A handy list appeared yesterday in a blog from the local paper, all guaranteed to push the right buttons. Too bad there was no information or thought involved:
10 things your farmer’s market won’t tell you
July 15, 2009 at 11:48 am by
Sarah Diodato
I’ve only been blogging about the topic of saving money for a few months, but I’ve already learned a great deal about how important it is to many consumers that they have access to fresh, locally grown food. Most of what I hear is very positive about local farmer’s markets.
However, Smart Money has list of 10 things you should know:
It comes out of your taxes. Many are supported by your tax dollars, even if you don’t shop there.
It’ll cost more. However, because it’s fresh, hasn’t been transported thousands of miles, and has been allowed to ripen on the vine, it will probably taste better.
Even though they say it’s local, it may not be after all. Some farmers buy produce wholesale and tell the consumer it’s from their land.
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Check out the comments, including mine:
It would be helpful if the article provided information rather than simply playing on emotions.
To take the first point: “It comes out of your taxes. Many are supported by your tax dollars, even if you don’t shop there.”
What information would actually be helpful here? One might ask:
* How much of my “big box” purchase is subsidized, compared to my farmers market purchase? (We do know that the majority of farm subsidies are received by the very largest growers, hence we might suspect that farmers markets receive LESS assistance when everything is added up.)
* What tax dollars and income are created when I shop at a farmers market rather than a chain? (That is, how does your spending “multiply” in additional spending around the community? The answer depends on where you shop, and, not surprisingly a small local grower will reuse your dollars within the community more than just about anyone else.) I’ll leave alone the remaining nine talking points.
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