For all of you who are curious about the impact of local food on a community, here are some hard hitting facts I have found from various sources through the research I have been doing! Starting off on a local note, a recent piece written by The Associated Press on North Country Public Radio (NCPR) showed the statistic that
The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has found that
89% of the state's schools offer some type of farm to school programming. That is an incredible percentage! This does vary between the different counties and school systems, but much work has accomplished this in the past couple of years. For more on the topic check out the article:
89 percent of Vermont schools use local food.
Another statistic from
Vermont Agriculture shows that
"According to the USDA agricultural census, there are more than 7,000 farms in Vermont today, totaling over $673,000,000 in sales, annually. In terms of production dollars, dairy leads the state, followed by maple." Go Vermont! The presence of local farms in both the economy and community prove to be more than beneficial to the state. Facts such as these both show how much a part of the Vermont lifestyle this has become and how it is its own food network within the state. In comparison to other states, numbers do vary and Vermont tends to stand out among the group. For a good look at these facts and statistics Strolling of the Heifers, which is a local farm supporting organization has collected this information. To take a look check out their
Locavore Index. Make sure to check out their site as well for information on local businesses and events, particularly their annual parade!
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