Today's agriculture, especially in the meat industry, is dominated by large national and international players in production, packaging, distribution, and retail. While the industrial food complex offers some economies of scale, Hoagland Meat and others advocate for the significant advantages of buying local. A growing movement supports local purchasing, recognizing numerous benefits:
-
Support the Local Community
Choosing local meat means investing in your community, supporting nearby ranchers and businesses. Your money circulates locally, benefiting everyone. Opting for industrial food sends profits into large corporations outside of your community, with less impact on your local economy.
-
Preserve a Way of Life
The industrial food complex has pushed many local ranchers out of business because of low earnings. Buying local, despite a similar cost, cuts out middlemen, allowing local ranchers to earn more and preserving a way of life.
-
Freshest Products
While food preservation has its advantages, nothing beats the taste, quality, and health benefits of fresh food. The Farm-to-Fork movement highlights the superiority of locally produced fresh food. When it's fresh, it tastes the way it should!
-
Improve the Environment
The industrial food complex contributes to environmental problems like high carbon emissions, pollution, and waste. Local ranchers prioritize environmental stability. You opt for an environmentally-friendly approach when you buy local.
-
Eat Better
Industrial food sacrifices meat quality with hormones and genetic modification. Increasingly, antibiotics and pesticides are used to mitigate disease-related losses. In contrast, locally produced, grass-fed, and humanely raised beef provides superior quality, taste, and health benefits.
-
Feel More Secure
Local food production minimizes disease and contamination risks compared to factory farming and ranching. Being able to look a farmer or rancher in the eyes and know where the food came from adds accountability, security, and peace of mind.