Fresh, Local Food Making A Comeback At Central Market York

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Central Market York was designed to fit the crop cycle of local farmers.

One day they’d harvest, and the next day they’d display their fresh produce for market patrons, hungry for the local items.

Over the years, Central Market York added other vendors, and the fresh produce was no longer the main attraction.

But now, more people are asking for the farmers who once defined the market with fresh and local food, said Cindy Steele, COO of Central Market York.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_25447848/fresh-local-food-making-comeback-at-central-market

Buy Fresh Buy Local invites York County Residents To Discover Locally Grown Food And To Support Area Farmers

“Food. 1-buy it with thought, 2-cook it with care, 3-use less wheat and meat, 4-buy local foods, 5-serve just enough… – NARA – 512592 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  We here at Roy’s Rants fully support any Buy Fresh Buy Local program!

York County Buy Fresh Buy Local invites you to learn more about the home grown goodness York County has to offer.

Miller Plant Farm will host the Tastes of York event from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 15 with sample goods from local vendors and musical entertainment.

BFBL is about supporting local farmers and growers and helping consumers to un derstand the importance of buying locally grown foods and how to find those local growers.

“Nutrition is tied to freshness. Why buy some thing that is shipped when you can find fresh food grown right here in York County?,” Dave Miller said.

The proceeds from Tastes of York go to sup port Buy Fresh Buy Local and to help pay for the food guide for this year, he said.

Read more: http://www.inyork.com/community/ci_23384025/homegrown-goodness

U.S. Farmers Expect Poorest Corn Crop In A Decade

ST. LOUIS – A deepening drought in the nation’s farm states has cut further into this fall’s harvest, with farmers now expected to pull from their fields the lowest corn yield in more than a decade.

But American farmers are still expected to produce their eighth-largest harvest ever, and while there’s sure to be a rise in prices at the grocery stores, there’s little risk of a failed harvest that would lead to shortages on the shelves.

The U.S. Agriculture Department predicted the nation’s biggest harvest ever in the spring, when farmers planted 96.4 million acres of corn – the most since 1937. But it cut its estimate a month ago and again Friday, saying it now expects the nation to produce 10.8 billion bushels, the least since 2006.

Read more: http://business-news.thestreet.com/the-mercury/story/us-farmers-expect-poorest-corn-crop-decade-0/1

Record-Setting Rains Hurting NEPA Farmers

 

Editor’s Note: This is a good awareness story during Farm Show Week!

JEFFERSON TWP., PA – Will Keating looked at the depleted hay stockpile in his barn and thought about the impact on his dairy farm.

“It will cost us another $15,000 to $18,000 to get through the winter,” Mr. Keating said as his herd of 38 milking cows lounged in theMountCobbbarn. “The hay took a big hit and quality is down. It’s very frustrating.”

Drenching summer rainfall severely diminished production of forage crops, such as feed corn and hay, on many regional dairy farms. Months after the record-setting rains ceased, the shortfall forces dairy farmers to buy hay and feed they would not need after a normal growing season.

“My hay crop was the worst I ever had,” said Joe Davitt, a Waymart-area dairy farmer. “It’s going to cost me probably $2,000 a month to feed my cattle. In a normal winter, I don’t have any added expenses.”

Read more: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/record-setting-rains-hurting-area-farmers-1.1255054#ixzz1iygMGUIF

Urban Farm Proposed In Lancaster

The School District of Lancaster maintains a 21-acre vacant lot across from Wheatland Middle School.  A Lancaster City resident, Ben Weiss, would like to turn 10 of these vacant acres into farms and a garden.  Weiss runs two organic farms in Mount Joy and Millersville.

Weiss would actually farm five acres, four acres will be available as “incubator plots” for other farmers and the last acre would be devoted to a community farm and garden.

To read the entire article, click below:

http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/408596_Farmer-wants-land-near-school-for-crops.html