LOCAL FIRST

This morning I went to a local Chamber of Commerce Breakfast meeting about "Local First".
Both local farmers and local restaurateurs had been invited. It was interesting to hear prospectives on both sides of this issue.
The goal is to hopefully have the restaurateurs buy their produce, dairy products and meat from local farmers. This benefits the farmers with a market; it benefits the restaurants with fresh, locally grown food; it enables the restaurants to feel good about what they are feeding their customers while supporting the local farmers who will also choose to eat at these restaurants.
Part of the issue is that buying from big producers is inexpensive, while local farmers tend to charge more. The quality is far superior at the local farms, but the prices need to be reasonable. If the higher costs are passed on to the consumers, they will find another place to eat. Restaurateurs can absorb some of the cost, but it needs to be reasonable.
So, the object is to help both farmers and restaurateurs come to an agreement that is beneficial for both parties.
It was one of our better meetings as far as the transfer of ideas and concerns between parties.