Demand rising for locally grown food

Concerns about food contamination and the environmental impact of long-haul transportation are stoking demand for locally grown food in Connecticut.

Customers at Urban Oaks Organic Farm in New Britain, for example, are likely to end up on a waiting list. Three years ago, the small nonprofit farm sold only a few pounds of greens each week. This year, it's selling 40 pounds a week and is looking for more land to expand.

"For us, the battle is just trying to keep up with the demand," said Ken Zaborowski, a manager at Urban Oaks. "The last year and a half, everything started picking up."

Record fuel prices also are boosting competition as local growers vie with huge agricultural businesses that ship goods across the United States. Still, the high demand hasn't yet produced more growers, with farmland in Connecticut continuing to be pressed by land development.

"We are bumping up against an initial feeling of limited supply," said Jennifer McTiernan, executive director of CitySeed, which operates farmers markets in New Haven. "We do need some more farmers in Connecticut and that is incredibly good news."

The demand for locally produced food has grown so much that trying to find a "crop share" - a system that calls for customers to pay in advance for a portion of a farm's summer harvest - is nearly impossible. Holcomb Farm in Granby, which operates one of the largest crop-share programs, said by last Thanksgiving, it already sold out the 350 shares available for this year.

Supermarkets, restaurants and other large buyers also are finding supplies tight because more farms are starting to bypass wholesalers to sell directly to consumers, agricultural advocates said.

And towns are clamoring to establish farmers markets to such an extent that state officials say Connecticut may soon have more markets than in-state farmers to support them. The number of markets has grown by 50 percent over the last four years, with 16 new ones expected to start this spring.

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