--- title: "Local Food" url: https://waronfood.org/local-food/ category: local-food type: hub status: stable published: 2026-10-07 last_updated: 2026-10-07 summary: "Practical, sourced guides to buying food straight from the people who raise it: beef shares, CSAs, farm eggs, label terms and raw milk." description: "Know your farmer: how to buy beef shares, join a CSA, read egg labels, store farm eggs and weigh the raw milk question, with sources you can check." keyword: "buy food direct from farms" attribution: "War on Food (waronfood.org)" --- # Local Food > Know your farmer: how to buy beef shares, join a CSA, read egg labels, store farm eggs and weigh the raw milk question, with sources you can check. ## Key takeaways - Buying direct means you can ask the farmer how the food was raised instead of decoding a label. - Bulk meat, CSA shares and farm eggs each have their own pricing model, and the details matter more than the headline price. - Some label words are defined by USDA, some only by private certifiers, and some by nobody at all. - Food-safety rules still apply on the farm: farm eggs need cold storage, and raw milk carries documented risks. Buying food direct from a farm is the shortest path between you and the person who raised it. You can ask how the animals lived, what the hens ate, when the beef was processed and how the vegetables were grown, and get an answer from someone who was there. That is the whole idea behind "know your farmer." It is also a different way of shopping. A beef share is priced on hanging weight, not on the steak you pick up at the store. A CSA asks you to pay before the season and share the risk of a bad year. Farm eggs may arrive unwashed, with their natural coating intact. Raw milk is legal in some places and not in others, and the safety question is real. None of this is hard, but the details decide whether direct buying saves you money and stress or costs you both. This hub walks through it with sources you can check: - **[How to buy food direct from farms](https://waronfood.org/local-food/buy-from-farms/)** — where to find farms, what to ask, and how to plan freezer space and budget. - **[How much is half a cow?](https://waronfood.org/local-food/half-a-cow-cost/)** — live weight, hanging weight and take-home weight, with a calculator that uses your farm's numbers. - **[What is a CSA?](https://waronfood.org/local-food/what-is-a-csa/)** — how shares work, what you're really paying for and how to choose one. - **[Pasture-raised vs free-range](https://waronfood.org/local-food/pasture-raised-vs-free-range/)** — which label terms are USDA-defined and which belong to private certifiers. - **[How long do farm fresh eggs last?](https://waronfood.org/local-food/farm-fresh-eggs/)** — the bloom, washing and storage. - **[Raw milk vs pasteurized milk](https://waronfood.org/local-food/raw-vs-pasteurized-milk/)** — the case people make for it and what the evidence says about risk. If you're stocking up, the [pantry](https://waronfood.org/pantry/) hub covers storage, and [homestead](https://waronfood.org/homestead/) covers raising some of it yourself. ## Local Food guides - [How to Buy Food Direct from Farms: Beef Shares, CSAs, Eggs & Raw Milk](https://waronfood.org/local-food/buy-from-farms/): A practical guide to finding farms, asking good questions, budgeting for bulk meat and CSA shares, and making room in the freezer. - [How Much Is Half a Cow? Hanging Weight, Take-Home Meat and Real Cost](https://waronfood.org/local-food/half-a-cow-cost/): Live weight, hanging weight and take-home weight explained with extension rules of thumb, plus a calculator that uses your own farm's prices. - [What Is a CSA? How Community Supported Agriculture Works](https://waronfood.org/local-food/what-is-a-csa/): Community Supported Agriculture explained: how shares and payment work, the trade-offs, meat and egg CSAs, and questions to ask before you join. - [Pasture-Raised vs Free-Range: What Egg and Meat Labels Actually Mean](https://waronfood.org/local-food/pasture-raised-vs-free-range/): A plain guide to cage-free, free-range, pasture-raised, organic, Certified Humane and Animal Welfare Approved, and who defines each term. - [How Long Do Farm Fresh Eggs Last? Washing, Storage and the Bloom](https://waronfood.org/local-food/farm-fresh-eggs/): Storage times, the bloom (cuticle), safe washing, US vs EU rules and what the float test can and can't tell you, from USDA and extension sources. - [Raw Milk vs Pasteurized Milk: What the Evidence Says](https://waronfood.org/local-food/raw-vs-pasteurized-milk/): An evidence-first look at raw milk: the reasons people want it, what pasteurization does to nutrients, the pathogen and H5N1 risks, who is most vulnerable, and the legal patchwork. ## FAQ **What does "know your farmer" mean?** It means buying from producers you can talk to directly, so you can ask how food was grown or raised instead of relying only on label claims. **Where can I find local farms that sell direct?** USDA's Local Food Directories list farmers markets, CSAs, on-farm markets and food hubs by zip code. LocalHarvest, farmers market vendors and your county extension office are also good leads. **What's the easiest way to start buying local food?** Farm eggs or a CSA share are low-commitment starting points. A quarter beef is a manageable first bulk meat purchase if you have freezer space. ## Sources 1. [USDA Agricultural Marketing Service — Local Food Directories](https://www.ams.usda.gov/local-food-directories) 2. [LocalHarvest — Community Supported Agriculture](https://www.localharvest.org/csa/) 3. [University of Missouri Extension — Buying Meat Direct From the Farm (MX3001)](https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/mx3001) --- Cite as: [Local Food](https://waronfood.org/local-food/), War on Food (waronfood.org), last updated 2026-10-07.