Were We Actually "Better" Back Then?

If we pause to think back, maybe to childhood, perhaps.......our communities, towns and neighborhoods weren't built on monopolies and a handful of mega-sized corporations, were they? I don't remember the existence of such massive buildings we have today; I remember going to the family-owned hardware store with my dad, where he knew the owners, and they always talked forever while I roamed the aisles of the most fascinating store ever.

Building your community, or killing it?

Sorry, not sorry..... there is nothing like seeing a town, a once-thriving and beautiful community, which courted a big box retailer, bent over backwards to bring them there, and eagerly spent millions to ensure the terms dictated by a corporation would be met..... become decimated and vacant.

Farmers Market Week 2024

August 4th - 10th, 2024 is National Farmers Market Week. We're celebrating this milestone by sharing the love of fresh food, eating better, and knowing the people who grow and farm where you live. We've got new graphics and images supporting our farm families, local growers, and markets across the country which provide Americans with a direct link to the people who feed the world.

Start With a Locally-Grown Tomato...or Two

Slow down. Yes, you....even though you are cruising along on your way home, thinking of the groceries you need to pick up.....instead, pull off the road at that little produce stand up ahead, or make a turn into an area farmer's market, and just.....explore. It's summer, and summer is for adventures and discovery, right?

Why Can't Consumers Find Independent Businesses?

PLANTS. Hanging baskets, coleus, those things with the big leaves, tall orange lilies, potted plants, flowering bushes....etc. It's that time of year people are buying and planting these things, right? Right. And where are we buying them? Does it occur to the average consumer to look a little harder for a locally-owned greenhouse or family farm, or are we just blindly heading down the road to a big box store?