Farming families have passed their way of life on through generations. They have worked their land and sustained our community by providing fresh and healthy produce, meats and dairy products. But that way of life ­— and the land that makes it possible — has become threatened by giant factory farms, easy access to pre-packaged food produced around the world, and intensifying pressure caused by surges in our region’s population and industrial development.

When working the land is no longer a viable economic choice, local farmers are often forced to make land use decisions that will ultimately change the area’s rural character. Without our working farms we will have lost a significant part of what makes life special here in Monroe, Pike, Wayne and Sullivan counties.

Buying fresh vegetables, herbs, fruits, meats, cheeses, or eggs direct from local farmers is an easy way to eat healthier and an effective way to protect land. Every purchase you make at a local farmers’ market or farm stand infuses our economy with the resources necessary to sustain our rural quality of life.

Your choice to buy local — through the farm markets and farms listed in Shop Local Save Land — can help farming to remain a vibrant part of our local economy and will assure that our valuable farmlands remain for us and for the benefit of future generations.

Enjoy!

Sue Currier
Executive Director
Delaware Highlands Conservancy

For more information, visit www.delawarehighlands.org.