'Power of 2': Change the Way You Eat

Barber stocks both of his Blue Hill restaurants with meat and vegetables produced by local farmers in the area. He describes their superior flavor and nutritional value with an evangelical zeal, acknowledging that fresher food comes with a higher cost.

"As my friend the farmer says, 'You can either pay me or pay the doctor,'" Barber says.

While food from small farms can be more expensive, there are hidden costs in cheap supermarket fare. The average grocery item travels 1,500 miles, driving up the demand and price of gas. A typical American meal contains food from five different countries, while each year this country loses a million acres of farmland to development.

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"Sure, my garlic is a bit more expensive," says New Jersey farmer Ron Binaghi, III. "Where's the garlic coming from in a big chain? You don't know, neither do I, neither does the customer and you ask the person with the apron on. They don't know."

Binaghi manages to grow 60 types of herbs, vegetables and flowers on his 18 acres. Since you can see the Empire State Building from the roof of his barn, he could sell his land to developers for millions.

But more houses would mean more roads, sewers, cops and schools, and all of his neighbor's property taxes would go up. Supporting small local farmers keeps taxes down, while preserving precious open space.

Duncan L. Hilchey, an agriculture development specialist with the Community and Rural Development Institute at Cornell University, says that supermarkets may have a relative price advantage because of economies of scale — but he adds, "When you add up all the external costs, such as environmental damage, the pollution generated by long-haul transport, water supply subsidies to Western farmers [who are large suppliers of supermarket produce], and the social costs of poorly treated farm labor, I believe you will find that food purchased from your local farmers market is much cheaper."

A recent study by the Maine Organic Farms and Gardeners Association estimates that by encouraging Maine residents to spend just $10 per week on local food, $100 million would be invested back into farmer's pockets and the Maine economy each growing season.