Only In Oregon:
The Forerunners of Local Market Benefits
Oregon is a state known across the West Coast for its friendly, tight-knit communities and health conscious behaviors. Farmers, vendors, chefs, bakers, pastry-makers, restaurants, and markets all tend to keep their revenue local—only buying and selling Oregon-made and locally grown products. Oregon is also a very pro-“going green” state, becoming less tolerant of non-organic and GMO foods and making recycling a must. People from all over the country—and the world, for that matter—migrate to Oregon to become a part of its friendly, healthy, and progressive atmosphere.
One way Oregonians have continued to support local farmers and vendors is through the Saturday Market. The most famous market of this kind is the Portland Saturday Market, which was actually modeled after Eugene’s Saturday Market that opened in 1970, the oldest open-air craft market in the United States. The Eugene Market also has incorporated a famer’s market, where farmers can sell their locally grown fruits and vegetables. Because the downtown Farmer’s Market closed in the 1950’s, Eugene was impelled to venture into selling the abundance of local produce in addition to the vast amount of art by artisans using local materials to make their crafts. Both of these markets, as well as the many more throughout Oregon, have continued to be extraordinarily successful in their sales and as hotspots for locals and tourists alike.
A vendor at the Eugene Saturday market, Rachel Murray from SLO Farm, gives her thoughts on the importance of staying local. “It’s a small enough population here where we can really produce a lot and share a lot with people. There’s a lot of consciousness here about health—it’s very important to people,” she says. “We’re an agricultural state…so that means a lot both economically and culturally.” When asked why it’s important to grow organically, Rachel explains, “I don’t think chemicals are good for us. Not for us, not for soil, not for water. So, for me, organic is really the only option when it comes to ‘healthy’. I want the food that I provide to the community to be extremely healthy, so I would never put chemicals in it.”
Not only are we able to grow healthy alternatives for organic-loving foodies, but selling and buying locally helps Oregon’s economy grow in a positive manner. “[Local support] keeps the money in Oregon, and anytime you’re traveling things…you make a carbon footprint and use more fuels to move things around, so I think it’s in some way more efficient to buy locally—it keeps the money here,” says Saturday Market vendor Michael Byrd from Northwest Natural Beef. “You just get to support the people in your community who are growing things in a good, healthy way for their people. So far, the feedback is that people can tell the difference, and they do appreciate it. I’ll buy from our neighbor here, and our neighbor will buy from another neighbor here and it keeps it all here…and kind of keeps the quality controlled.”
Oregon provides its people with opportunities to make businesses flourish in a way other states cannot. Its fertile valleys, clean water, and health-nut residents make selling local goods a breeze. Oregonians want to support their local small businesses, artists, and vendors in order to keep the community close and keep Oregon’s dollars in Oregon. Small-scale farms are proving their sustainability as the popularity of local agriculture continues to grow. Small farms have become vital to our local food system, and, according to OregonLive.com, “The Oregon Farmer’s Market Association estimates the number of farmer’s markets in the state has grown from 12 to 158 since 1987.”
When asked about Oregon’s consciousness on the importance of local resources as opposed to that of other places, Shelley Bowerman from Agrarian Ales says she believes the importance of staying local is “to support local farmers, keep the food industry local, and keep the GMOs out. We just have a better ability [to stay local]… We are able to eat year round off of food grown in the valley. We’re really lucky. There are a lot of wonderful resources here that people in other area’s aren’t able to enjoy.” She also believes that keeping your local community in mind is vital for businesses. “It’s about the community,” she says. “I think a business and any profit-driven entity should serve the community. Community health should be all of our goals. Of course, we have to make a living and profit is an important motivator, but I think we need to consider goals beyond the capitalistic profit motive.” Joel Watson from Red Wagon Creamery, another vendor at the Eugene Saturday Market, feels similarly. He believes staying local is more important to vendors here than in other nearby states, and that it keeps it fosters humility. “We have our roots here,” he says. “This is where we started and that is why we still do this regularly…I think you have a higher success rate at places like this. People here appreciate the hand- crafted, organic ingredients, [as well as] local stuff…more so than L.A. or something.”
According to Craig Tomlinson, a Eugene Real Estate Broker, supporting local farms and vendors isn’t just a way for Oregonians to support and continue its health-conscious outlook. Apparently, “if each of us spent a mere $3.33 per year on American-made products 10,000 jobs would be created.” Buying local food helps us all. Creating more jobs, keeping people healthy, and supporting the resources around us are all major benefits to buying and selling locally. If people continue to do so, we could soon have a health-conscious, job-fulfilled utopia right in our backyard.
SLO Farms, Agrarian Ales, Northwest Natural Beef, and Red Wagon Creamery are just some of the many Saturday Market participants that use natural, organic, and local ingredients in their goods, and they are all well aware of the good that comes with buying and selling locally. Oregonians seem to be on the right track, and we can proudly say that we are some of most aware in the U.S. in regards to the importance of supporting our communities’ farms, resources, and art, and we will definitely keep doing so until everyone else realizes they are better off following in our footsteps.
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