Local Farmers & Produce

My search for locally grown food just became much easier. Since my wife & I returned from a trip to east Tennessee on a visit to some friends that live outside the rural town of Maryville, we have been looking for farms that raise meat and vegetables to reduce the amount of mass-produced food we eat. We are primarily looking for a source of poultry, eggs, and vegetables.

While searching for something to watch between football Saturday, I ran across Farmweek and didn't blow past it. They ran a piece about a web-based engine to help you find agriculture providers as well as the providers finding customers. It's called Market Maker. Pretty straight forward concept, but it is eeking its way into a market that is not well-known for being super techie - namely small ag. I'm glad to have found it. I looks like it takes proactive effort from the grower, which was the point Farmweek was trying to get across. Here's the list I got within 50 miles of my location:

• Barr Farms - Mendenhall, Mississippi
  
• Cedar Hill Gardens - Brandon, Mississippi
  
• Dancing Hooves Stable - Jackson, Mississippi
  
• Flying M Farm - Vaughan, Mississippi
  
• Le Petite Poulet Farm LLC - Jackson, Mississippi
  
• Livingston Springs Farm - Flora, Mississippi
  

I'm pretty sure Dancing Hooves is live horse sales even though they categorized themselves as meat & poultry. Who knows? Either way, not really my market. But I plan to visit the others over the course of the spring and summer to source some of my food. I'm curious to compare & contrast this clearly government funded effort with the more "organic" AgriTrue effort that Jack Spirko is starting up.