It’s amazing to see people from all walks of life throwing their support and buying power behind local agriculture. Movements like “Eat Local” and “Shop Local,” community farmers’ markets, and farm to table restaurants are all boosting local farm families in East Tennessee and across the U.S. 
But did you know that local agriculture isn’t just for food? Materials produced on local farms are used for a variety of purposes and products. Agricultural fiber for sustainable packaging, like Genera’s Earthable® brand, is just one example of a non-food local farm product.
Committing to buy local for products that you can’t put in your mouth might not be as delicious as shopping the Saturday farmers’ market, but it’s a conscientious choice that supports your local economy. Here’s why it makes sense.
Simplify the Supply Chain
Have you ever considered where the disposable products you use every day come from? Whether you’re carrying home take-out in a Styrofoam container or you use a paper plate at a local picnic, it’s likely that product came from far away or even overseas.
When products that perform as well as their overseas counterparts can be produced in your local area, why sink time and resources into importing them? Buying local simplifies the supply chain, avoids international issues like trade disputes, and supports local employment.
Conserve Resources
Shipping materials from overseas is costly, consuming non-renewable resources and causing unnecessary pollution. Producing materials and manufacturing products close to home closes that loop. When you buy local products, you’re making a responsible choice that keeps your buying power local and reduces fossil fuel consumption.
Preserve Local Farms
Your local farms are businesses, and to stay in business they need a market for their products. Buying local food is just one part of the equation. Supporting value-added farm efforts like corn mazes, pumpkin patches and wineries is another part. Looking for local alternatives to other products you use in your daily life completes the equation.
The farming way of life is a vital piece of our local economy. It preserves green spaces and natural beauty, along with the important role farm families play in our communities.
At Genera, we’ve created a solution that gives consumers the best of both worlds. They can buy local and make a sustainable choice for more than food with our Earthable® ag fiber and molded fiber products. Sourced and produced right here in East Tennessee — not overseas — Earthable® is a choice to be proud of.
For more information, or to become a Genera farmer, call us at (423) 884-4119 or contact Genera online.
