Buy Fresh, Buy Local

By Gracie Hart

Buying local is a growing trend, one that the state and many businesses within Orange County are welcoming with open arms.
According to Orange Downtown Alliance Director Jeff Curtis, buying local is becoming increasingly popular.
“There is such a buzz right now about buying local,“ he said. “It’s a great movement.“
According to Curtis, buying local is an investment in one’s own community.
“It not only helps people eat better but it also brings back a little of our heritage and culture,“ he said. “It’s helping to bring back a culture we had long ago.“
Curtis said as a child he grew up in a rural area where buying local was the inherent thing to do. He said back then, neighbors bought their necessities from neighbors, not from big-box retailers or chain stores. Curtis said he hopes the trend of buying local will stay around and become a way of life. And if the Virginia Grown program and other advocates have their way, it could.
Back in August, the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences (VDACS) launched the Virginia Grown interactive website, enabling consumers to find Virginia grown fruits, vegetables and nursery products in any area of the state. The site encourages consumers to buy local goods while also attracting tourists to the various locally owned businesses.
According to VDACS Commissioner Todd P. Haymore, buying local not only allows consumers to get the maximum freshness, taste and nutrition but also helps the local and state economies. Buying locally keeps food dollars in the region and keeps the local agriculture industry healthy.
Several local businesses are listed with the Virginia Grown program including Burnley Vineyards, owned by Lee Reeder. Reeder said he has seen an increase in people buying locally, with more people buying Virginia wine. He also said Virginia is becoming a destination for wine lovers.
“Lots of people are buying Virginia wine,“ he said. “Buying locally is important because people are spending money in Virginia and [supporting] Virginia companies which allows that money to stay within the state.“
The Alpaca Garden in Unionville, owned by Susan and Carl Schmidtke, is also listed with Virginia Grown and a similar program by VDACS, Virginia’s Finest, which lists products produced within the state. In order to be listed with the program, produce and products must meet certifiable quality standards, something The Alpaca Garden has done. According to Schmidtke, her family’s alpaca farm, which began in 2001, has two-thirds of their herd certified as Virginia’s finest fleece and the farm is also producing richly colored fleeces that qualify as Virginia’s Finest. She said being involved in the VDACS programs has helped the business immensely.
“We had a bountiful business in town when the coffee shop was in full swing,“ she said. “Currently, people seek us out at local events such as the wine festivals here in Orange County, the street festival in town or other community events we attend. As of this minute we do not have a physical presence in town as ‘setting up shop’ and working the farm isn’t an option. But we are very appreciative of how many folks contact us regularly to obtain alpaca fiber goods.“
Schmidtke said she is appreciative of the local support the business receives.
“Alpaca is like nothing else and we are so pleased that Orange County has embraced our endeavors and supported our farm. As a community, it is imperative that we support our local businesses,“ she said. “By doing so we help to ensure the success of our neighbors thus keeping homes and families together. As our tax base remains steady with a strong work force due to strong business, our schools maintain high standards to better educate our children. It is a circle of monetary support which can act like a foundation to sustain our community. Family first and a sound community should echo and reflect a sense of larger family.“
The Piedmont Environmental Council (PEC) also operates a site dedicated to supporting local producers called Buy Fresh, Buy Local. According to the group, buying local allows consumers to get fresher food, strengthens the local economy, supports endangered family farms, safeguards health by enabling consumers to know how their food was grown or raised and protects the environment.
Virginia R. Rockwell’s business, Gentle Gardener Green Design is listed on the Buy Fresh, Buy Local website. Rockwell is a certified horticulturalist, landscape designer and a permaculture designer. Gentle Gardener Green Design is a farm-based landscape design, sustainable and organic horticulture and green event and floral design business that has long been involved in the buying local movement.
“The mission of Gentle Gardener Green Design (and the garden center we operated on Main Street in Gordonsville for over a dozen years) has always been to support our clients’ stewardship of the Earth in her or his own garden,“ Rockwell said. “One of our guiding principles has always been to design with and promote the best of local and native plants, materials and craft. In other words, ‘local’ has been integral to our business philosophy for over 15 years.  It’s definitely been a bright and growing niche in the economy. It’s finally catching on, thanks to writers like Virginia’s own Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle) and support of Virginia Farm Bureau and Piedmont Environmental Council.“
Rockwell said buying locally is important and sustains the local economy.
“Lots of economic studies have demonstrated that when you buy local, you keep a much larger share of the money transacted, both retail and wholesale, in the local economy, to sustain and support more jobs, taxes and opportunities than if the items are manufactured elsewhere and inserted into your local community by a category killer chain store,“ she said. “In addition, when you buy the services of a landscape or event/floral designer working with native, locally and sustainably grown flowers and plants, you significantly reduce the use of nonrenewable fossil fuels used to grow and transport the materials. In the landscape, you get a much more enjoyable, lower maintenance and sustainable garden for you, your family and your water. Yes, your water, because the trees and plants you choose to plant significantly impact our water quantity and quality around here.“
Buying locally grown foods and goods doesn’t have to be complicated. The websites set up by VDACS and PEC have made the practice simple. On either website, consumers can search for goods by zip code or general area. For more information, visit http://www.virginiagrown.com or http://www.buylocalvirginia.org.