In the past 10 years, the local foods phenomenon has taken America by storm. Created as a way to combat the rising amount of processed foods found in local grocery stores and to implement sustainable farming practices, the local foods movement (whose eaters are dubbed locavores) gained momentum in the early 2000’s. Farmers markets also tremendously decreased the cost of transportation associated with food production, as typical vendors travel less than 50 miles to the markets. With over 8,000 active markets in the U.S. in 2014 alone, farmers markets not only provide city dwellers with fresh, nutritious and locally sourced food, they also stimulate the local economy.  These energy efficient uses have less of an impact on the environment than traditional farming practices that can cause overconsumption of water, large fossil fuel use and runoff of harmful fertilizers.
But what about those exasperating winters which conclude our beloved farmers market season? Is there any way to prolong the market season into these dreary winter months or ways in which we can initiate yearlong farming techniques? The answer is YES! In fact, there are many different ways to extend the growing season.  These techniques include: root cellars, greenhouses and aquaponics, which are in use at year-round farmers markets across the Midwest.
Root cellars were first used in Australia over 40,000 years ago as a way to keep their harvested crops fresh for months. Root cellars use the Earth’s natural humidifying, cooling, and insulating properties without using electricity for refrigeration. They function best when the cellar temperature ranges from 32 to 40 degrees and 85 to 95 percent humidity. Many homes built around the turn of the century have root cellars, but once the refrigerator was created, they became redundant. However, many small-scale farmers continue to take advantage of this style of food preservation, because of the longer storage period, and the non-existent cost of electricity (which is normally needed for refrigeration).
For many years, the sole purpose of a greenhouse was to grow plants throughout the winter. With the new aquaponics technology, greenhouses are becoming essential members in year-round fish production. Aquaponics farming is the blending of aquaculture and hydroponics and uses the nutrient rich water from fish holding tanks to fertilize and hydrate crop plants. In turn the water is then purified and safe to use again for the fish. This type of farming method is considered highly efficient because regular inputs, like fertilizer, water and large amounts of land, are significantly reduced. Reports from the University of Hawaii have also shown that an aquaponics system with 25 square feet of space can easily feed a person for life! Aquaponics systems can provide yearlong fresh produce and fish to areas where food would normally need to travel thousands of miles.
It’s clear that America’s need for local foods will not be hindered any time soon and we will most likely see even more year-round farmers markets around the U.S. With this, farmers will need to implement new ways in which they can farm year-round. Hopefully these three practices shed some light onto ways in which we in Wisconsin can eat locally throughout the year.