The number of farmers’ markets has nearly doubled in the past 10 years.

“Locally grown” is a buzz phrase that is no longer reserved for the conscientious consumer. Veteran farmers’ market goers and organic-cotton-tee-wearing yuppies alike are giving local products a more thoughtful glance before making their produce purchases.

Despite local produce being all the rage, there’s still a lot to learn about local food systems and how they operate, which prompted a study on the topic recently released by the USDA’s Economic Research Service.

Surprisingly enough, researchers found that locally marketed food is produced most often on small farms near urban areas.

These farms, where, according to the 2007 U.S. Census of Agriculture, the farmers will package, transport and distribute their own produce, are concentrated in the urban corridors of the Northeast and West Coast. This is most presumably because of the ease of access to urban consumers in these areas, says Steve Martinez from the Food Markets Branch of the ERS.

Although the researchers didn’t look at growth of locally marketed produce in other areas of the country, counties in the Great Lakes region also seem to be hubs of local fare, sporting high numbers of farmers’ markets and community-supported agriculture. 

However, there’s evidence of a rising demand for locally produced food throughout the country. Both the number of U.S. farmers’ markets and sales resulting from direct-to-consumer marketing have nearly doubled in the past 10 years. The number of farmers’ markets topped out at 5,274 in 2009, according to the USDA Agriculture Marketing Service, and farmers’ direct-to-consumer marketing equaled about $1.2 billion in sales in 2007, according to the agriculture census. Also, according to the National Center for Appropriate Technology, the number of CSA operations, which were nearly unheard of in the mid 1980s, totaled 1,144 in 2005.

But down to the big question of the day: What is local?

“In terms of distance between production and consumption, there is no consensus among consumers as to what this distance is,” Martinez says. “Consumers may associate other characteristics with the local foods definition—which may or may not be related to distance—such as products that are fresher, [are] produced in an environmentally and animal-friendly way, strengthen community ties, and support small-scale farmers and the local economy.”

Legislators have also failed to agree on an official definition. The 2008 Farm Act adopted a definition of locally or regionally produced food being less than 400 miles from farm to market or within the state of production. However, this definition mainly affects federal programs that provide loans for rural development, says Martinez.

Individual states are instituting their own definitions of “locally grown” produce. In May 2010, the governor of Maryland, one of those states focusing on providing a clear definition of local agriculture, signed an agriculture bill that would allow the state to define the word local as it relates to the sale of agricultural products.

“The definition of ‘local’ that retailers use varies wildly, so there is no way for a consumer to know from one store to the next if they mean 100 miles or 1,000 miles as local,” says Sue duPont from the Maryland Department of Agriculture. For Maryland consumers, 400 miles could be North Carolina, New York, et cetera. We think (and are currently surveying consumers) that people think of local as closer than that.”

An advisory committee will meet with Maryland’s agriculture secretary in August to discuss the definition. The law will take effect next year, once the definition goes through the public comment process, says duPont.

Whatever the definition of “local” may be, the federal government is taking action to increase access to local food, says Martinez. The USDA’s Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative, for example, is working to connect consumers with local producers.

“As part of the initiative, existing USDA programs will be used to assist in establishing food hubs to overcome challenges faced by lack of distribution and processing infrastructure,” he says.

Perhaps this will translate to access to more local food in farmers’ markets and beyond.

How do you define local? Tell us on the Urban Farm forums.

States across the U.S. are passing electronic-recycling laws that will hold electronics manufacturers responsible for e-waste.

Computers and other electronic devices have become a necessary part of every day life in the United States. But if you’ve gotten blue screen of death or lost your entire music collection, you know they don’t last forever. Trashing a big, old computer isn’t as easy as putting it out on the curb or listing it in the “free” section of Craigslist. That’s why many state governments have stepped in to handle the regulation of residents’ e-waste, while other states are still figuring it out.

For Connecticut, the answer came in the form of a statewide electronic-recycling law similar to Maine’s, according to Tom Metzner, an environmental analyst for Connecticut’s Department of Environment Protection.

First signed into law in July 2007, a final version of “An Act Concerning the Collection and Recycling of Covered Electronic Devices” was adopted in June 2010 and is set to roll out in full force in the fall. The law will provide free electronics recycling to Connecticut residents with seven or fewer electronic devices to recycle at any given time—a great deal for anyone who’s been reluctantly (yet responsibly) using an old monitor as an ottoman.

Each Connecticut city will determine its own mode of e-waste collection, but the most common way to collect covered electronic devices (CEDs) is to set up a drop-off area at a local transfer station, according to the Connecticut government website. When the collection modes are set and the state approves recycling companies, Connecticut residents will be able to recycle their computers, monitors, printers and televisions free of charge with those companies. Only electronic devices from a home will be accepted. E-waste generated by businesses falls under different federal and state regulations.

The e-waste recycling plan takes the financial burden off consumers and municipalities and places it solely on the electronics manufacturers. Approved recycling companies will sort the materials by manufacturer and bill manufacturers directly for the cost of recycling and transporting its CEDs. Electronics manufacturers will also pay a tax to help cover unmarked or “orphan” items.

Perhaps the most disposable electronic devices of all, cell phones, aren’t included in the recycling plan. The legislation clearly states that cell phones aren’t acceptable CEDs “unless they contain a video display area greater than 4 inches measured diagonally.” However, each municipality will have the option to partner with Call2Recycle, operated by the national nonprofit Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation.

Twenty-two states have passed similar legislation mandating statewide electronic recycling, according to the Electronics TakeBack Coalition, an organization that promotes responsible electronics production and recycling. That means that once those laws go into effect (many, like Missouri, South Carolina and New York, are still in the process of being adopted), more than 60 percent of the U.S. will be covered by e-waste recycling laws. All of the laws, except for California, require the manufacturers to pay for recycling.

Still, many areas, whether they’re covered by statewide programs or not, are collecting e-waste. In Kansas, the Johnson County Environmental Department is hoping to set a Guinness World Record for electronics recycling this weekend. And the nationwide chain, Best Buy, has a free electronics recycling program with very few restrictions.

Although it has quite a few restrictions, after a two-year delay, Connecticut is ready to get the ball rolling on its e-waste recycling program.

“Recycler applications are due by the end of August,” Metzner says, “and we’re hoping to post a list by the first of October.”

Photo by Audrey Pavia

Mr. Molly after digging through the bark for bugs.

Chickens that live in coops are pretty much limited to whatever their owners give them to eat. But free-roaming chickens get to chow down on whatever suits their fancy. Our chickens have the run of the yard during the day and have taught me a whole lot about what chickens — or at least, my chickens — will eat. For example, they will eat:

• small worms, but not earthworms (too big and squiggly)
• grass on the back lawn
• eggs that break by accident
• the fly predator cocoons I put down in the horse stalls for biological fly control (Can’t do that anymore!)
• undigested flax seed pooped out by the horses
• bugs that hide under the decorative tree bark in the planters (This drives Randy crazy because they throw the bark all over the place, and he has to sweep it up.)

And then there is the stuff that we feed the chickens on purpose. They have become consummate beggars, especially Mr. Mabel, the dominant roo. Whenever one of us goes outside, he barges over, demanding one of his regular treats:

• chicken scratch
• blueberries cut in half
• apples, pears and nectarines
• watermelon
• cat food
• mealworms
• tomatoes

As much as we love to share whatever we have in the house, there are a few things we won’t give them because I’ve heard these are bad for chickens:

• citrus fruits — too acidic
• avocado — because of something called persin, which can be toxic.
• onions — not good for dogs, so probably not good for chickens
• garlic — unless we want our eggs to smell like an Italian restaurant
• mustard greens, kale and cabbage — can cause diarrhea
• uncooked meat — can carry parasites
• bread — can cause crop issues

Although our birds love treats, they seem to get their greatest enjoyment from digging around and finding their own stuff to eat. It gives them something to do and probably makes them feel very special when they locate a particularly juicy bug. Plus, these antics keep pests in the garden to a minimum. Can’t beat that!

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Staking your tomato plant could keep the fruit from sunburning during hot July weather.

It’s early July, and tomatoes are already beginning to show off their soft, red flesh. But with heat indexes rising, urban farmers need to put extra care into their tomato plants to see the benefits of a hearty harvest.

Pruning and staking tomato plants keep the fruit off the ground and protects fruit from sunburn, says Maurice Ogutu, a horticulture educator at the University of Illinois Cooperative Extension. It also exposes leaves to full sun and reduces competition between suckers—shoots growing from the base of the plant that consume its water supply—and the developing fruit.

“Tomatoes can be supported by stakes, cages or trellises. The type of support depends on the tomato growth habit,” he says.

Tomato Varieties

Tomatoes can have one of two growth habits: determinate or indeterminate.

The determinate tomato varieties have short- to medium-length vines. Plants are heavily branched, and growth stops when they start flowering. Every branch tends to end with a flower cluster. The determinate tomato varieties can be staked or caged, but not trellised. They are not heavily pruned, as most of the fruit is produced on the branches. Some of the determinate varieties are Celebrity, Bush Steak, Mountain Pride, Rutgers and Super Tasty.

The indeterminate tomato varieties, on the other hand, continue to grow and produce leaves and flowers until the first frost. They are heavily pruned when trellised, moderately pruned when staked and lightly pruned when caged. Some of the indeterminate varieties are Better Boy, Big Beef, Big Pink, Brandy Boy, Brandywine and Floradel.

“Pruning is the removal of small shoots that join the stem,” Ogutu says. “This reduces competition between the suckers and the fruit. Pruned plants produce larger and earlier fruit as most of the plant energy is channeled into the fruit.”

Remove the tomato shoots when they are 4 inches long, as removal of larger suckers may injure the plant. This can be done by grasping the tomato sucker between your thumb and second finger and bending it to the side until it breaks. Do this early in the day when the tomato plant is still crisp. Do not cut suckers with a knife, as this can lead to the spread of tomato diseases.

Limit the branches of indeterminate tomato varieties to two or three fruit-producing branches by selecting the main stem sucker that develops immediately below the first flower cluster, and another sucker below that. Remove all other suckers, and periodically remove additional suckers that develop on the selected branches.

Staking Tomatoes

“For staking, it’s important to decide on the type of support before setting plants in the garden,” Ogutu notes. “Plants that are supported using trellises are set closer than plants to be staked or caged. Plants to be caged are set farther apart than plants to be staked. Alternatively, you can choose the type of support based on how the plants were set in your garden.”

Staking tomato plants requires metal or wooden stakes. The wooden stakes need to be at least 1 square inch. Sections of concrete reinforcing rods can also be used as stakes, but do not use stakes made from chemically treated wood. Determinate tomato varieties require stakes that are 3 to 4 feet long, and indeterminate tomato varieties require stakes that are 5 to 6 feet long.

Space the tomato plants about 2 feet apart within the garden row. Place the stake next to each tomato plant or 3 to 4 inches away from the base of the plant. Avoid the side where the first flower clusters appear.

Tie individual branches to the stake with a polyethylene cord or sisal twine by looping it loosely around the plant. Continue to prune and tie the plant as it grows. Do not tie the plant below the flower clusters. When staking determinate varieties, remove the first suckers only.

Caging Tomatoes

To cage tomato plants, use wire cages made from concrete reinforcing wire. Make cages about 18 inches in diameter with openings (about 6 inches wide) that allow your hands through for picking. Indeterminate tomato varieties require taller cages of about 5 feet tall, and determinate tomato types need shorter cages, about 2 to 3 feet tall.

Anchor the tomato cages around the plants. Set tomato plants 3 feet apart, and put a cage over each plant. Push the legs into the ground to anchor the cages. Plants are pruned to four to five fruiting branches. Turn the ends of the branches back into the cage.

Trellising Tomatoes

For trellising tomatoes, posts should be anchored in the ground about 20 feet apart and about 6 feet above the soil surface.

“Stretch a piece of barbed wire between the tops of the posts,” Ogutu says. “Attach a length of twine to the wire above each plant. Tie the twine to the base of each plant and wrap plants around the twine as they grow, or tie them with plastic clips. Use a separate cord for each stem when trellising two stems per plant.”