2019 fall farm

2019 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine Lincoln Daily News Nov. 1, 2019 Page 33 farmer’s markets or joining fresh food cooperatives is increasing. In the grocery stores, consumers are demanding to know where their food was made, and it is now required that produce be sold with a label clearing stating the country of origin. Savvy, health conscience shoppers are figuring it all out. That tomato that was picked in South America, shipped to a terminal, then sold to a grocery distributor and finally arriving in the store looking perfect for eating, has probably been in route a week or two, and was probably picked green. Producers have learned many tricks of the trade to deliver a product that is ‘ripened’ with chemicals as they travel to their final destination. Savvy shoppers know this and are steering away from foreign produce because they know it is isn’t really fresh and it isn’t really natural. Because consumers are becoming more informed and more conscious about what they put on their tables, there is a growing demand for fresh foods that are locally grown. For the small family farms in Logan County, this is a good trend and it may be time to take advantage of it. The demand is growing, and there are more markets available for the fresh, locally grown foods. For example, the boutique grocery is growing in popularity and there are local grown grocers as close by as Bloomington, and a new local grown grocer coming to Mount Pulaski early next year. The success of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Market in the summer is another testament to the demand as shoppers flock to the market each Saturday throughout the summer. There they can buy not just produce that is locally grown but also prepared foods such as breads that are locally made. There are also sources for fresh, locally grown meats at the market. For people like Michelle Bauer, who was recently interviewed with her mother for a story about breast cancer, the locally grown products are becoming more important than ever to her family. She noted that her family purchases most all their beef products from Toohill Farm in Mount Pulaski because they want to know what they are buying and who they are buying it from. Continue 8 For people like Michelle Bauer, who was recently interviewed with her mother for a story about breast cancer, the locally grown products are becoming more important than ever to her family. She noted that her family purchases most all their beef prod- ucts from Toohill Farm in Mount Pulaski because they want to know what they are buying and who they are buying it from. Photo by Jan Youngquist