Local Food Goals

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Created on Tuesday, 12 April 2016 16:29

Written by Taylor Fuller

AROUND THE NEK-Buying local goods has been issue in Vermont for a long time. The New England Food Vision is striving to make buying local easier for consumer as well as the producer.

The goal is to make New England's goods 50% local by the year 2060.

The New England food vision is striving to make it possible for 50% of the food New Englanders eat to come from New England by 2060. Currently in New England only five percent of its land is being used to produce land grown products. Nearly 90% of the food that is bought and eaten by New Englanders comes from others places rather than the six New England states. Two million acres of New England land is farmland and this has been steady since 1970. These two million acres which mae up about five percent of the land in New England produces products like; vegetables, fruits, beef, dairy, pork, poultry, and eggs. Bumping that land from two million to six million would make it easier to feed the 17 million people.

Some people are already starting to see a change "More and more people are eating local" John Miller a local egg farmer stated. "It's for the best people that are local to eat and support local farmers so it's good thing all around".

Six million acres is the ultimate goal for the 50 by 60 plan, this would triple the amount of land that is being used to produce these products. Expanding upon the farming industry does not mean it will be taking away from the forests. Even with the growth from five to fifteen percent there will still be 70% of forest cover.

A detailed plan along with where we stand today and what the New England Vision wants to get to is posted here if you would like to learn more.