Countryside Conservancy

I found this site, the Countryside Conservancy as I was reading what was available from Breezy Hill this week.  I actually intended for it to just kind of be a lazy blog post, but when I went to check out the site--it's really great!  The give you more resources for finding locally grown food (they even sell t-shirts that say, "Don't Buy Food From Strangers"!)  and they talk about the importance of buying locally.  I found a farmer's market up in Akron at Highland Square, RIGHT down the street from where my brother-in-law lives...I'm really excited to check it out and drag him along too!  They have farm visits you can sign up for, lists of CSAs in the area (it's a NE OH program) and resources for farmers.  I found this fact really interesting and it makes me feel better about buying locally!
"91 cents of each dollar spent in conventional food markets goes to suppliers, processors, middlemen and marketers, while only 9 cents goes to the farmer.  Farmers who sell direct a local farmers' markets or through CSAs keep 80-90 cents of each dollar.  Selling locally, farmers can reduce distribution, packaging and advertising costs and offer us fresher, more affordable food."