September 27, 2011 — Lunenburg Ledger
Buying local products and using local services is an important and effective way to support our community and to ensure the economic viability of our region. I was reminded of this as I joined Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner, Scott Soares, in celebrating the 3rd annual Apple Day at Lanni Orchards in Lunenburg on September 7th. I thoroughly enjoyed getting a behind-the-scenes tour of Lanni's facility and seeing how they produce a wide variety of fresh and delicious products for the residents of our area.
Working farms have wide-ranging, positive effects on our region: protecting open space from development, economic support to our towns in the form of property taxes, economic support to other local businesses, protection of the environment by avoiding food transportation from other states and other countries, and often providing a healthier and less-processed product that is better for you.
Lunenburg is fortunate to have a large number of farms and orchards in the area with a wide variety of offerings including fruits, vegetables, milk, meat, eggs, and much more. When you frequent a farm stand, orchard, or store that carries local produce, you are not only supporting the business that is selling the produce, but also all of the local businesses that support that producer. Farmers purchase trucks and machinery, fuel, seed, fencing, and construction materials. In turn, those businesses also use products and services from other local businesses. Buying products that you already need from a local producer creates an economic chain reaction that benefits the economic climate of the entire region.
We owe it to our town and our region's future to invest in our communities by visiting and purchasing produce from our local farmers and businesses when we can. Visiting local farms and orchards is also fun. My trip to Lanni's reminded me that orchards are fun and family friendly, offering a great place to spend a beautiful fall day outside. So, as we celebrate Apple Month, I encourage you to think and shop locally.
