And now for the question we've all been waiting to ask: why is local meat so expensive?

Stan Biasini of Mt Mansfield Creamery, an SOF participant farmn text here.

I get this question a lot! It's funny how many people think that all food is the same and perhaps it should all have a comparable price. I know when I shop for a new car or a can of paint I have the understanding that the product that has a higher price is almost always of a higher quality. I'm surprised that more skeptical people don't wonder how they can buy non-local meat at such a low price.

So why are many local meats priced higher than standard meats at the supermarket? In most cases you're looking at a superior product: see if you can taste the difference, or decide if you derive value from the other attributes like grass fed, humane treatment or paying a VT farmer a better wage.

Processing for a small-scale producer can cost more; slaughtering animals and cutting and wrapping meat is a significant component of the final sale price.

Many grass-fed animals may be carried through the winter on stored feeds before the animal is ready for harvest. That means more money for feed, more time for the farmer and more space taken up in fields or the barn. Compare that to a Midwestern feedlot steer who is fed surplus corn on an accelerated growth plan. Corn is cheap in those parts of the country and, after all, time is money!

Click here for Mark's full interview