets. Both the Menomonie and Eau Claire farmers markets are great places to meet local farmers and producers in person and buy produce, meat, flowers, and other goods directly from them.

3. Buy local brands. One in four products we carry is from a local producer. By choosing to buy a locally sourced product instead of a national brand, you keep your food dollars in our community. Just look for the teal Local tags on shelves in-store, or use the Local filter online to find them.

4. Round up at the register. Typically in March and April, all of the money raised through Round Up for Good goes directly to the Fund Our Foodshed Farm Grant Program. Even donating just a few pennies makes a big difference. And this year our grant awards will be bigger than ever!

This article was originally published in the March/April 2021 issue of our bi-monthly newsletter, The Morsel. If you’d like to read more stories like this one and stay up to date on the latest co-op news and events, pick up a print copy in-store on your next grocery run or find more news on our website here.

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