Bread Riot

Riot in the Pasture Attracts Hundreds

The Bread Riot's "Riot in the Pasture" celebration of local foods on May 22nd was a tremendous success.  Check out this great article by Salisbury Post feature writer extraordinaire Glenn Hudson.

Riot in the Pasture Attracts Hundreds

Agriculture

• Did you know that Agriculture is NC’s #1 industry? It’s an over $68 billion business annually. It’s a vital part of our state’s economy.

• Benefits of Agriculture

• County-wide Economic Benefit : An American Farmland Trust survey showed that for every dollar in taxes received from working lands only 34 cents in services is paid by the government. However, services paid to residential development are an average of $1.15 per dollar of taxes received. Therefore, it is a net gain of revenue for the tax base and thus an economic benefit for any county to preserve working lands.

• Quality of Life: When farms are kept in agriculture it maintains the quality of life that each North Carolinian enjoys everyday. Rural working landscapes are an integral part of our heritage that must be preserved for future generations.

• Environmental Services: Properly maintained farm and forest lands create and protect clean air, clean water, and wildlife habitat. Farm and forest lands are our water recharge areas and should be protected. Farm and forestlands also sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide.

• Ability to buy locally grown products: Maintaining the agriculture industry in North Carolina allows consumers to purchase and consume products from local agricultural producers.

Farmers Market vs. Supermarket: Head to Head

By Doug Kearney

If I need a vegetable, I go to the back yard to see what’s in the garden. If that’s a disappointment (for example, if a rabbit beat me to that ripe fist-sized tomato I was eyeing for lunch), my next option is the farmers’ market on South Main in Salisbury. There I find beautiful, fresh, and uneaten vegetables (as well as breads, meats, eggs, plants and crafts) to suit my needs. Only if I can’t find what I need at the farmers’ market do I go to the supermarket for produce.

Why is the local supermarket my third choice for produce?

Read more: Farmers Market vs. Supermarket: Head to Head

Why Local

Did you know that most of the produce and meats that eventually appear on your dinner table were shipped an average of 1,500 miles! This represents US produce only, not the items shipped out of season from around the world. This travel time impacts taste, freshness, quality, and flavor. Transporting our food has an additional impact on our enviroment in the form of increased fossile fuel emmissions.

By purchasing locally grown products we maximize the nutritional character of our food. Our money stays locally and benefits our neighbors and our community. We preserve open space in the form of green fields and pastures for grazing animals. Fields, meadows, wooded areas, ponds and creeks, provide food and shelter for many species of wildlife who otherwise have lost their habitat due to development.

The closer the better. When you buy food that is locally grown, you are getting food that is fresher and therefore more nutritious, and you are helping your local economy. Supporting local food may be slightly more expensive, but in the long run it benefits your health, our local economy, and our culture.

What can you do?

Shop at the Salisbury Farmer's Market. Open every Wednesday and Saturday from 7:00 am to Noon. www.salisburyfarmersmarket.com