Agricultural run-off flowing down the Mississippi River has created an area devoid of life in the Gulf of Mexico ? in 1999, this ?dead zone? peaked at 8,000 square miles, an area the size of New Jersey

–EPA, 2001

Why should you buy locally grown food?

You'll get exceptional taste and freshness, strengthen your local economy, support endangered family farms and so much more.

Click here to find out more!

"BUY LOCAL" CHALLENGE SCOREBOARD

Check out our scoreboard below to see how your state is doing in the "Buy Local" Challenge. Scroll down to see how much money has been committed to local foods in your state.

If you haven't pledged yet, go back to the Challenge main page for more information or, if you've already committed money, tell a friend about the challenge.

State	# of People Pledging	Dollars Committed
California	200	$231,250
Washington	125	$98,615
Pennsylvania	176	$72,555
New York	113	$53,950
Texas	60	$40,350
Ohio	70	$34,530
Maryland	69	$29,190
Michigan	70	$28,620
Minnesota	54	$27,990
Oregon	46	$26,780
Virginia	56	$26,590
Massachusetts	60	$26,435
Oklahoma	46	$24,820
North Carolina	51	$21,480
Illinois	41	$18,280
Florida	60	$17,860
Wisconsin	40	$17,340
Colorado	34	$15,380
Hawaii	11	$15,240
Missouri	31	$13,910
New Jersey	41	$12,360
Georgia	39	$11,610
Connecticut	26	$10,800
Arizona	25	$10,020
Maine	23	$9,680
Vermont	19	$9,580
Kansas	25	$9,510
Indiana	27	$9,400
	30	$9,140
Iowa	25	$8,310
Idaho	19	$7,720
New Mexico	15	$7,240
Tennessee	25	$6,880
New Hampshire	14	$6,760
West Virginia	8	$6,340
South Carolina	17	$5,830
District of Columbia	11	$5,160
Arkansas	8	$4,480
Louisiana	8	$4,120
Kentucky	19	$3,780
Alabama	13	$3,300
Utah	12	$2,790
Nevada	6	$2,740
Delaware	7	$2,220
Rhode Island	7	$1,740
Alaska	6	$1,670
Montana	9	$1,540
Nebraska	6	$1,480
Mississippi	5	$1,220
South Dakota	3	$1,160
Wyoming	4	$920
North Dakota	3	$260
Totals:	1918	$1,020,925