Progress on the food front-buy local people!

I have been thinking more about the 100 mile diet, as I may have mentioned before. It just hit me as I filled my grocery cart with boxes and boxes that this is crazy. I'm not a health worrier, I'm not organic. I recycle, but am not green. But even I am concerned about our local economy. I heard a radio program on radio times yesterday about how a smaller SUNY campus is teaching online courses and giving degrees in China. They are targeting the high tech automotive repair industry. The dean said they are such a small school, they have to get all the students they can. And if they don't teach it, another university will. Umm, are they really teaching students from another country to better their country, while ours is struggling? I know they aren't taking benefit away from any American students, but couldn't they find a way to teach online to impoverished people right here on our soil? Make an investment in people here? Isn't China already rising as an economy as we are diving? Which leads me back to my food story. I have decided to try to buy local as much as possible. Husband thinks this is a waste as I will spending more money on gas and the food isn't cheaper. But my thought is I don't want to continue pumping money into the huge companies who don't need it nearly as much as the smaller farmer. And for God's sake, I live in Amish country! It's not like I live in Manhattan. It's not that hard to go to the farmer's market and have a relationship with the stand owner. I already know several, and today they were happy to answer my questions. One farmer outside of Fleetwood, Burkholder, talked to me at length. He's happy to give me as much of his own home grown as I can use, and beyond what he can grow he goes to auction and buys from people he knows that actually farm too. He won't buy food that's just shifted from one produce dealer to the next. Neidermeyer Poultry is from Denver PA, nicest family ever. And their poultry is huge! No HGH or steroids. Good stuff from here in PA. The change is in out eating habits, because I will still buy peanut butter, and as far as I know no one farms peanuts here. Coffee, tea? Well, there will be some things. But I hope maybe more people can think about supporting our own agriculture and farming industries. Each one of those farms is a small business on the brink. We are not farmers, far from it, but in the corporate world we also feel like the job can always go away. Farming is very much like that. I just want to make clear decisions now, instead of walking like a zombie through the grocery store.