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During the coming decades the world’s farmers will have to double their production to meet our growing food needs. Earth’s population is projected to reach 9 billion people (3 billion more the currently), yet our agriculture land continues to decrease. Agriculture needs fertile land, more of it and safe technology to continue offering affordable, high-quality food worldwide. Preservation of agriculture land should be important to us now and to our future generations.
Currently less than two percent of our population grows the food and fiber for the rest of us and only six percent of that group are full-time farmers and ranchers. This group produces the vast majority (75%) of the foods in our grocery stores. However, we need all farmers. Even small farmers and backyard gardeners are important in helping provide our food. We need to preserve our critical agriculture land in order to remain somewhat self-sufficient in Utah. Read more here.
Why You Should Shop at Farmers Markets
Produce sold at Farmers Markets was probably picked just hours before you purchased it. It is fresh, crisp and packed with flavor. As produce ages it begins to lose nutrients. Fresh produce sold at Farmers Markets may actually be more nutritious than produce shipped to your local grocery store.
We take pride in being stewards of the land and doing our part to produce the safest, most abundant food supply of any nation in the world,” observes Tyson Roberts, a sixth generation farmer from Layton. “It is very rewarding to help feed the world. Farmers today receive less than 10 cents of every retail food dollar. Shopping at Farmers Markets eliminates the middleman and allows farmers to receive the full retail price for their products.
Between 60 and 70 percent of Tyson Roberts yearly income now comes from retail sales at Farmers Markets. As the value of direct purchases increase for farmers, the lure to sell their farmland for development decreases. Open spaces provided by family farms are an irreplaceable asset for all of us. Farmlands in our communities are more than just beautiful; they provide habitats for the wildlife that help make our state unique.
Family farms will only survive as long as they are financially viable. By supporting local Farmers Markets today you are doing something proactive to help ensure that there will be farms and open space in your community for tomorrow. For more information and Farmers Markets locations click here.
For more information on how to know your farmer click here.
Food Safety Guidelines for Fresh Produce:
- Wash your hands, utensils and surfaces with hot soapy water before and after handling fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Clean all produce thoroughly with cool tap water just before you use it, even if you will not be eating the rind or skin.
- Make sure all pre-packaged and cut produce is kept refrigerated or iced.
- Discard any cut produce that has been left at room temperature for more than two hours.
Utah is The Beehive State. The honeybee is our state insect and there are over 700 beekeepers managing nearly 30,000 colonies in Utah. These bees probably visit your fruit trees and gardens and they are critical for our food production and for healthy landscapes. For many fruits and vegetables, no pollination means no fruit.
Pollinators are declining all over the world and you can help. Here’s how:
- Reduce pesticide exposure by specifically looking for chemicals that aren’t toxic to bees. You can also apply pesticides less frequently and be sure to avoid spraying blossoms (even weeds). If possible, spray when bees are not flying, such as after dusk or before dawn.
- Provide a healthy habitat by planting native plants and a variety of plants rather than just a few, so there are blooms throughout the growing season.
- If you have space, become a beekeeper or contact a beekeeper to put honeybees in your yard. You can also provide nesting materials for solitary bees, which do not produce honey and do not sting.
- To learn more about pollinators in Utah, how to provide habitat or Africanized Honeybees, visit these websites:
For many urban and suburban Utah residents, growing a backyard vegetable garden or caring for a fruit tree or two is as close to agriculture as we come. But, participating in backyard agriculture is easier than you might think. If you are looking to try your hand at growing your own fruits and vegetables, you’re not alone; Burpees, one of the nation’s largest seed suppliers reports the demand for popular vegetable seeds is overwhelming at times as more people try to cut food costs and go green with their food choices.
Clear a little garden space in the backyard; plant a few already-sprouted plants or seeds; water, weed, wait and harvest. The climate along the Wasatch Front is favorable for growing everything from tree fruit such as peaches, pears and apples; to vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, peas and radishes, to name a few.
Even large scale vegetable farmers plant tomatoes, peppers and other plants one at a time; though mechanized techniques make it faster. Most fruit trees are pruned and harvested by hand. Even when it comes to those crops that are planted and harvested using automated equipment, the biggest difference between the farmer and backyard grower is the scale of the operation. Almost all fruit orchards and vegetable farms in Utah are family-run operations with only a few employees at most outside of family members.
A recent trend in urban agriculture is even eliminating scale and mechanization differences. Backyard urban farming is becoming more popular. People use their own backyard or borrow other people’s yards to grow enough vegetables to sell at farmers markets or to restaurants, etc. Most of the planting and harvesting is done manually. A small tiller or a manual seeder is often times the most mechanized these small operations get. Usually one person or one family does most or all of the work.
And one thing we all have in common is we rely on the weather for much of our success.
More information on how to create the perfect backyard garden is available at these links: