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Farm Country Feeds America. But Just
Try Buying Groceries There.

Original Article

Posted By: earlybird, 11/5/2019 7:10:49 PM

WINCHESTER, Ill. — John Paul Coonrod had a banana problem. The only grocery store in his 1,500-person hometown in central Illinois had shut its doors, and Mr. Coonrod, a local lawyer, was racing to get a community-run market off the ground. He had found space in an old shoe store, raised $85,000 from neighbors and even secured a liquor license to sell craft beer. But then his main produce supplier fell through. (Snip) Farm towns like Winchester that produce beef, corn and greens to feed the world are becoming America’s unlikeliest food deserts as traditional grocery stores are forced out of business by fewer shoppers and competition from dollar-store chains.

Comments:

An interesting story on how Coonrod/Winchester and other towns are trying to solve this problem...

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Reply 1 - Posted by: Corndoggies 11/5/2019 7:46:36 PM (No. 228163)
I moved to a very rural area from a fairly large city. It’s a transition for sure. I miss restaurants more than grocery stores. I have 2 small towns within 15 miles for groceries and a Walmart about 40 miles away. I’ve settled on close by for refrigerated items and fresh fruits and vegetables. There WalMart.com or Amazon for shelf items. Living in the country is worth it though.
8 people like this.

Reply 2 - Posted by: JHHolliday 11/5/2019 8:10:41 PM (No. 228183)
In my case, the rural positives out weigh the negatives.
7 people like this.

Reply 3 - Posted by: SALady 11/5/2019 8:12:28 PM (No. 228184)
Grocery stores must sell a certain amount to make a profit. The more fresh produce and other perishables they don't sell, the more of dry goods they have to sell to make up for that loss. If you have a very limited population spread out over miles, it's really hard to make those sales. Sadly, rural areas often can't support grocery stores for that reason. That is why Wal-Marts are so valuable and popular in those parts of the country. It's a drive for most people, but at least the WM's can handle the volume needed to stay in business. I'm sure there are people on all sides that want to make political points out of this, but it's just basic economics in a free market!!!!
12 people like this.

Reply 4 - Posted by: earlybird 11/5/2019 8:27:02 PM (No. 228192)
I guess everythng is in the eye of the beholder. I saw this as a positive article on how some who live in these rural areas are trying to come up with solutions to a problem that all seem to agree exists. And the reasons for the problem's existence are also pretty well described in the article.
2 people like this.

Reply 5 - Posted by: Strike3 11/5/2019 10:47:58 PM (No. 228250)
Like the New York Times knows anything about farm country. Bananas do not grow in Illinois, Jack, and the industrious people there will find a substitute or figure it out. Restaurants can be bypassed by looking up the recipes for your favorite meals and fixing them yourself. Better and cheaper.
3 people like this.

Reply 6 - Posted by: NYbob 11/6/2019 2:43:21 PM (No. 228501)
There aren't many dry cleaners or bowling alleys either. You give up some things to live in a less populated area, but you gain a lot of unique things an urban renter would never think of. As always some things you want require personal effort, so buck up and can some things or find out who does that.
2 people like this.

Reply 7 - Posted by: Mushroom 11/6/2019 2:58:48 PM (No. 228519)
I live out in the sticks. So I pulled up a map to see just where Winchester was...it is 11mi from a nice town of 20k with a WalMart , Home depot AND a Harbor Freight! What else could you want? Kroger is 13mi south of town. There were a couple of other towns closer, but I didn't bother looking them up. It's not a desert! It's a different way of life. Just as some people value sunshine over honest government,taxes, and earth quakes. Others prefer to be left the heck alone...
1 person likes this.

Reply 8 - Posted by: texaspast 11/11/2019 7:47:27 PM (No. 232563)
In the country, a grocery store may be 20 miles away. It will take 25 minutes to get there. In a big city, the grocery store you want is only 5 miles away. It will take 25 minutes to get there. Same for restaurants. In the country, you plan your shopping trips and you don't go every day. You have to think ahead. If you run out of milk for your cereal at 9:00 at night, you eat a sandwich instead. My grandparents used to go to town once a week. They'd ask the neighbors (a relative term in the country - for them, a neighbor was anyone they knew within a five mile radius) if there was anything they could pick up for them while they were in town. While they were in town (at least the times I went with them) they'd stop at the Dairy Queen to get a 'cream'. That was the extent of their eating out. Of course, they grew their own vegetables and fruit. and canned a lot for the winter. My father (born in the 1920s) said he never had a banana until he joined the Marines in 1942.
1 person likes this.

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