Barbercheck points out that a word— “locavore”—has been coined to reflect this new agricultural phenomenon. It means a person who tries to eat only locally produced food. An increasingly common acronym is used by groups promoting local foods— FLOS—fresh, local, organic, sustainable (or seasonal).

It wasn’t long ago that all organic food products were considered to be locally produced, but that has changed dramatically in recent years as companies such as Wal- Mart and Whole Foods have gotten involved in organics sales. “That muddied the waters considerably,” Hyde says. “Previously, organic products were generally produced near where they were consumed. Since grocery chains have gotten into organics, much of the organic produce comes from California and, increasingly, from foreign countries.”

That has created a new extra-special category of value-added product for Pennsylvania farmers: locally produced organic. “In terms of what is most desired by consumers, eventually I expect to see locally produced goods overtake organically produced goods,” Hyde says. “But locally produced, organic goods are doubly good—I think that will be magic in the marketplace—whether it is dairy, cheese, meat, fruit, or vegetable

— Jeff Mullhollem