A news release yesterday from South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension indicated that, “Consumers who want to know more about where and how their food is raised are creating a bigger voice nationally.
“‘The increasing sales of local foods provides a bright spot for agriculture and a way to bring young farmers into agricultural production,’ said Kari O’Neill, SDSU Extension Community Vitality Field Specialist.
“O’Neill referenced a U.S. Department of Agriculture statistic which found more than 160,000 U.S. farmers sold $8.7 billion of local food directly to consumers, retailers, institutions, and local distributors in 2015.”
The SDSU update added that, “Of those producers 81 percent sold all their food within 100 miles of their farm.”
Yesterday’s news release also pointed out that, “To aid American farmers wishing to sell local, Congresswomen Chellie Pingree of Maine introduced a bipartisan bill that would ease some of the hurdles small farmers face in the direct marketing of food products they raise. Readers who want to learn more can read about this in a Morning Ag Clips article found here.”
