Every Saturday morning from June through October, thousands of people flock to the Downtown Farmers Market in Salt Lake City. They come for the locally grown produce and the wide variety of healthy and delicious food produced in our state.
Over the 27 years of this market’s history, the number of vendors selling fruit and veggies has dramatically increased. Consumers are actively seeking out local food, at farmers markets and grocery stores all over the country. There are currently more than 30 farmers markets in Utah, and this number keeps rising every year, as Utahns’ demand for locally grown food continues to increase.
There are many benefits to shopping for and eating locally grown food. Local food has more nutrients and is fresh and full of flavor, picked at the peak of ripeness, often on the same day it’s sold. It keeps us in touch with the seasons – just compare the taste of a locally grown June strawberry with one grown thousands of miles away in January to understand this.
Local food benefits the environment, has a lower carbon footprint and helps maintain farmland and open space in our communities. Money spent on local food stays local and is reinvested within the community. Food grown locally is less susceptible to contamination that often comes with distant warehouses, shipping and distribution plants. There is more variety in produce grown locally. A farmer is not as concerned with growing only commercial crops and can grow delicious, heirloom fruits and veggies with diverse flavors.
But perhaps the most compelling reason for buying and eating local food is the community it creates. Utah has a strong agricultural heritage, one based on the principles of hard work, cooperation and self-reliance. When consumers meet the farmers who grow their food, face-to-face, sharing stories and asking questions, something remarkable happens. A community is formed, people engage with where their food comes from and who is growing it, and Utah is made stronger.
Bangerter Farms in Farmington is one such market vendor. Alan Bangerter and his family have for many years provided great produce to many farmers markets around the Wasatch Front, as well as jobs to local residents. The high quality and wide variety of produce they sell has earned them a loyal following.
This farm is now under threat, with 11 acres slated for eminent domain purchase by the city of Farmington, to be replaced by soccer fields. This loss to the Bangerter family would be devastating for them, and for the community as a whole.
Farmington City Manager Dave Millheim was quoted as saying that the city will “look at what is the highest and best use” for the property. What could be more important than the food we eat — now, and in the long-term?
Every time another farmer goes out of business, Utah becomes less able to feed its citizens, less secure, and less of a vibrant community. Soccer fields can be located anywhere, but good productive farmland is rare. The Bangerter family has invested years into making this land fertile and has created a business that supports the community in many ways. Placing soccer fields on this property would permanently remove an important contribution to the local economy, and irreparably harm a family’s legacy.
This land should be given the Agricultural Protection Area designation, preserving its many benefits for generations into the future. We urge the Farmington City Council to put the long-term needs of its community, and the livelihood of the Bangerter family, ahead of the need for soccer fields. Keep the FARM in FARMington!
Gwen Crist
Gwen Crist is board chair of Slow Food Utah.
Alison Einerson
Alison Einerson is director of markets for the Urban Food Connections of Utah/Downtown Alliance.
