Chattanooga Region Spends $3.7 Billion on Food Annually
With Thanksgiving just days away, Crabtree Farms today released the first-ever comprehensive analysis of food production and consumption patterns in the Chattanooga region. The report coincided with the launch of the Chattanooga Buy Fresh Buy Local Chapter, designed to increase support for local food producers in the Chattanooga Region.
The report, prepared by the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies, report found that consumers within a fifty mile radius of Chattanooga spent an estimated $3.7 billion on food in 2005 - most of which was imported from outside of the region. Just a shift of 5% of total consumption to local production would produce a direct economic impact of $100 million for the region.
"As we were starting the Chattanooga Buy Fresh Buy Local campaign, we wanted to gather basic data on farms and agricultural production in our foodshed," said Vanessa Mercer, Executive Director of Crabtree Farms, which is heading the Buy Fresh Buy Local effort. "This report helps us better understand what the farms out there are growing and how much there is to be gained by increasing both local food production and consumption. This issue is particularly important as we go into the holiday season, a time which is traditionally marked by meals with family and friends. We want to help encourage residents to consider where their meals come from and to help them realize the benefits of buying more locally produced food."
Buy Fresh Buy Local is a national grassroots campaign with chapters in regions across the United States. The Chattanooga Chapter will focus on promoting local food within a 50-mile radius of Chattanooga. "Our goal is to help citizens find, choose and appreciate local foods while supporting the local farmers that produce them," said Mercer.
The Ochs Center report focused on all counties within fifty miles of Chattanooga and was based on data from the USDA Agricultural Census, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Other findings in the Ochs Center report include:
- In 2002, approximately 1.9 million acres of cropland was harvested by 29,754 farms
- Of the cropland harvested, over half was used to grow hay and grass for forage, another 37% was used to grow corn and soybeans, and less than 1% was used to grow vegetables
- Over 50% of farms in the region were classified as principally producing beef cattle
- Farms in the region sold $2.1 billion in crops and livestock in 2002. Of the total sales livestock and animal products accounted for 83%, while all other crops accounted for just 16% of sales.
For more information on the report or the Buy Fresh Buy Local Chapter, visit the Crabtree Farms website at www.crabtreefarms.org or contact Sarah Malone at 493-9155 x16.
The report was authored by Lori Quillen, Policy Analyst at the Ochs Center for Metropolitan Studies. The Ochs Center conducts data analysis and policy research to improve the quality of life in the Chattanooga region. Funding for the study was provided by the Benwood Foundation.
