Local?

The population density of Western Massachusetts is not incredibly high. In Montague, where we're farming, the census data tell us that there are about 280 per square mile in town (compared to 4,768 people per square mile in the nearby city of Springfield). A lot of people who live in the Pioneer Valley are interested in agriculture - its land is some of the most fertile in the state. However, the population of Montague and surrounding towns isn't enough to staff a highly productive fruit and vegetable operation. The cities of Springfield and Lowell (the third- and fourth-most populous cities in the state, respectively) house a large portion of the farm's labor. Every morning a group of farm workers of largely Guatemalan descent arrive from Springfield, and a group of Cambodian workers arrive from Lowell.

The trend in eating local food includes a certain image of community members growing the food and providing for the community. In turn, the community supports the farmer and there is a healthy give and take. To an extent this is the case at the farm, but most of the workers who come in from our of town don't speak much english, suggesting that they haven't spent a great deal of time in the US. The food we provide to our customers is "local" but a lot of the labor that produces the food isn't. Maybe these workers have recently immigrated, maybe they live in ethnic communities where they are able to get by speaking only their native language. I don't know if their wages are the same as mine, and I don't know if the US is home to them, or if this is a seasonal residence. So, admittedly, there is a lot I don't know about these workers because the language barrier makes it hard to talk about and my status on the farm doesn't put me in a position to understand all of the inner workings of the place. Still, migrant workers make up a large portion of US farm labor working alongside "out of towners" every day has me thinking a lot about this fact. We can't deny that we are fed, in large part, by immigrants and not all local food is harvested and cultivated by local residents.

Like my coworkers, I'm interested in traveling so I can farm elsewhere. I assume that my motivation is different from those of the Springfield and Lowell residents. I'm interested in farm and travel in order gain experience, to see someplace new, to learn new farming techniques and speak new languages. I seek work on the road for pleasure. A lot of migrant workers (and I can't say that this is the case where I work) do so out of necessity. Work in the native country is hard to come by, so the US is the place to go to travel with the season, and make money for your self and your family. I try not to eat food from california or mexico, reasoning that it's not ethical food that has to travel 3000 miles on a plane to get to my kitchen. Still, I'd travel 3000 miles in the other direction to farm for pleasure and be a nonlocal growing local food.

The farm needs nonlocal labor. The farm profits from nonlocal labor, and it simultaneously profits from having a "local" shtick. The economy thrives off of nonlocal labor. Still, the farm community prides itself on being local, sustainable, just. In many ways, it truly is all of these things, but it seems like sources of labor are overlooked when we calculate how local our food is.