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SANDY — It is just cardboard with some stuff inside, but the meaning behind it is one Utah farmers are happy about after a tough year.
"This program right here is one that is really exciting," said Ron Gibson, president of the Utah Farm Bureau. "It's putting a smile on farmers' and ranchers' faces across the state."
It's called Touch of Utah.
It's a monthly food subscription box where Utah farmers send their products directly to your front door. The Utah Farm Bureau started it in July as a way to help farmers with some extra business at a time where they could really use some.
"This drought has been really hard, COVID has been really hard, and the trade wars before that," said Gibson. "This is now our opportunity as a state to say we want local agriculture here in the state of Utah."
The box is similar to other food subscription services such as Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, except with Touch of Utah, everything is from the Beehive State.
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"We're looking at really high-quality products, and this isn't stuff that took 10 days to get shipped here and got frozen for three months only to make it to your doorstep old," said Joshua Palmer.
Palmer is the CEO of Cogburn Wire Company, which built the software so people can subscribe to this service online. He said feels it's important the subscription box stay Utah-only.
"If you're not a local producer, you don't get in our box and you don't get in our marketplace," said Palmer.
Not only will sales of the subscription box help Utah farmers, but they will also go toward another Utah Farm Bureau Program called Farmers Feeding Utah. That has been bringing food to people and communities in Utah who could use a little extra help for the past year and continues today.
"Farmers Feeding Utah is the coolest thing that's happened in a long time and it's the best thing that's ever happened out of COVID," said Gibson.
The Utah Farm Bureau is hoping for this new program, Touch of Utah, will end up being just as cool.
