Two noteworthy figures this morning:
$3.6B of locally grown food is wholesale.
$1.2B of locally grown food is retail.
therefore, 75% of market is wholesale — according to new calculations from the USDA. These figures in an AP article in the Denver Post today. Furthermore, growth over three years from 2008-2011 in this sub-market of food and agriculture has been 45%:
A new U.S. Department of Agriculture report says sales of “local foods,” whether sold direct to consumers at farmers markets or through intermediaries such as grocers or restaurants, amounted to $4.8 billion in 2008. That’s a number several times greater than earlier estimates, and the department predicts locally grown foods will generate $7 billion in sales this year.
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Meanwhile, the Carolina Farm Stewardship association had its 25th conference this weekend. a primary source tells me that of the 800 attendees, there were two tables-full of people of color. 25 divided by 800 is 3.1%.
washing dishes: a father’s glimpses 