If you have been driving yourself crazy looking for fresh, local food and farm products, you are in luck. There exists both a website and a social media group that strives to connect farmers with consumers and consumers with farmers, and the website just got a HUGE overhaul in time for February, which has been declared Shop Local Month, here in the #BoldNorth. Let me introduce (or re-introduce) you to Farm Direct Minnesota and what it is all about.

From COVID To Real Connections

The social media group started off in May of 2020, during COVID, when we were all dealing with supply chain issues. (Remember that?) From May until the present, the social media group has simply grown and grown, now boasting more than 100,000 members, in which farmers and consumers connect to buy and sell what they grow and create, and even food waste is up for grabs on the page and website.

The woman behind the page and website Sazzy Lee Varga has pretty much made it her mission to connect Minnesota farmers with consumers, and since 2020 her page and website have only grown and gotten a little easier to navigate, which brings me to what they just launched online, an interactive map that will pull up all the farms around you, making it easier to connect you with the goods and services you are needing, and for the producers a way to promote what they are selling.

What's New With Farm Direct Minnesota's Website?

The new interactive map is a game-changer for consumers like me, who aren't ALWAYS looking for goods, but when I need to find something like beef tallow or maple syrup, I no longer have to sort through previous social media posts on the page; I can just head to the map and search what is around me.

The map includes contact information for the farmer/producer so you can reach out before leaving your home or work to make sure they are A. Open and B. ready for you to stop by.

Social Media Page Is A Real Community

If you are looking for something in particular or just have a question, you should check out the Facebook page; it's a wealth of information. I've been a member now for a few years, and I always find something new to either try or learn about whenever I stop by the page.

READ MORE FROM PAUL SHEA