Good-Natured Nutrition
Good-Natured Nutrition
What in the world is an AgriCluster? Ultimately, it is a fancy compound word that refers to interconnected agricultural businesses operating within a small radius.
Or, as the North American Food Systems Network says:
In order to support these AgriClusters, the North American Food Systems Network created the AgriCluster Resilience and Expansion (ACRE) program. ACRE, is an incredible resource that provides strategic planning assistance for farmers and small agricultural businesses like LionBerry.
In the featured photo, with all the smiling faces, you can see our AgriCluster. We call ourselves the Kansas East Elderberry Branch or KEEB.
People act like small batch is a hobby.
Nope.
Every bottle from a small farmer is a value-added product inside a value food chain.
That chain is made of humans, not container ships.
If global trade gets tariffed to death, or the truckers strike, or a war kicks off, or a fuel shortage hits, or a natural disaster…guess what?
Walmart will not be driving to Thailand for pineapple juice.
Local food is the only thing that can actually disrupt the global supply chain — in a good way.
And here’s the delusion:
Everyone thinks “we’ll connect with the local farmers when we need them.”
Nope.
If the shelves go empty, it’s already too late.
Now is the time to get the relationships built. The value chain in motion.
Now is the time to slot locals in the stores — even if it’s as “novelty items” at first on a local farm shelf.
Because when the global pipeline hiccups?
The people who will actually feed your region
aren’t the ones with the biggest warehouses.
Shop local or… we’ll be learning how to season cardboard and call it rustic.
