Web Video
Buying 'Home-Grown' Can Boost Local Economy
Buying 'Home-Grown' Can Boost Local Economy
For local farmers, sizzle is the sound of a cash register bell.This beef was raised and purchased at a local farm. And while we normally see State Senator Tom Libous sizzling up the steaks at his famous steak roast, Thursday at Recreation Park in Binghamton, Libous cooked up some of those steaks and other local produce to show there's more to local products than just tasting good."Take the my district as an example; there's a 110-thousand households" said Libous, R-52nd District. "If every household committed $15 every two weeks on local products. That would mean $43-million to the local economy."And Catherine Glover with the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce say that extra money has a "ripple effect" on area jobs."The ripple effect with an additionally $43-million dollars to the local economy is up a $70-million dollar impact on our local economy when you look at additional agricultural jobs" said Catherine Glover of the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce.While boosters say locally grown and made products are generally healthier for you, they also argue that buying local reduces the risks of food contamination outbreaks, which were prevalent this summer, along with numerous food recalls because of Salmonella."Stuff that comes in our country is just not inspected only one to one and half percent of that food is inspected" said Hank Ferris, a local farmer. "We're seeing that now with the tainted dog food and the lead in the children's toys."It's one solution to both reducing the risk of eating tainted food and boosting the local economy that sounds just as good as it tastes.***FOX 40's RACQUEL ASA REPORTING***
Web Video | September 13, 2007
