Local Pastures Brings the Farm to the City

As Austin's urban sprawl widens the physical divide between Austinites and the farms and ranches that feed us, there's also only so much room within city limits to host farmers' markets, and mostly on the weekends. Local Pastures bridges that growing gap and allows Austinites to buy directly from farmers seven days a week out of their trailer.

Sam Moffett, the owner of Shirttail Creek Farm and Local Pastures, reflects on how hard it is to run a small farm from market sales alone. "To have this third avenue is really great," he says. It provides a new way to bring farm-fresh products to Austinites as an alternative to weekend markets in a densifying city.

Recognizing that most people "don't want to drive an hour, hour and a half to my farm," Moffett saw an opportunity to bring his farm to Austin. Partnering with Belle Vie Farm, they initially looked at setting up a farm stand in town, then settled on operating out of a trailer. After hiring a guy to build it, they soon realized they were getting scammed by the builder. Undeterred by that setback, they eventually connected with one of their farmers' market regulars renting out retail trailers off Oltorf on a plot of land overlooking the ABGB brewery.

Step inside the trailer, and the friendly store clerk eagerly guides you through the selection, breaking down where each cut comes from. "The idea was to take all of the best things that you can get at the farmers' market and put it in our store," Moffett explains, "[and] have it be that experience so that if people don't want to go to the farmers' market, they don't have to." Farmers' market regulars shop at Local Pastures during the week instead of defaulting to grocery stores.

The shelves at Local Pastures teem with locally made goods that reflect the proprietors' values and farming methods. The eggs, chicken, and beef come from Shirttail Creek Farm, while Belle Vie supplies pork, duck, and chicken. Local makers also offer products like Gourmet Texas Pasta, Barton Springs Mill flour, dairy products by Kettler Family Dairy, coffee, and more.

As the prices and availability of eggs and other products fluctuate in grocery stores, cutting out the middleman between consumers and their food just makes good financial sense. Building relationships with farmers in an intimate setting like Local Pastures not only shortens the supply chain, it also fosters connections that transcend city limits. As Local Pastures looks toward the future with more trailers around town, an urbanizing Austin could access even more fresh farm products in the heart of a booming city.

Local Pastures

1301 W. Oltorf, 512/636-8055, localpastures.farm
Mon.-Fri., noon-6pm; Sat.-Sun., 10am-4pm