WHY SUPPORT LOCAL FARMS?
Simply put, it's good for the environment (the less your food travels, the less the impact on the environment), it's good for the economy (keeps the money closer to home), and it's good for you (the fresher the produce, the higher its nutritional value).
There's far more to it than we can cover here. If you'd like to learn more about the benefits of eating locally, we recommend reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and/or the Omnivore's Dilemma
and Botany of Desire, both by Michael Pollan.
If you're a stat hound, consider this: As of
the 2002 USDA census (the most recent stats available), 9% of all farms were corporate run, but that only a small number of that percentage were making 28% of ag-related sales.
Even now, more than 60% of our vegetables are imported from foreign countries. Beyond the obvious reasons for this being unfavorable, there's the issue of regulation: Chemicals that are banned here are allowed abroad. And what qualifies as "certified organic" in some countries wouldn't pass basic inspections here. For more information about the state of farming in the United States, go to the USDA's website.