Food Scares May Boost Local Produce Buying

Americans buy apple juice from China, vegetables from Mexico and seafood from Europe.

But although they like to buy American, combined with health scares over salmonella-infected spinach, ecoli-tainted green onions and contaminated peanut butter throughout the nation, some consumers say it's better to buy locally -- from farmers right here in Frederick.

And buying locally shouldn't happen by chance just because there was a roadside stand on the way home. It should be a deliberate, conscious deed those interviewed by The Frederick News-Post said.

Woodbine residents John and Collen Scott said they usually stop at road-side produce stands because they offer locally-grown food.

"We look out for them, especially in the summer," Scott said. "But roadside stands are disappearing, along with farms, and that's a shame."

Their sentiments parallel a recent survey, which found that 76 percent of Marylanders are more likely to buy home-grown produce.

The survey, combined with food scares, has prompted more concern for the source of people's food, said Sally Fulmer, marketing manager of The Common Market.

"You can go to any grocery store and buy produce, but you can't go to any grocery store and buy quality produce," Fulmer said.

A large segment of the Common Market's customers are "definitely concerned" about the source of their food, she said.

The 2007 Policy Choices Survey by the University of Baltimore Schaefer Center for Public Policy found that 76 percent of Marylanders are more likely to buy produce that is identified as having been grown by a Maryland farmer, up from 57 percent last year.

Further supporting agriculture, a full 96 percent of those surveyed said that it is at least "somewhat important" that the state preserve land for farming, up from 88 percent last year.

The trend to buy more local products translates into more business for local farmers, which is a good thing, said Colby Ferguson, agricultural business development specialist with the Frederick County Office of Economic Development.

Frederick County's "Homegrown Here" and "Buy Local, Buy Fresh" campaigns, launched in 2002, coupled with a Virtual Farmers' Market link, are designed for agricultural producers to sell and promote their products. The campaigns have proven successful, Ferguson said.

Quality, freshness and security are some of the reasons people patronize the local Farmer's Market, even though food tends to cost a little more than in a supermarket, Ferguson said.

Forty-eight percent of those surveyed say they are willing to pay a premium on farm products that would support Maryland farmers.

Glenn Stunkel, co-owner of Dry Branch Hollow and Stunkel's Farm in Tuscarora, said not enough people buy from local farmers, and any assistance to increase awareness is appreciated -- whether that assistance comes from a survey's findings or word-of-mouth advertising.

"Frederick County has an abundance of locally-grown products, and we can always use more interest," Stunkel said.

Dry Branch Hollow and Stunkel's Farm, nestled on 125 acres in southern Frederick County, has beef cattle, sheep, goats, and Aussie Shepherd puppies for sale in the spring and fall. A small farm store carries fiber, yarns, embroidery, candles, teas, crafts, and other gift items.

Keymar resident Tammy Albaugh, said she didn't need a survey to tell her about the importance of buying locally-produced items.

"You want to help the farmers, don't you?," said Albaugh, whose husband is a beef cattle farmer. "Buying locally-produced foods obviously will help keep local farmers in business."

Monrovia resident Gretta Benson said she and her husband grow their own vegetables.

"But what we don't grow, we buy from the local farmers," said Benson, who was buying soil and peat moss recently at Home Depot, preparing to plant.

The consumer response to this survey is good news for Maryland farmers, Gov. Martin O'Malley said in a statement.

"It shows a positive consumer attitude with great potential for local farm products and an understanding by Marylanders that farms and agricultural products are an important part of our culture and economy," O'Malley said.

A telephone survey of 810 adult Marylanders for the poll also found that residents are concerned about the environment. It did not delve into their understanding of the environmental pressures.

Eighty-eight percent said industrial discharge and 82 percent said sewage treatment plants were believed to pose the most serious threat to the health of Chesapeake Bay.

Sixty-five percent of those surveyed identified farm runoff as a major impact on the bay while 63 percent identified growth and development as a serious threat. Fifty-two percent said storm runoff from urban areas was a major impact.

"There is nothing more important to a farmer than healthy, productive land and water," said Agriculture Secretary Roger L. Richardson. "Farmers can't make a living or provide the healthy food, scenic farms and strong quality of life that consumers want if they don't protect our natural resources.

"We appreciate the public's support for farming and the funding needed for farmers to take the strongest environmental protection measures," he said.

The Maryland Department of Agriculture has participated in the Schaefer Center Policy Choices Survey since 2002 to gauge public opinion about a number of farming issues and consumer preferences.

The annual telephone survey is conducted annually. The 2007 survey has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.44 percent.

Over all, support for farmland preservation continues to rise as does consumer desire for local products, according to the survey. The identification of sources of impacts to the bay has remained steady.