Editorial: Bridging a disconnect

Connecting local restaurants to fresh local produce sounds like something that should have been done a long time ago. Let's hope the Center for the Environment's effort to get a virtual farmer's market going in Rowan County turns out to be as practical as it is desirable. It would be a plus for farmers, restaurants and consumers.

After all, who doesn't want fresh produce? We think we eat it all the time. But through the years, agricultural comglomerates have found ways to produce greater yields and more resilient fruits and vegetables that can handle being shipped across the country. Taste often suffers, and so does the small farmer who would like to be able to sell more locally.

Unfortunately for those farmers, many restaurants find it more practical to order through food distributors who cater to their industry and know what they need — low prices, long shelf life and efficiency. That means buying from huge producers who emphasize price and quantity more than freshness and taste. Small restauranteurs working on slim margins don't have the time to shop around for the freshest food day by day.

A movable feast, via the Web

Farmers Fresh and other programs like it across the country tackle the convenience factor by effectively taking the market to the restauranteurs, chefs and consumers through Web sites where farmers can post their latest produce and take orders to provide just-in-time delivery.

Of course, restaurants aren't the only operations trying to survive on slim margins. Farms are, too. So the success of the program will hinge on pricing and finding the point at which delivery is profitable for farmers and buying is affordable for restaurants and other customers.

The Rutherford County-based program at farmersfreshmarket.org that was discussed in Salisbury on Tuesday grew out of FoothillsConnect, which brought broadband Internet access to the rural community, paid for in large part by a Golden Leaf grant. It helped identify a new market for the region's crop of new small farmers — many of them displaced workers trying their hand at something new. The key for them has not been connecting with local restaurants, but with those in Charlotte, a metro market with a wealth of high-end restaurants whose customers are willing to pay more for fresher food.

And they're selling more than produce. Last week, farmersfreshmarket.org was offering goat's cheese and several types of sausage. Its categories include dairy, eggs, fruit, grains, herbs, honey/molasses, jelly/jam, meats/seafood, plants/flowers and vegetables.

Growing appetitie for buying local

Not everyone can sell to Charlotte. But local farmers and consumers can join the trend toward buying local. While supporting farmers is a worthy cause, people are more likely to choose local produce for reasons that directly benefit themselves. In addition to freshness and better taste, there's also the security of knowing where your food comes from. E coli outbreaks traced back to food handling practices that trace back to megafarms in distant states.

Farmers Fresh Market has expanded to Rockingham, Stokes and Caswell counties, and it may come to Rowan, too, if support grows. Either way, consumers are becoming more aware of the agricultural riches we have right here in Rowan County. Whether we go to the Internet, the Farmer's Market or individual farms themselves — or the supermarket produce sections that buy locally — we don't have to go far to fresh, high-quality, locally produced food. It makes sense to take advantage of that.