Farm News: July '22

Whew! What a whirlwind it has been! Little Farm Store officially launched in June, and it’s off to a good start! The first orders and deliveries were a great test of the system, and thankfully things are functioning pretty well. It’s always a good deal when systems go live and do what they are designed to do!

Orders tripled from week one to week two and saw another big increase in week 3; a big thank you to everyone who has signed up and shared the information with others! The more customers we have, the easier it is to get producers added to the network. Keep sharing those posts!

Drop points are beginning to get established to serve people who are out of the delivery areas and give buyers another option to conveniently access local groceries. Currently, Spring Valley Herbs in Springfield is ready to serve customers who choose the pick up option for that area. Mountain Grove’s drop point is located inside Ace Hardware. Mansfield and Seymour customers are able to pick up their orders at the Little Farm Store Office. I am working on adding drop points in Hartville and Rogersville so be looking for more information on that coming soon.

It’s summer, and the early crops, like strawberries and spinach are closing out production with the warmer temperatures, but lettuces and leafy greens are up in full, and the variety of veggies coming ready to harvest this month will be great for those summertime salads! Missouri weather this spring has been a little hard on crops, with temperatures dropping and rising dramatically. These conditions obviously impacted what farmers have available. But harvests are looking good in the coming month.

It’s been incredibly meaningful to launch this business, and I am so grateful to all who have been supporting Little Farm Store and the local food economy. With your support we are building a healthier community by promoting resilient local producers, growing delicious nutrient dense foods.