As we enter the season of outdoor farmers markets, CSA share distributions, and pick-your-own fruit outings, it’s worth reflecting on the full value of local food. The food that was grown with care by the farmer around the corner can sometimes—but not always—come with a higher price tag than alternatives at the grocery store. But when you buy local, you and your community get much more than a meal.

Why is local food often more expensive than what you buy in the aisles of a grocery store? Food costs are based on a complex set of factors. Every farm is unique, and each farmer has to charge prices that cover their cost of production and keep their business viable. Some costs are beyond a farmer's control, like rising feed and fuel prices, or the cost of farmland in their area. Others costs can be more variable: how much to pay workers, whether to use organic or conventional growing methods, or choosing sustainable management practices at the expense of higher crop yields. With all of these variables, prices for the same product may differ even within the local food economy.

Farmers generally charge a higher price when they sell directly to customers in a retail setting like a farmers market, compared to the wholesale price they can get when selling through distributors or grocery outlets. But selling at a farmers market has added costs, too: display supplies and signage, market vendor fees, and staff time to work at the market. Each farmer must weigh the costs and benefits of all market outlets to figure out the right balance for their farm.

In a recent survey of Berkshire Grown member farmers, many respondents acknowledged the challenge of charging the right price for their own needs while understanding the burden that price point can put on customers. Some farmers are trying to keep their prices stable or only slightly increasing them, even as their costs rise. Others must raise their prices more significantly and hope their customers understand. Some CSA farmers offer tiered pricing for shares, allowing customers to choose their cost level based on their financial situation. As one respondent put it, “it’s hard to know the pricing that makes all this work worth it”.

Whether it costs more or not, what is the full value of local food? The effects of shopping locally – at the farmers market, at a restaurant that sources locally, or through a Community Supported Agriculture share – go beyond a simple transaction. Shoppers receive high-quality food that is almost always fresher than non-local options. But local spending is also an investment in the local foodshed: farmland, communities, and ecosystems, and of course – the local economy. The charm of a rural landscape cannot exist if farmers are not able to keep stewarding the land. Regularly supporting local farmers allows them to build viable farm businesses, weather the ups and downs of farming, and continue choosing farm practices based on more than just their bottom line.

Berkshire Grown is thrilled to announce the hiring of our first Development Director, Stephanie Bergman. Stephanie brings more than 20 years in the nonprofit field with extensive experience developing, implementing, and directing programs that meet critical community needs. Though fundraising was not the primary focus of the first half of her career, Stephanie discovered a passion and talent for this work early on.

Having worked for several small and medium sized nonprofits, Stephanie understands the many challenges, actual and perceived, that organizations face to advance philanthropy and achieve their long-term objectives. Stephanie believes strongly in the transformative power of philanthropy—not just for organizations, but for donors as well. She guides organizations to thoughtfully tell their story, a powerful tool to share impact, broaden outreach, and build relationships.

In her free time, Stephanie expresses her creativity through poetry, building furniture, native plant and organic vegetable gardening, and baking. She can be found hiking trails and looking for wildflowers in Western Massachusetts where she lives with her husband, two children, and two dogs.

Find locally grown food and products from Berkshire farms and businesses in the 2023 Guide to Local Food & Farms

The 2023 Guide to Local Food & Farms remains the region’s most comprehensive guide to local farms, farmers markets, and restaurants offering local foods. Use it to find farm stands, CSA farms, pick-your-own farms and orchards, as well as locally sourced value-added products like charcuterie, preserves, and fermented foods and locations and hours of food pantries spread across the county.

You can also find the best in locally grown food and products near you by using Berkshire Grown's searchable map!

It's that time of year when farmers and producers in the Berkshires and surrounding region, who have worked very hard over the winter season, bring their local products to the outdoor Berkshire Farmers Markets.

Farmers markets are a great way to meet your local farmer and producer, shop for fresh food grown in nearby fields. Farmers Markets allow us to connect and engage with our local community. Add music, performance, the scent of food grilling, special blend brews and spices, seedlings, flowers and plants, hand built yarns and crafts, and maybe some knife sharpening, each of the Berkshire Farmers Markets are literally unique.

Use SNAP or HIP? Many of the markets offer Market Match and other dollar boosting programs. Visit Berkshire Farmers Markets for dates, locations, and more information on where SNAP, HIP and other benefits are honored.

Berkshire Agricultural Ventures’ Market Match Fund is helping farmers markets across the Berkshire-Taconic region provide a $1-for-$1 SNAP match, up to $30 for a total of $60 to spend at their partner farmers markets. Learn more about how to access these Market Match dollars at farmers markets here.

HIP puts money back on your EBT card* when you use SNAP to buy healthy, local fruits and vegetables from HIP farm vendors.

Click here to learn about HIP program basics and frequently asked questions.

By Somini Sengupta, reporting from Arkansas and Bangladesh, and Tran Le Thuy, from Vietnam for The New York Times, May 20, 2023.

In China, a study found that extreme rainfall had reduced rice yields over the past 20 years. India limited rice exports out of concern for having enough to feed its own people. In Pakistan, heat and floods destroyed harvests, while in California, a long drought led many farmers to fallow their fields.

Worldwide, rice production is projected to shrink this year, largely because of extreme weather.

Read the entire article here.

Watch all five short videos here: