Rising Food Costs Got You Down?

Everyone in the nation has been watching oil prices rise for months, but, until recently, most people have not been concerned with the price of a bushel of corn. We are all beginning to realize that these two economic indicators are inherently tied to one another. Current prices—$113.97 for a barrel of oil and $6 for a bushel of corn—leave Athens residents begging for ways to ease the pain of rising fuel and grocery bills.

Citizens of Egypt and Haiti have experienced riots and public unrest as results of steep grain costs. As Athens residents we should be grateful that our situation is not as dire and our options not as drastic.

One way that the community is alleviating the strain is by adopting the practice of buying local. Buying local simply means that a person attempts to buy as much of their household groceries from nearby farms or growers. There are countless benefits to buying local: lower fuel costs associated with the transport of products, support for local community farms, preservation of open land and lower grocery bills.

Athens offers so many options for buying locally. Here are a few venues to help Athens area residents to get started:

The Farm 255- A downtown Athens restaurant whose menu is based upon seasonal locally grown food. Bonus! They offer live music every night.
http://www.farm255.com/index.html

Athens Locally Grown- A group of local growers who have banded together to provide chemical-free local produce, dairy, meats and even flowers to its semi-co-op members.
athens.locallygrown.net

Oconee County Farmer’s Market- Located at Eagle Tavern in downtown Watkinsville, the Farmer’s Market is committed to providing agriculture-based products from local sustainable sources.
oconeefarmersmarket.org