Nebraska ag report shows soaring direct farm-to-table sales

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A recent report released by the Center for Rural Affairs shows increasing interest in locally grown products.

Nebraska is the fourth-largest farm state in the country but has seen a marked decline in farms and farming acreage in recent years.

Between 2017 and 2022, the state lost nearly 2,000 farms and a million acres of farmland.

But there is a bright spot.

New data show impressive growth in direct sales of locally grown food — an 84% increase in sales directly to consumers and a 45% increase in direct sales to retailers and food hubs.

Lincolnites like Lorriane on the NOW Local News App said her family takes advantage of things like farmers markets regularly.

“I think it’s a great idea,” she said. “We’ve done it for years. Usually what we’ve done is bought a side of beef, which up front is kind of a bigger expense, but long term, it’s so much more cost effective.”

The growing interest in local products brings a potential economic boom for Nebraska farmers and ranchers.

If every Nebraskan purchased $5 of food each week directly from farms in the state, the report says it would generate $512 million in new farm income.

“Farmers markets are wildly successful and popular,” said Nebraska Farmers Union President John Hansen. “There’s a really positive thing that comes when you shorten the distance between food producers and food consumers.”

But tightening that gap is also the result of hard lessons learned.

Hansen said the pandemic highlighted the need for more resiliency and diversity in food systems.

“Certainly, during the COVID period of time, we found out that our very large, industrialized food production system works when it works, and when it doesn’t work, boy, do things grind to a halt in a hurry.”