Many of us still remember the milkman.
He would arrive at our homes early in the morning and put glass bottles filled with cold milk from the local dairy into that small insulated box on the front porch.
They are certainly good memories of a time gone by, a time when the distance between our kitchens and the local dairy, the community’s butcher shop or neighborhood corner grocery store seemed much shorter.
So it’s not surprising that in a year when a worldwide virus pandemic caused major disruptions in the food supply chain and raised questions about where some of our food was coming from and how it was handled and processed, there is a growing interest in shortening the supply chain — getting to know our local food producers and buying their products.
Dairy farmer Holden Midkiff recognized that expanding interest in local markets, and with the help of Alison Steibe, developed Crossroad Farms, a local business that takes orders for local food products — including milk from his own herd of cows — and delivers to customers within a 60-mile radius. You can order online at crossroadfarms.farm.
“We don’t have a supply problem, we have a distribution problem. That was key to me,” Midkiff told us, explaining that local farmers have products, but disruptions in processing and shipping can keep it from consumers. “People, especially in this area, are so close to agriculture, but so far removed,” he said, referring to the massive food supply chains that often separate farmers and their products from consumers.
That helps explain the healthy resurgence in farmers’ markets and other small businesses that bring producers and consumers closer, especially this year when the coronavirus pandemic has posed difficult challenges for all of us.
“A cornerstone of Pennsylvania’s strong farming history has been direct-to-consumer sales through on-farm sales and farmers markets,” the state Department of Agriculture writes in an article on the state’s food supply systems. “These venues are an example of the strength and diversity of Pennsylvania agriculture, offering fresh, local, vital essentials straight to consumers. On-farm stands and farmers markets provide a crucial source of income for producers, support regional food system resiliency, and ensure equitable fresh food access.”
There are 53,000 farms located across Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Let’s all continue to seek out more ways to shorten the food supply chain by connecting with local producers and supporting their vital work.
NOTE: Opinions expressed in The Daily Item’s editorials are the consensus of the publisher, top newsroom executives and community members of the editorial board. Today’s was written by Digital Editor Dave Hilliard.
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