Good Questions to Ask Your Farmer About Your Food

Pittsboro Farmers' Market, photo by Lea CiceraroPittsboro Farmers’ Market, photo by Lea Ciceraro

Local and organic farmers strive to grow food sustainably in order to protect our natural resources while providing the freshest and most nutritious products possible.

Numerous ecological growing techniques exist under the umbrella of the sustainable agriculture movement. Each farmer utilizes the techniques that best suit their land, products, markets, lifestyles, and beliefs. Educate yourself! If you have any questions regarding how or why certain methods are employed, ask your local farmer.

Below we have provided you with a list of questions to get the conversation started between you and your farmer.

BASIC:

  1. Where is your farm located? Learn how local the farmer is to your area.
  2. Do you grow all the products that you sell? This is an important question to ask, as some markets are producer-only, meaning the items for sale were grown/raised by the farmers selling them. Markets that aren’t producer-only may be reselling items they purchased from other farmers.
  3. What growing practices do you use? This is a great time to learn if the farm has certifications that explain their growing practices—e.g., USDA Organic, Appalachian Grown, Certified Naturally Grown.
  4.  

VEGETABLES:

  1. When was this harvested?
  2. What kind of fertilizers do you use? This question may invite a more technical response than the average consumer is ready for. 
  3. How do you deal with your weeds? insects? diseases?
  4. Do you have any recipe recommendations/suggestions?

LIVESTOCK:

  1. What type(s) of livestock do you manage?
  2. How and what do you feed your animals? Do you use organic or non-GMO feed?
  3. Do you use hormones or antibiotics?
  4. Do you provide them with access to the outdoors? Are they pasture-based, free-range, or confined?
  5. How do you process your animals? Do you do it or does someone else?

VALUE-ADDED GOODS (jams, baked goods, canned goods, etc.):

  1. Do you grow all your raw ingredients?
    1. If no, where do you get your supplemental ingredients? Are they local/organic?
  2. How do you prepare, store, cook your products?
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