Infrastructure the Limiting Factor for Local Food Movement

"In what could be a major setback for America's local-food movement, championed by so-called locavores, independent farmers around the country say they are forced to make slaughter appointments before animals are born and to drive hundreds of miles to facilities, adding to their costs and causing stress to livestock.

As a result, they are scaling back on plans to expand their farms because local processors cannot handle any more animals."

The declining number of slaughterhouses is out of pace with the growing number of small farmers, and the growing demand for locally-grown food. Agricultural experts say rural areas that host these farms need to encourage a rebirth in the slaughterhouse industry.