Local is far more important to me than organic -- for veggies and fruit. It strikes me as somewhat hypocritical for me, a person in good health, to somehow egoistically say that I'd rather have my greens trucked from far away but don't want to have the chance of pesticides I can, for the most part, wash off, at the expense of everyone's health (the fumes), energy footprint and not supporting my community first. That said, I wouldn't necessarily say the same for meats / eggs etc, because I somehow think (with no real proof of it, mind you) that there's probably far more deadly thing in commercially-produced meat products, things I can't change (too much fat, antibiotics etc) or wash off, so I could understanding favoring organic above all else for these products.

local is more important for me too. organic is nice, but sometimes the local farms just don't want to be bothered with the certification. my favorite local farm does everything in an organic way, and their produce is way better than the organic stuff i get from the stand a few spots down.

For me, local trumps organic too. Besides, a lot of local veggies are organic anyway. As for meat and eggs, we have found local suppliers, who are not only cheaper, but provide great quality too. It's local fish that I'm somewhat dubious about - there are too many warnings about mercury and other toxic substances in the Great Lakes.

Local means, I know who tended the "garden". Definitely, that is the food I want to be eating and the people I want to be supporting.

They are both important to me, but in my opinion non-industrial production methods are more important than having the food grown locally. I don't want to have local farming that is built on the same destructive practices that are the foundation of industrial agriculture, and I don't need people spraying poison into my air and ground water.

I was just pondering this question myself. What really floored me was when I stopped at a farmer's market this weekend and not only was most of the produce non-organic, the guy told me it came from a farm in South Carolina. I live in Wisconsin...

I would like to have them go hand in hand, or at least local with the fewest pesticides used possible.

local for sure. by the time you pop the fumes into the equation, made-in-china organic produce is hardly good for you or the planet. plus, as emedarwash said, local means you can establish a dialogue with the producer and know exactly what was and was not done to the food.

Definitely LOCAL. I find that most of the people I buy my food items from are responsible in how they grow, harvest, make their products anyway. Often times, they are pretty much organic anyway. I love supporting my local food providers. I love seeing the same faces every week at the market where I buy my goat feta, luscious pluots and beautiful sunflowers!

Can I cheese out and say both? I won't support local producers who use toxic chemicals, but I won't buy chemical-free things from far away either (except a few staples: coffee, spices, grains and line-caught salmon that I just can't give up). I don't see the point in either.

That said, I don't give a crap about organic certification-- most of my favourite places aren't certified... the guys I buy my beef from fertilize their crops with the manure... best beef AND the best melons I've ever had.

Depends on the taste entirely. I've been going to the farmers market for a while now and I can tell you the organic growers there are always amazing while a lot of the just local guys are worse than the supermarket. At the same time there is one corn stand which is not organic that basically counts the hours that corn has been off the stalk ( ie picked that morning) and I will always buy from them.

Local. Although the word seems a bit funny when I think that I'm looking forward to fresh corn and wild blueberries tonight that I brought home from the Berkshires last night.

Manjar, by the way, I'm not sure if you mean non-commercial as in 'organic certified' or non-commercial as in, well, non-commercial. A lot of certified organic produce is produced in a very commercial way, with chemical pesticides and fertilizers that is just organic. This doesn't sit well with me, which is one of the reasons that I buy local in the first place...

Local, hands down. Most of the vendors I buy from at the farmers market are very small and not certified organic- although most all of them use organic practices. I tend to find more unique produce and better prices through these small farmers as well, and I love talking to the same person every week. Organic is just a bonus, or a preference when stuck picking something up from the grocery store.

@ manjar: many organic farms use industrial production method, and pesticides, and fertilizers (they just use the ones the FDA hasn't listed as non-organic). Many organic producers are very much in the business for profit and therefor use industrial methods, the same methods non-organic farms use.

I vote Local!

L O C A L !

It depends on the item - if the locals are "no pesticides" then fine, but if it's a choice of local with chemicals or organic from somewhere else in the state I will go organic - especially if it's something like strawberries or potatoes which are super high on the pesticide usage list. I try to stay within California though.

I think Organic vs. Local is something of a false dilemma. In our family it's important to eat both locally and organically. I don't personally look for organic certification when shopping locally for the reasons mentioned in the post: I can ask how the food is grown, and I can get verification from other vendors at the market. I'm passionate about supporting local business and making sure that my dollars impact our local food politics and economy, so disregarding sustainable and ethical local businesses simply because they haven't jumped through every (expensive) legal hoop is counterproductive and hurts us both.

But I can't always get everything I need at the farmers market, so at the grocery store I choose organic items. Many local organic farms stay afloat by also supplying organic produce to grocery chains. I definitely want to make sure we're eating organic food and supporting organic business on a larger scale.

I like to think of local and organic as allies against conventional industrial farming.

Honestly? Neither is a huge overlying factor. I want my produce to taste good and be accessible. By accessible I mean I want to be able to get it in my market or farmer's market and I'm not going to pay an arm and a leg. Don't get me wrong, I will pay more for something good, but I'm not paying an exorbitant amount for it (for example, I find organic strawberries just taste better and I'll pay an additional 50 cents a basket for that). I guess it's just personal protest that good fresh food should be accessible and affordable to all.

I enjoy it when I am able to support my local farmers because I like supporting local business, not because I'm concerned about the carbon footprint. Local production can actually have a larger carbon footprint because production is not as efficient (you have to take into account everything, not just how far the food traveled to get to you).

And lastly, sometimes I just want to try an asparagus recipe other than the early spring. I don't think I should feel bad about that. I had a friend once question me because I wanted to try an asparagus salad when it was the tail-end of the season.

*ducks and covers head*

Local, all the way. I think driving produce across three states is ultimately going to leave a deeper mark than growing, selling, and consuming produce locally that is grown with non-organic methods.

Organic trumps local, but only for domestic products. It is better for my family, is better for the farmer workers, and it better for the earth. I don't like the air miles but I worry less about plan exhaust than my toddler ingesting pesticides.

That being said, I live in California and choose to be picky. Almost everything I buy is organic AND local.

And I generally avoid imported produce if I can. I don't trust "organics" from the developing country because there is too much fecal matter in the groundwater (expecially Mexico) and heavy metal contamination in the ground (especially China). Lead contaiminated apple juice for kids anyone?

Organic certification isn't important to me at all when it comes to farmers' markets, and it's less important to me than local in the supermarket.. However, if I'm at a farmers' market I almost never buy non-organically-grown produce: I always ask if farmers spray their fruit or veg, and if I can't find something I really want that has been grown organically (e.g., sour cherries), it takes a lot for me to go ahead with the money.

On the other hand, in the supermarket I'll occasionally buy locally-grown transition crops (peaches, asparagus) or try to buy local things that are low in pesticide residue (things that are peeled, things that rarely involve pesticides, or things that don't retain them).

I would never buy non-organic strawberries (for example): I'd rather buy the California ones (I live in OR) or go without.

Local is what I look for. Then again, that is what a farmer's market is all about. I strive to buy locally produced organic food that are members of the 'dirty dozen' but if that isn't a viable option (either not available or the cost is too prohibitive) at my farmer's market, then I'll just purchase the conventionally grown option. Knowing who I grew and produced my food is much more important, in my opinion.

Local, and I want to talk to the farmers and see who farms sustainably.

Local is great. My local guy is doing great! So great in fact he goes to the tropics for the winter. I continue to eat, even in the winter. During that time I find a can of pork-n-beans and a hot dog sustains me and provides a foil from hunger and a needed rest from self absorbtion.

Living in So Cal I don't feel that I really have to choose between them. I want local and organic (farming practices, not certification), and I can make those choices. If I want greens, I see what the farmers have. Maybe I wanted chard, but the only chard at the market is non-organic. One of the organic growers has kale, so I go with organic local kale.

I know the growers, which of them are certified, which use organic farming methods but don't pay for certification, which don't use pesticides but do use chemical fertilizers (a method I think stems from people only asking if the produce is sprayed), and which are purely conventional. I know who grows in my town, or the town over, or 50 miles away. I know which stalls sell produce they actually grow and which sell produce they have purchased wholesale (luckily one of our markets doesn't allow this).

After all that, if there is produce I want that they don't have at the market I choose organic at the supermarket, but only if it is grown in CA or Mexico (more local to me that Florida). I'd rather not do that, but I'm not only shopping for myself and my spouse believes in having lettuce in the house year-round. And I will buy organic bananas to support the growers. I don't feel badly about occasionally supporting big organic because I believe it is still a vote against conventional farming with chemical fertilizers and pesticides/herbicides.

Local is so much more important to me. I live in the Sacramento valley, so I really have no excuse not to eat local. Besides the fuel used to ship organic produce from another state or country bothers me. I'd rather buy local strawberries that might not be certified then buy organic strawberries from Florida or even Mexico.

"Certified organic" is code for "drenched in fossil fuels," in America at least. Local is so much more important!

Local! :)

I'd love to have both, but local and sustainable is my first priority. Certified organic comes second (it's still important to me). When I can find both in the same product, it's wonderful!

This article incorrectly states that "'organic' is no guarantee that land or animals have been treated respectfully." In fact, strict government standards require that organic agriculture use practices that not only protect environmental and animal health, but also strive to improve it.

Instead of relying on synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, which can deplete soil of valuable nutrients and increase environmental cancer risk, organic agriculture builds up soil using compost, crop rotation, and other natural tools.It also helps to keep our water supply clean. Plus, by prohibiting the use of petroleum-based fertilizers and absorbing carbon dioxide from the air, organic agriculture helps to reduce our carbon footprint and combat climate change.

With respect to animal health, organic farmers must provide their animals with access to the outdoors and pasture, quality organic feed and safe, clean living conditions. Organic farmers are also required to raise animals without the use of antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones. The result: healthy, happy animals that are encouraged to exhibit the behaviors nature intended.

In terms of the larger debate at issue in this article- organic vs. local - what is emerging is the importance of buying organic products, whether produced locally or in another part of the world. This can be linked to two factors: that the organic label stands for verifiable environmentally friendly practices, and that these practices are beneficial for the local communities in which they are used, wherever that may be. In addition, it is more efficientand better for the planet overall to grow certain organic products in specific locales, which may not always be in ones backyard.

Because the term local is not regulated, it can mean different things depending on where you shop. When products are marketed as organic, it means they were produced using practices that comply with national organic standards, which prohibit the use of toxic and synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, synthetic growth hormones, artificial flavors and preservatives, sewage sludge, and genetic engineering.

For these and many other reasons, Organic. It's worth it.

Local, absolutely.

Honestly? Price is the most important factor. I love my local farmer's markets and visit two or three of them almost every week, but I'm still working on a pretty tight budget. Even when the meat guy cuts me a deal, I can't always afford what he's offering, and sometimes the squash is just really overpriced.

I definitely go for local when I can, but I've gotten in the habit of shopping around and trying to be aware of sales.

They're both important, but local for me. Around here (seacoast NH), most of the local farms employ organic practices, they just didn't pay the gov't fee to use the word. The farms that do use some pesticides do so very judiciously -- either IPM (integrated pest management -- selective spraying, usually done for apples) -- or if the crop is in grave danger of failing. I'm cool with that.

I have been lucky in the sense that I found a CSA where I pick my own produce and they don't use pesticides. While the produce isn't deemed "organic", in my mind this trumps any organic produce I can buy at the store. Plus I love hearing first hand from the farmer every week what's good- you can't beat that!

I became disenchanted with my local "farmer's market" when I saw the same stickers on the produce that I see in the regular supermarket. I'm positive they're getting it from the same supplier as Kroger! Hi, can we say Green Washing?!

I refuse to buy it. I'm looking for *actual* local farms to purchase from now.

Local is more important. If I can't get organic AND local then local AND IPM is a good way to go.

Local for sure. Though I prefer above anything else local biodynamic, which is pretty easy to come by in Eugene...

Our local CSA farm is sort of the best of both worlds. They do as much organic growing as they reasonable can, and they have an organic farmer assistant this year that is helping to not only get more organic stuff growing on the farm, but helping members learn about how to grow organic at home. They don't have a certification, but they're a family run farm that is very approachable--I trust them when they tell me they do their best to grow organic and use sustainable methods. They gladly talk about all their farming methods, so I feel confident that they are doing their best on all accounts.

For fruits and veggies, I prioritize local - like ilovebutter (AWESOME username!) I live in the Northeast, and many if not most area farms use more sustainable practices, even if they aren't able to qualify as "certified organic" yet. I am motivated by environmental concerns, but I also want to support our local farmers.

If we're talking about meet and dairy, however, "free range/humanely raised" trumps both local and organic combined.

My CSA (local AND organic) allows me to avoid agonizing over this, mostly. That's probably the biggest upside of the CSA for me - less to think about.

But it's weak in the fruit department, so we go to the FarMar for fruit and meat. I'm with PilarJ on the meat front.

As other California people have said, most produce, even in my local vegetable store, is reasonably local regardless so then the question is whether I'm concerned about pesticides (e.g. where I'm eating skins, like strawberries, or not, like oranges...or where I've heard specific horror stories about farmworkers, like grapes) and price point. If the FarMar peaches aren't organic anyway, they have to be cost competitive or super tasty (which makes them cost competitive). The upside of the farmer's market is the samples, thanks to which I can justify spending twice as much on something I know to be sweet and juicy as on something from the store that COULD be dry and mealy.

Local, hands down

Both. (Then again, I grow as much of my own produce as possible.)