The Business of Agriculture: Farmers Market Phenomenon Is Here to Stay
Over the past decade or so, agricultural leaders in both Vermont and New Hampshire have been effusively lauding the expansion in numbers of farms and the increase in volume of commodities moving into market channels within the states. Major drivers in both statistical areas have been the growth in the number of local farmers markets and of farm enterprises adopting the community supported agriculture, or CSA, model for connecting with...
Vt. Speaker Mulls Campaign
Montpelier — An oversupply of milk is bringing down prices in the Northeast and driving large dairy cooperatives to dump their product in manure pits, experts say. Although low prices for milk products can be a short-term positive for consumers, the low prices are causing a hard time for farmers who otherwise enjoyed the benefits of record high milk prices for the past five years. That’s according to Doug Dimento, a spokesperson for...
Consumer Confidential: Is Organic Food Worth the Higher Price? Many Experts Say No
Kristin DiMarco was heading into a Trader Joe’s in West Los Angeles the other day and knew for sure what she wouldn’t be buying: anything organic. “I just feel like I’ve already built up an immunity to anything that might be in my food,” the 26-year-old told me. Besides, she said, why would she want to pay a markup that can run double or triple the cost of conventional food? “I don’t think there’s a big-enough difference in quality to...
