Keep your money in your community and your food free of chemicals: Buy organic edibles from local farmers.

Wouldn't you rather do your food shopping here than at the supermarket?

STATE COLLEGE, PA—Earlier this month, about 2,000 farmers, gardeners, and people who care about where our food comes participated in the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s 18th annual conference, Farming for the Future. There, they attended workshops to learn more about raising food without demolishing the environment, and how to better connect their pasture-raised chicken, chemical-free tomatoes, and grass-fed beef to your plate. The good news? It’s easier than ever to find these farmers. And when you do, you’ll have the pleasure of knowing where in the world your food came from.

THE DETAILS: Workshop topics ranged from solar power and rural energy independence to organic apple production and 21st-century victory gardens. The attendance numbers reveal that an interest in producing chemical-free food is on the rise: Of the 2,000 conference attendees, about 500 were first-time participants. Fourth-generation farmers mingled with recent college graduates looking to trade in office jobs for a life of working the land.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Even if you’ve never experienced the pleasure of pulling a carrot out of the earth, you participate in agriculture through the choices you make when buying your food. The question is, are you supporting agricultural methods that leach harmful chemicals into our food and water supply, or growers who use organic methods that work with nature, not against it?

Here are some messages from the PASA conference: