There are many tips to help us “go green” but one of the best ways to make an impact is where you buy your food. Shopping from local, organic and regenerative farms is a fantastic and delicious way to benefit the environment. The techniques local farmers use help improve the soil and water, and reduce climate change. Choosing to shop at a local farmers market, farm stands, and/or joining a CSA farm is an easy way to make a huge difference. Our local food map is a great tool to find a farm or market.
Most of these methods preserve and protect topsoil, the important top fertile layer of the soil. Exposed soil is lost to erosion which has a major impact negative on aquatic life in streams.
Here are some examples of how local farms benefit the environment:
No Till Methods

Tilling disturbs the soil, causing erosion and harming the life within. Farms like Snipes Farm use no-till methods to preserve the soil.
Planting Cover Crops

Biodiversity

Composting and Manure

Crop and Animal Rotation

No Pesticides

No Herbicides

No Synthetic Fertilizers

Wetlands and Bio-Swales

Contour Farming

The farmers at Rolling Harvest Food Rescue’s farm at Gravity Hill use contour farming techniques to plant their rows in curved rows along the natural slope of the land, preventing erosion.
Drip Irrigation

Riparian Buffers

Less Shipping

Less Plastic

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