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Thread: Best place to buy food for storage?

  1. #11
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    99.95% of our nation's population lives within a 2 hour drive of farm land. Problem is that a high percentage of people are unaware of where it is.

    The USDA tracks this for you.

    http://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/

    If you looking for wheat, corn, barley, beef, it can all be found in their database broken down by county.

    For example. One county West of me produces corn. So I go there for corn. North of me is barley, North-East is oats.

    One previous poster used the excuse that they live in NJ as why they can not get local produce.

    Yet NJ:
    has over 730,000 acres of farmland;
    produces 8,094,000 bushels of corn;
    produces 1,127,000 bushels of wheat;
    and produces 515,000 cwt of potatoes.

    :)

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Forest Beekeeper View Post
    ...

    One previous poster used the excuse that they live in NJ as why they can not get local produce.

    Yet NJ:
    has over 730,000 acres of farmland;
    produces 8,094,000 bushels of corn;
    produces 1,127,000 bushels of wheat;
    and produces 515,000 cwt of potatoes.
    Find me the wheat and I'll buy it! :)

  3. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by bbkaren View Post
    Find me the wheat and I'll buy it! :)
    Do you need me to drive down to NJ and haul it for you too?

    :)

    The information is available to you for free. To see which counties in your state produce each crop.

  4. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by Forest Beekeeper View Post
    Do you need me to drive down to NJ and haul it for you too?

    :)

    The information is available to you for free. To see which counties in your state produce each crop.
    Just because something is grown in an area, doesn't mean that it's there for the average person to purchase. It's not like they have roadside stands in wheat country, selling 50# bags of wheat.

    There are ways to buy it from the farmer, the mill, or the feedstore. But how would someone who is not from the area have a clue about that? If you walked up to most farm households, even during harvest season, and asked for a bag of wheat, you would be looked at like you are crazy.

  5. #15
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    Default Azure Standard

    I use Azure Standard ( http://www.azurestandard.com/ ) for all organic and natural grains plus about anything else. They supply whole foods without the mark up of "food storage" businesses.
    Shipping is free if you meet the minimum order requirements and are on their truck route.

  6. #16
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    Perhaps I am 'crazy' then.

    Some of our grain I buy from a Co-Op. That is the guys who own big silos that get filled from local farmers. I make the trip there during harvest. The prices are usually written in chalk on a wall. I tell them how many bags I want and they load my truck. That is how I get my barley. it is in a silo.

    The rest of the grain I buy I get from farmers. I call ahead to make sure when they are harvesting, and what price they will be wanting. I bring cash. A few times when I get there, they have filled bags for me directly from the combine as it drove in from the field. Other times, they will have a few pallets loaded with bagged grain sitting in a barn. Farmers may put the bulk of their grain onto trailers to be taken to a coop silo somewhere, but they always set some aside bagged for cash. They prefer cash. This is how I get my corn and my oats; directly from the farmers growing it.

  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by naturallysweet View Post
    Just because something is grown in an area, doesn't mean that it's there for the average person to purchase. It's not like they have roadside stands in wheat country, selling 50# bags of wheat.

    There are ways to buy it from the farmer, the mill, or the feedstore. But how would someone who is not from the area have a clue about that? If you walked up to most farm households, even during harvest season, and asked for a bag of wheat, you would be looked at like you are crazy.
    When something is grown; that does in fact mean it is available for purchase.

    What I did, was I located which grains are produced in which counties. I drove there and saw the fields and facilities. I stopped and asked who I should speak with about buying some.

    Something else I have done, is google to find a grain dealer in a county. Call them mid-day, I nearly always get the farm-wife. Introduce myself and ask if she knows anyone in the area who is growing 'X'. Those farm-wives always know the scoop; and are always talkative. By the time the conversation ends, I have a list of names/phone numbers, along with what crop each is producing that year.

    I just make 'cold-calls'. I never misrepresent myself. Just be open and honest about what your looking for.

  8. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by Forest Beekeeper View Post
    Do you need me to drive down to NJ and haul it for you too?

    :)

    The information is available to you for free. To see which counties in your state produce each crop.
    Don't bust my onions, dude, I've looked. Although you're right, I haven't driven up to random farms hoping that wheat is one of their crops.

    BTW, here's NJ's data from your source:

    http://www.nass.usda.gov/QuickStats/...ta_US_CNTY.jsp

  9. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by bbkaren View Post
    Don't bust my onions, dude, I've looked. Although you're right, I haven't driven up to random farms hoping that wheat is one of their crops.

    BTW, here's NJ's data from your source:

    http://www.nass.usda.gov/QuickStats/...ta_US_CNTY.jsp
    I did not intend to come off here insulting you. My apology.

    Looks like Essex county is the big one for fruits / nuts.
    Apples is Gloucester, Sussex, Warren.

    I had no idea that NJ produced so many grapes, nectarines too
    Gloucester and Cumberland are both big on peaches.
    Atlantic and Burlington are big in berries.



    My point was that for most Americans we have many crops being produced near where we live. Buying from the farmer is cheaper. If you can't buy direct from the farmer [and I can not think of a reason not to] then you can still buy from the farmer's local coop.

    :)

  10. #20
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    And I didn't mean to sound oversensitive; building my food storage has been a real chore here! Thanks, though--

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