Listen: Nebraska FARMcast
Michelle Garwood of Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska discusses the 2026 Local Food Guide and how it connects Nebraskans with local farms, ranches, markets and food businesses. Find this episode on your favorite platform here.
Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska has released its 2026 Local Food Guide, an annual resource for finding local farms, ranches, farmers markets and food businesses across Nebraska.
The guide is available in print and online and includes short profiles of Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska members, organized by region. It also features a map of member locations, product symbols to help users quickly identify what each producer offers, seasonal recipes, articles and information about farmers markets and local food access.
Michelle Garwood, program coordinator for Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska, said on a recent episode of Nebraska FARMcast that the guide helps make buying local food easier.
“Each year the guide is published to help Nebraskans source locally grown and raised goods,” Garwood said on the podcast.
The 2026 guide also marks the 20th anniversary of Buy Fresh Buy Local Nebraska. This year’s edition includes a look back at past guide covers, information about the value of supporting local food in Nebraska communities, a summary of the program’s partnership with the Center for Rural Affairs on farmers markets, and information about accessibility at farmers markets.
The guide can be a starting point for for consumers to find Nebraska-grown and Nebraska-made products, including produce, meat, eggs, baked goods and other items. Garwood said it's designed to help users identify producers near them, learn how products are grown or sold and find information for farms and businesses.
The online version at BuyLocalNebraska.org allows visitors to search listings and find updated information throughout the year.
Garwood said marketing can be expensive and time-consuming for small producers, and the guide allows members to pool resources through a statewide effort with a recognizable brand while promoting the benefits of buying local.
“Our communities are strengthened when consumers get to know the producers and develop these long-standing relationships,” she said. “And of course, our communities become more economically sound when the dollars stay close to home and we help family farmers stay in business.”
