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A Wisconsin group criticizes two of its members of Congress, a new report says the Phoenix area cannot meet its groundwater demands, and Nevada's sporting community sends its priorities to the governor.

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The Senate aims to get the debt limit spending bill to President Biden's desk quickly, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis makes a campaign stop in Iowa, and a new survey finds most straight adults support LGBTQ+ rights.

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Oregon may expand food stamp eligibility to some undocumented households, rural areas have a new method of accessing money for roads and bridges, and Tennessee's new online tool helps keep track of cemetery locations.

This Holiday, Farmers Report Consumers Are Shopping Locally for Food

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Friday, December 13, 2013   

SHELBY, N.C. – Shelby dairy farmer Ashley Bridges has a welcome problem this holiday season – she can't keep enough product on the shelves of the retailers and consumers who are demanding it.

A third-generation farmer, five years ago Bridges decided to transition her Guernsey cows completely to grass-fed and now produces milk and cheese for local restaurants and markets.

"If every dairy farmer realized the niche market of especially grass-fed products, I really think every dairy farmer would be making cheese," she says.

Bridges says demand for her products has increased by 50 percent this year. A couple of years ago, she received a grant from Rural Advancement Foundation International USA – an organization that advocates for family farmers and also provides support.

RAFI is partially funded through donations and is accepting monetary gifts through the end of the year to support more innovative farmers like Bridges.

Bridges says the growing effort by consumers to not only buy local, but to understand what they're consuming is driving her business.

"I am conscious about what I eat, because I'm conscious about what my family eats,” she explains. “Therefore I'm conscious about what my cows eat."

The FDA is still accepting public comment for the Food Safety Modernization Act, which will impact farmers such as Bridges.

The law – passed in 2011 – was intended to address food safety problems in the industrial food system, but the proposed regulations will have an unintended effect of increasing costs for small farms by requiring additional equipment and practices that RAFI-USA says aren't applicable to smaller farms.





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